Articles on the cement industry from Global Cement

Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam are large and diverse nations located in south east Asia, a region of the world that continues to undergo rapid economic development despite the 'global' economic downturn. With many of their major towns and cities developing heavily in recent decades, attention is now shifting to other areas. Indonesia is looking to develop its eastern region of Papua and Malaysia is turning its attention to the development of Malaysian Borneo. Less developed Vietnam also has massive development potential.

Like the nations themselves, the cement industries of Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam are changing and developing rapidly, with expansions, projects and proposals announced frequently.

Introduction

The Republic of Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic state, stretching for over 5200km east to west between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The country consists of approximately 16,700 islands, of which only around a third are inhabited. Its total area is 1.9 million km², making it the third largest country in Asia after China and India.

Indonesia is also the third most populous country in Asia, with a population of 237 million recorded in its 2010 census. It has the fourth highest population in the world after China, India and the USA and is home to more Muslims than any other country.

Biofuels have a number of advantages over traditional fuels in economic, environmental and practical terms. They are often local, cutting down on transport costs and associated traffic emissions, achieve CO₂-neutral combustion at high temperatures and are suitable for automatic combustion if suitably processed. One obvious disadvantage of biofuels compared to traditional fuels is that they often need extensive drying to remove moisture before use. In this article, authors from Allgaier Process Technology describe their company's Rolling Bed Dryer, which satisfies the full 'wish-list' for drying organic residual materials for biofuel production.

There are numerous examples of residual organic materials that can be made into biofuels via simple processing. These include the production of wooden pellets made of wood chips, manufacturing briquettes from waste wood, green garden waste and bark and processing rejected material from the waste-paper recycling process into fuels. Other common organic residues include the fermented substrate from the pulp of sugar beet, bagasse, plastic waste, straw and grass, pomace from fruit and grapes, used coffee grounds, straw and horse dung.

CBV case-studies

Compagnie Belge de Ventilateurs (CBV), located in Esneux near Liège in southern Belgium is a supplier of fans for heavy industry, including the cement industry. It has expertise in radial and axial fans, standard lightweight fans and can build custom equipment for specific customer requirements.

The diameter of its fans ranges from 25cm all the way up to 5m, with power ranging between 0.5kW to 7000kW, withstanding temperatutres up to 850°C.

CBR Lixhe, Belgium

In 2010 CBV undertook the replacement of the rotor of the kiln ID fan at CBR's Lixhe plant in Belgium, which had become worn.

The flow rate was 1,019,000m³/hr and the motor power was 3000kW. CBV recommended a rotor with higher efficiency, which resulted in a reduction of 190kW, more than 6%.

Belgium and the Netherlands are small and wealthy neighbouring countries located in the north of the European mainland. Their position, between the industrial powerhouse that is Germany and the North Sea, has made both countries important trading nations. Both countries also play major political roles in the region. Belgium is home to the European Parliament and European Commission, whereas the Netherlands houses the International Criminal Court.

Their cement industries are fairly small, but are well-established and make significant use of modern technology and alternative fuels.

KHD deal for Cimentos Liz

August 2011: KHD Humboldt Wedag International announced in late summer 2011 that its subsidiary Humboldt Wedag Inc received a major order from Brazilian cement firm Cimentos Liz SA.

The company will supply the Brazilian company with equipment as well as engineering and consulting services on site. It will also provide services for the commissioning of Liz's new facility, which will have a capacity of 5000t/day. The value of the order is in the region US$120m.

CSN launches into cement

Ongoing: Since the Brazilian steel-maker Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (CSN) identified cement as a core business in

August 2010, the company has been preparing for the construction of three new lines at its cement plant near to Arcos in the state of Minas Gerais (see right).

CSN aims to secure around a 10% share of the Brazilian cement market by the 2015-2016 fiscal year. By that point the industry could be as large as 70Mt/yr.