Maerz

Lime Burning Technology

Our Company
Maerz Ofenbau AG was established in 1950
in Zurich, Switzerland, by Austrian magnesite
producers to design and sell open hearth
furnace technology to the worldwide steel
industry.
In 1965 Maerz began the design and
construction of the MAERZ Parallel Flow
Regenerative (PFR) Lime Kiln, characterised
by its high thermal efficiency and superior
lime quality, now generally known as the
MAERZ PFR Kiln.
The initial design was an oil-fired lime kiln of
150 tpd capacity. Soon larger units were
designed and gas firing technology was
added to oil firing. In the late seventies a
patented system to apply pulverised solid
fuels was introduced. Today Maerz offers
designs for PFR Kilns with nominal capacities
between 100 and 800 tpd and with firing systems for virtually all types of liquid, gaseous
and pulverised solid fuels.
As a further milestone, in the late eighties,
Maerz introduced the Maerz Finelime Kiln.
This vertical-shaft kiln type allows the calcination of small-size limestone and dolomite,
which in the past had to be processed in
rotary kilns with significantly lower thermal
efficiency, i.e. higher heat consumption.
In 1995 RCE Industrieofenbau Engineering
GmbH, located in Radenthein, Austria, a
specialist in the field of furnaces and kilns
for the production of refractory materials,

Our Achievements
By combining Maerz, Polysius and RCEs
know-how and experience in the lime burning
technology field, Maerz is in a unique position
to offer tailor-made solutions to its customers.
The different kiln systems such as PFR
Kilns, Single Shaft Kilns, Rotary Kilns or
Suspension Calciners do not compete with,
but complement each other.
Depending on the application conditions, such
as production capacity, type of fuel, raw material feed size, lime quality required, etc. the
decision for a certain kiln type is made by
evaluating the balance between cost, technological reliability and flexibility.

became a subsidiary company of Maerz,

adding its high-efficiency single shaft kiln
to the existing product portfolio.

It is Maerzs policy on the basis of an extensive

product portfolio to carefully assess all initial
conditions before recommending the most suitable kiln technology to its customers to meet
the specific project conditions and to achieve
the required product quality.

To satisfy the steadily increasing market

demand in Eastern Europe, Maerz established
a subsidiary engineering division Maerz
Ofenbau s.r.l. in Timioara, Romania, in
2005.

Maerz the world leader in the construction

of lime kilns is not only in a position to offer
the most energy-efficient type of lime shaft kiln
existing to date but also the most comprehensive scope of lime burning equipment.

In 2006 Maerz joined the Polysius Group,

becoming the centre of lime business activities of the entire Group.
With Polysius know-how and personnel resources, Maerz now also offers rotary kilns,
annular shaft kilns, suspension calciners and
equipment up- and downstream of the lime
kilns, thus turning into a full-line supplier of
kilns and associated equipment for the lime
industry.

Supported by a global network of representatives and partners, Maerz can present the largest number of reference plants installed
worldwide in the lime industry by one single
company.

Large photo + Fig. 1

Headquarters of
Maerz Ofenbau AG in Zurich,
Switzerland.

Fig. 2 4 From the Idea

to the Start of Production.

Lime is one of the most widespread and versatile chemicals produced and applied worldwide.
Quicklime and hydrated lime
have been used in many civilisations for more than 3000 years.
Starting from the construction
and building industry in the early
days, the uses of lime, dolomitic
lime and dolomite have become
almost countless.
Vital in the steel, building and
chemical industries, as well as
in agriculture, lime is a basic
raw material that has made an
essential contribution to many
of the achievements of our
modern world.
Global production of lime is
estimated to be approx. 300
million tons per year, whereof the sales-relevant portion
amounts to approx. 120 million
tons per year. In industrialised
countries the yearly per capita
consumption of lime products
amounts to approx. 80 kg.

Applications of Lime

The most important consumers of lime, dolomitic lime and

dolomite are:
Iron and steelmaking
- capturing of impurities in
the steel bath
- iron ore sintering
- desulphurisation
Non-ferrous metals
- beneficiation of non-ferrous
metal ores, e.g. copper
- recovery of gold and silver
in cyanide extraction
- flotation processes for lead,
nickel, zinc, molybdenum
and uranium

Construction and building

- mortars and plasters
- s andlime bricks, aerated
concrete bricks
Chemical industry
-m
 anufacture of sodium
alkalis, e.g. soda ash
- production of calcium carbide
Environmental applications
- treatment of water, waste
water and sewage
- air pollution control
Agriculture
- liming of soils, forests and
lakes
- compound fertilisers
Soil stabilisation
- s tabilisation of road beds
for high performance roads
- c onstruction of airport
runways, parking lots and
railway tracks
PCC industry
- paper industry
- paints and coatings
- plastics

Types of
Kilns and Calciners
Kiln type

Rectangular
PFR Kiln

Circular
PFR Kiln

Finelime
Kiln

E1 E6

R1 R5

F1 F3

Capacity

[tpd]

100 400

300 800

200 400

Stone size

[mm]

30 120

30 160

15 40

Heat input

[kJ/ kg]
[kcal/kg]

3390 3650
810 870

3390 3650
810 870

3310 3560
790 850

high reactivity
lime

high reactivity
lime

high reactivity
lime

Key criteria

Services
Revamping
Upgrading
Modernisation
Alternative Fuels
Automation
Spare parts

PFR Kilns
Multi-fuel firing systems
Conversion to alternative fuels
Advanced charging technology for increase of quarry yield and production

Product Portfolio
Annular Shaft
Kiln

Single Shaft
Kiln

Preheater
Rotary Kiln

Suspension
Calciner

A1 A3

H1 H5

200 600

50 300

500 1200

300 1200

15 200

10 100

10 50

0.03 2

3800 4100
910 980

4100 4610
980 1100

4820 5650
1150 1350

5450 5860
1300 1400

high CO2-content
in off-gas

medium to hard
burnt lime

high production rate

low sulphur product

finest raw material

size

Annular Shaft Kilns

Application of solid fuels

Single Shaft Kilns

Conversion of mixed feed
kilns to solid fuel dust firing
with significant increase of
kiln capacity

Rotary Kilns
Conversion to preheater kilns
Sulphur bypass system

PFR Kilns
The PFR (Parallel Flow Regenerative) kiln type is
characterised by two vertical shafts connected by
a cross-over channel.
This allows parallel flow heating, i.e. the parallel flow of limestone and hot gases as well as
regenerative preheating of the combustion air in
one shaft (the burning shaft) whilst the mixture of
combustion gases and lime cooling air simultaneously preheats the limestone in the second shaft
(the non-burning shaft). Each shaft cycles through
the burning and non-burning mode at intervals of
approx. 10 to 15 minutes.
The Parallel Flow Principle is ideal for producing
high reactivity quicklime at the highest thermal
efficiency of all modern lime kilns.
PFR Kilns are available for capacities from 100 to
800 mt/day and can be fired with gaseous, liquid
and pulverised solid fuels.
Depending on the required production capacity,
the limestone grain size to be processed and the
fuels available, PFR Kilns of rectangular, circular
or Finelime design are proposed.

Parallel Flow Regenerative Shaft Kilns

Rectangular PFR Kiln

Circular PFR Kiln

Finelime Kiln

The simplest design of a PFR

Kiln is to place two shafts with
rectangular cross section side
by side lengthwise in such a
manner that the kiln gases can
flow directly from one shaft to
the other via a direct cross-over
channel. Because of its geometry this kiln type is simple to
manufacture with reduced requirements for steel structure
and refractory materials.

For larger capacities, e.g. from

300 to 800 tons per day, kilns
of circular cross section are recommended. These kilns feature
circular ring channels collecting
the combustion gases before
they enter the non-burning shaft
via the cross-over channel. The
gases exit the burning shaft and
enter the non-burning shaft radially around the complete shaft
perimeter, thereby guaranteeing
an even heat distribution.

Typical stone sizes processed

in conventional vertical shaft
kilns are larger than 30 mm.
Stone sizes of 6 to 30 mm can
be calcined in rotary kilns, but
with lower thermal efficiency. To
solve this shortcoming, Maerz
has developed a special type of
PFR Kiln the Finelime Kiln.

This straightforward and costefficient kiln type is mainly applied for output rates up to 400
tons of burnt lime or dolomite
per day.
As from 1966, Maerz has built
roughly 200 rectangular kilns
worldwide operating with gaseous, liquid and pulverised solid
fuels.

Since 1966, more than 200 circular Maerz Kilns operating

with gaseous, liquid and pulverised solid fuels, or a combination
of these, have been built worldwide.

Large photo
Rectangular PFR Kiln.
Fig. 1 Circular PFR Kiln.
Fig. 2 Finelime Kiln.
Fig. 3 Startup burner.
Fig. 4 Refractory lining
work.

A bucket positioned vertically

above each shaft is used for
charging raw stone into the
kiln shafts. Stone distribution
is further improved by rotating the bucket during charging
from conveyor belts or vibrating feeders. The circular shaft
design facilitates uniform stone
and fuel distribution during
charging, as well as calcination
throughout the complete shaft
cross section.

While maintaining the unique

features of PFR Kiln principles,
i.e. the parallel flow of material
and combustion gases in the
burning zone and the regenerative preheating of combustion
air, the Finelime Kiln is able to
burn limestone sized between
approx. 15 and 40 mm at thermal efficiencies superior to conventional PFR Kilns.
Since 1989 the year of its
introduction Maerz has built
approx. 35 Finelime Kilns worldwide.

1
Fig. 1 Pusher of the Preheater.
Fig. 2 View into a Rotary Kiln.
Fig. 3 Preheater Rotary Kiln.

Preheater Rotary Kiln

Preheater Rotary Kilns are the preferred
technology for the burning of limestone and
dolomite if the following conditions apply:
high production capacity, preferably
greater than 1,000 tpd
small stone feed size, e.g. 15 to 40 mm
maximum fuel flexibility
production of low sulphur lime (e.g. for
the steel industry) despite the usage of
cheap, high sulphur fuels.
The energetic efficiency of a rotary kiln is
highly enhanced by a shaft preheater that
uses the kiln off-gases to preheat and partially calcine the limestone.
The modular preheater design most effectively combines heat transfer with optimal
accessibility for maintenance during operation.
Our technology of preheater rotary kilns is
based on the joint know-how of Polysius
and Maerz.
Polysius contributes its broad knowledge of
rotary kilns and its R&D capabilities while
Maerz contributes profound process knowledge of lime burning such as gas flow patterns in bulky material beds.

Rotary Kilns
Sulphur Bypass System
Todays steel industry has a growing demand for lime with minimal sulphur content.
Furthermore, the sharp increase in fuel
costs has created the necessity of looking
for cheaper fuel sources in order to limit
operating costs. Unfortunately, the usage of
cheaper fuels often means an increased input of sulphur and other impurities into the
kiln system.
A special sulphur bypass system was
developed by Polysius to allow the firing of
high sulphur fuels for the production of low
sulphur lime in rotary kilns being equipped
with a shaft preheater.
In this novel system, the countercurrent
streams of material and kiln exhaust gases
are separated between preheater and rotary
kiln. The material is subject to a hot screening and classifying process.
The sulphur bypass system provides a very
effective solution to produce low sulphur
quicklime even when using highly contaminated fuels.

Large photo New-Generation

Lime Shaft Preheater.
Fig. 4 The Sulphur Bypass System.

Suspension Calciner
The POLCAL process was developed by
Polysius based on their extensive experience in the field of thermal treatment of bulk
materials acquired over many decades. It is
especially suitable for treating fine-grained
limestone and dolomite.
Materials within a grain size range of 0.03 to
2 mm can be processed in this gas suspension process.
POLCAL systems have several vertically
arranged cyclone stages and a reactor for
thermal treatment of the raw materials as
well as one or several cooling cyclones to
cool the treated product. The individual
cyclone stages are interconnected by gas
ducts.
With production capacities ranging between
300 and 1,200 tpd of burnt product, liquid,
gaseous and to a certain extent solid
fuels are applicable. The fuel is supplied
via several injectors arranged around the
reactor.
By varying the temperature and/or residence time in a conditioning drum installed
downstream the reaction chamber, the degree of reactivity of the burnt material can
readily be adjusted to meet customer requirements.

Shaft Kilns Suspension Calciners

Annular Shaft Kiln

Single Shaft Kiln

The Annular Shaft Kiln is characterised by

its annular shaped shaft cross section located between an outer and inner refractory
lined cylindrical steel shell.

Special applications of lime, e.g. in the production of sandlime bricks and aerated concrete bricks or blocks, require hard burnt,
low reactivity quicklime. The RCE designed
single shaft lime kiln satisfies this requirement.

The main feature of this kiln type is the

continuous stream of exhaust gases with a
high CO2-content, ranging between 26 and
32 %, depending on the type of fuel used.
Furthermore, the kiln allows the adjustment
of the reactivity of the quicklime produced
from soft to medium burnt. These characteristics have made the Annular Shaft Kiln
the preferred choice for PCC and soda production.
A wide range of fuels can be applied on this
kiln with production ranging between 200
and 600 tons per day.

Based on the design of the RCE High Temperature Kiln, mainly used in the refractory
materials industry for sintering magnesite,
dolomite and alumina, and in response to
market requirements, a high efficiency single shaft kiln for the calcination of limestone,
dolomite and magnesite was subsequently
designed and patented. The main features
of this novel single shaft kiln type are:
the use of cooled, retractable side
burners
a wide range of product reactivity due
to the easy adjustability of operating
temperatures and
the high specific output per shaft
cross section.

Large photo Single Shaft Kiln.

Fig. 1 Suspension Calciner.
Fig. 2 Cyclone of the Suspension Calciner.
Fig. 3 Detail of an Annular Shaft Kiln.
Fig. 4 Annular Shaft Kiln.
Fig. 5 Oil Burner of an Annular Shaft Kiln.

Services

Research and Development

Excellent technological competence is the key
to winning over and retaining customers as well
as to exploiting growth potential in existing and
new markets. Increasing the size of production
units and improving the operating economy
of production plants are main development
priorities.
Maerz makes use of the Polysius Research
Centre. With its modern equipment, this is one
of the leading institutions for technological
development in the mineral industry.

Customer Services
Maerz can assist their customers in many
different ways and offers the following services:
Project feasibility studies
Engineering services
Supply of key equipment for lime, dolomite
and magnesite kiln plants
Turn-key erection of complete kiln plants
Supervision services for erection, commissioning and operation of kiln plants
Spare parts supply
Technical audits on kiln plants in operation
Training of operating and maintenance
personnel
After sales services including consulting for
operating and maintenance problems
Elaboration of modernisation proposals.

The World Leader in Lime Kilns

References
About 500 new kilns for the lime and dolomite industry have been built since 1950 in some 60 countries by Maerz, Polysius and RCE.
Since their introduction in the late 1950s, the Maerz
PFR Kilns have become standard equipment in the
lime and dolomite industry. Their superior thermal
efficiency, paired with the flexibility of being able to
apply virtually all types of fuel and raw materials,
has made them an excellent choice whenever the
installation of new calcining equipment is an issue.
For special applications, such as production capacities of more
than 1000 tons per day, the requirement to burn powdery raw
material or to produce low reactivity lime, a continuous off-gas
flow from the kiln with high CO2-content and the production of
low sulphur lime, rotary kilns, single shaft kilns, annular shaft
kilns and suspension calciners complement Maerzs product
portfolio.