2 Suitable waste fuels for cement

production

Martin Oerter
Research Institute of the Cement Industry (Düsseldorf)
Seminar S11-03, September 16, 2011
Fuel mix and properties

Municipal Tires
Waste
Animal-
meal

Rice husks RDF

Rubber
chips Wood
Sewage-
sludge chips
Alternative Fuels – Advantages

Environmental advantages
• Saving of natural resources
• Reduction of CO2 emissions
• Thermal recycling

Economical advantages
• Reduction of fuel costs
• Stronger market position
Alternative Fuels – Challenges

Establishment of an additional fuel management

• Silos and storage facilities, dosing and transport equipment
• Quality control

Influence on process

• Higher specific waste gas volume and pressure drop

 increase of electrical power demand or reduced production

• Increase of specific heat demand

• Increase of chlorine and sulphur input into the system
 a bypass system is required for higher substitution rates
Characterization of alternative fuels

Comparison of alternative fuels relative to lignite dust

Burning Ashbehaviour
content ?
10

Volatile organic
Emission factor
compounds
1

Trace elements 0,1 Calorific value

Additional properties:
Sulphur • Particle
Water size distribution
content
Lignite dust • Dispersibility
Alternative fuel type A • Ignition and burnout behaviour
Chlorine
Alternative fuel type B • Homogeneity and preparation
Alternative fuel type C • ...........
 burner design temperature profile
refractories NOx formation
Retention time

oxygen level
fuel burnout/CO

impact of alternative fuels

mixing
coating and rings
volume flow
chlorine and sulphur cycles

heat recovery
in the clinker cooler clinker quality
emission
Typical composition of waste fuels compared to fossil fuels

units hard petcoke waste fluff animal municipal waste

coal tyres meal sewage oil
sludge
LCV MJ/kg 26 32 36 25 19 11 26

volatiles % 25 9 54 76 66 57 80

moisture % 1 1 1 15 4 9 17

ash % 20 20 18 11 21 34 3

Cl % 0.3 0,04 0.1 1 0.5 0.2 0.4

S % 0.5 3 0.8 0.4 0.3 2.5 0.1

Specific gas volumes of different fuels

0,45
dry
specific gas volume [m³/kg clk]

0,41 wet
0,40 0,38
0,36
0,34
0,33
0,35 0,31
0,31 0,31
0,30 0,30
0,29
0,29
0,30
0,27
0,26

0,25

0,20
hard petcoke waste waste waste oil animal sewage
coal plastic tyres meal sludge
Raw gas volume of a cement kiln depending on fuel mix
(3000 t/d, 3500 MJ/t cl, air ratio 1.2)

200
189
185 184
gas volume in 103 Nm3/h

173 175
171
175 169
163

dry
150 wet

125
100% hard coal 50% hard coal, 30% hard coal, 20% hard coal,
50% waste plastic 50% waste oil, 30% animal meal,
20% waste tyres 50% waste plastic
 Residence time for gas and material in a kiln plant

Filter Off-gas Preheater Calciner Kiln Cooler

utilisation
2000
Temperature [°C]

1500
main burner Gas temperature
1000

500 Material temperature

0
Gas residence time
~ 10 s ~ 10 s 3-4s ~ 10 s 1-2s
Material residence time
40 - 60 s 30 - 40 min ~ 30 min
 Residence time for gas and material in a kiln plant

Filter Off-gas Preheater Calciner Kiln Cooler

utilisation
2000
Temperature [°C]

1500
Gas temperature
1000 secondary firing

500 Material temperature

0
Gas residence time
~ 10 s ~ 10 s 3-4s ~ 10 s 1-2s
Material residence time
40 - 60 s 30 - 40 min ~ 30 min
Influence of alternative fuels on burning conditions

 Conditions of particular importance are O2 content, fuel burnout,

temperature, gas-mixing, fuel properties and residence time

 Particle size distribution of secondary fuels is often coarser than of

conventional fuels
 devolatilisation is slower
 ignition is later
 burnout needs more residence time at high temperatures
 unburnt particles may fall into the clinker bed

 Formally, the legally required retention time of 2 s > 850°C is reached

 in the sintering zone
 in the calciner and
 in the kiln inlet firing, if the temperature level above the gas exit of
the lowest cyclone stage is min. 850 °C
 Impact of co-incineration on kiln operation
(experience from industrial use of waste fuels)

Coarser fuels may produce a longer and lazier flame

Maximum temperature in sintering zone can be reduced
NOx emission is often lower than with 100% coal firing
Key factors for NO formation:
 fuel fineness
 location of injection
 fuel-N is only important in over-stoichiometric flame regions
Kiln inlet temperature may be increased
Coatings may be shifted towards kiln inlet
Refractory stresses influenced by use of alternative fuels
(in red colour)

- Overheating/Flame position
Thermal - Strong variations in
temperature
- Interruptions of operation
- Inhomogeneity of fuels

Stress of
refractory lining
- Redox actions - Shell deformation / ovality
- Clinker melting - Shift of coating
- Salts of Alkalies Chemical Mechanical - Fight against crusts
- Condensation of - Frequency of stoppages
acids (Cl-, SO2--) - Insufficient lining installation

Interactions between kiln operation, fuel mix and kiln shell cause
overlapping thermal, mechanical and chemical stresses to refractory
materials and constructions.
Sulphur and chloride content of different fuels

S Cl
regular fuels in % by mass
fuel oil 1 – 2.5 < 0.01
coal 0.5 – 1.2 (2.0) 0.1 – 0.3 (0.4)
pet coke 5–6 < 0.01

alternative fuels
tyre chips 0.8 – 1.0 0.05 – 0.25
waste oil 0.4 0.02 – 0.1
cond. industry 0.1 < 0.4 – 1.0
wastes
wood 0.3 0.3
plastics 0.1 – 1.0 0.2 – 1.5
domestic waste 0.15 – 0.35 0.5 – 1.3
animal meal 0.2 0.6 – 0.7
sewage sludge 0.59 – 2.0 0.07 – 0.6
Sulphur cycles in a kiln plant with cyclone preheater
and calciner
SO2
raw emission
material
raw mill
clean gas
gas after filter
preheater raw filter
oxidation of meal dust
sulphide preheater and
sulphate calciner
bypass filter
bypass fuel
gas
SO2 bypass dust
fuel SO2
Sulphate
kiln sulphate
clinker
Coating tendency related to the hot meal composition

4.0
SO3 in hot meal in % by mass

3.5 strong
coating tendency
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
low medium
0.5 coating tendency
coating tendency
0.0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0
-
Cl in hot meal in % by mass
Trace element contents in fuels (50% percentile)

values in mg/kg Hg Tl Cu Cr Pb
1)
coal 0.4 3.3 33 28 70
lignite 0.09 <0.2 0.9 1.35 0.39
petcoke <0.05 <0.2 6 3.9 4.6
waste oil 0.1 0.27 132 32 59
used tyres 0.17 0.25 450 97 410
scrap wood 0.18 <0.5 17 22 183
fractions of industrial waste 0.25 <0.5 73 38 58
Federal Quality Organisation
0.6 1 120 40 70
"secondary fuels"
fractions of municipal waste 0.26 <0.5 95 60 123
Trace element input

 The trace element input into the clinker burning process is mainly
dominated by the raw materials

 Trace element contents of alternative fuels can be higher or lower

compared to primary fuels

 If coal is substituted by alternative fuels, in most cases there are only

minor changes of the trace element input

 For sewage sludge or some fractions of RDF the Hg content can be

higher than in coal  in some cases operational measures or even
limitations are necessary to meet the mercury emission limits
Alternative fuels - an ongoing challenge

 The characteristics and behaviour of alternative fuels may vary

significantly from primary materials
 The proper selection and careful pre-treatment is an inevitable
prerequisite for an increased use of alternative fuels
 The quality assurance should be implemented into the production
process

Handling, storage and pre-treatment processes have to be adopted

to the specific characteristics of the various materials as well as to
the process and product necessities