Abstract:
Coal reserves in Pakistan are distinguished by their high sulfur content ranging
from 5% to 7%. The combustion of fuel containing undesired compounds presents
substantial challenges to the cement manufacturing industry, increasing the
dependency on imported coal and depreciating those of origin. Furthermore,
cement companies seek to find a way to ensure uninterrupted, cost-effective, and
high-quality cement production that aligns with environmental standards in order
to meet market demands.
The cement production process mainly focuses on the production of intermediate
product clinker where large amounts of thermal energy are required to elevate
raw material to sintering temperatures surpassing 1700 K. To meet this energy
demand, a variety of fossil and alternative fuels are typically combusted through
the primary burner located at the kiln's material outlet. However, the use of high
sulfur coal as fuel poses problems such as sulfur oxide emissions and spurrite ring
depositions within the kiln leading to reduced kiln efficiency. To address these
concerns, a solution was proposed by introducing an Mg(OH)2 mixture as a
reactive chemical additive in our process and modifying the equipment rotary kiln
and coal mill accordingly. The success of this approach has been observed through
increased clinker quantity, reduced power consumption, and minimized process
hold ups.
