article
Davenport Cement Plant

17th May 2023

0 minutes

Share

Continental Cement entrusts FLSmidth with a contract for innovative alternative fuel technology

PyroprocessingAlternative fuelsNews
Having been impressed with the first pre-commercial installation of the FUELFLEX® Pyrolyzer at the Mannok cement plant in Ireland, Continental Cement has awarded FLSmidth a contract for the first commercial installation of this new technology at its Davenport cement plant in Buffalo, Iowa in the United States.

The FUELFLEX Pyrolyzer, a significant lever in our Green’26 strategy, enables cement plants to replace fossil fuels with waste-derived fuels in the calciner. This technology, which has been successfully in operation at Mannok since July 2022, offers a lower CAPEX solution than competing technologies, with the added benefit that it controls NOx emissions without the need for ammonia water. Furthermore, installation of the FUELFLEX Pyrolyzer does not require a lengthy shutdown, as much of the work can be carried out while the plant is operating.


“We’re very excited about what the FUELFLEX Pyrolyzer will do for our process,” says David Loomes, President of Continental Cement. “We’re planning to achieve 55% fossil fuel replacement across the plant, utilising non-hazardous waste that would otherwise go to landfill or incinerators. The economic and environmental benefits of this technology are very significant and a key element of executing our carbon reduction commitment .”


Continental Cement, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Summit Materials, Inc., has been incorporating waste materials as fuels for more than 30 years. The addition of the FUELFLEX Pyrolyzer will help the plant further reduce the carbon footprint of its cement products.

“Mannok has called the FUELFLEX Pyrolyzer a game-changer for the cement industry,” says Jens Jonas Skov Larsen, Head of Capital Sales, FLSmidth. “It’s certainly been very successful in their process. This system effectively rearranges the order of the combustion process to make use of hot preheater meal, which is the heat source for the waste fuel pyrolysis. It’s a more efficient way of burning alternative fuels and it comes with a host of benefits, including reduced emissions and a more stable process.”

The project at Continental Cement is expected to go into operation in 2024, while full commercial launch of the FUELFLEX Pyrolyzer is scheduled for 2024/25. The order value has not been disclosed.