Companies are considering use in demonstration plant

Reduction of greenhouse gases CO₂-Separation in cement production: companies are considering use in demonstration plant

The four European cement manufacturers Buzzi Unicem-Dyckerhoff, Heidelberg Cement, Schwenk Zement and Vicat are working on being able to examine the use of Thyssenkrupp’s oxyfuel carbon capture technology in a demonstration plant on an industrial scale.

Food – Large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO₂) released. Only a third of these emissions result from burning fossil fuels such as coal or petroleum coke, while the majority is released through the decomposition of limestone. Limestone – the most important raw material for cement production – consists of approx. 35% to 44% CO, depending on the quality₂.

Luc Rudowski, Head of Innovation at thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions, Cement Technologies Business Unit, emphasizes that reducing CO₂-Emissions in cement production are one of the most important challenges facing the industry today. As part of the # grey2green path, his company develops technologies and solutions for sustainable cement production. In doing so, however, the profitability and productivity of the systems should not be lost sight of. Rudowski cites the newly developed polysius pure oxyfuel technology for CO as an example of this₂-Deposition. Other solutions range from more sustainable cement production with polysius activated clay or the polysius booster mill, to the optimal use of alternative fuels with prepol SC, to reducing NOx emissions with Cemcat SCR.

Oxyfuel technology replaces the ambient air in the clinker production process by introducing pure oxygen into the front zone of the cooler. Since the nitrogen content of the air no longer occurs, the CO₂-Increase the concentration in the furnace exhaust gas up to 100%. This much more efficient CO₂-Separation serves as the basis for a downstream use or storage of carbon dioxide.

The advantage of reducing the exhaust gas to an almost pure CO₂Electricity has so far resulted in too little gas in the preheater for the cyclones to operate. In the oxyfuel process of the first generation, this requires a complex gas return from the preheater exhaust gas to the cooler with the process steps of heat exchange, dedusting and condensation.

With the second-generation polysius pure oxyfuel process, this gas recirculation can be omitted, which, according to the company, leads to considerable savings in investment and operating costs. Another advantage: Existing systems can also be equipped with this process.

The four European cement manufacturers Buzzi Unicem-Dyckerhoff, Heidelberg Cement, Schwenk Zement and Vicat now want to examine the use of the technology in a demonstration plant on an industrial scale. The research company “CI4C – Cement Innovation for Climate” was founded for this purpose. The aim is to CO₂ 100% separated and used with the help of renewable energies for the production of so-called “refuels”, that is, climate-neutral synthetic fuels such as kerosene for the aviation industry. By using this technology, the cement industry could reduce its process-related CO₂– Significantly reduce emissions and thus make an important contribution to climate protection.

(ID:47278822)

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