As the electrification of the cement kiln process generates an increasing amount of interest, this month’s Technical Forum looks at the potential technology options that could be deployed in the push towards decarbonisation.
Electrification of the cement kiln process continues to attract considerable interest due to its potential to eliminate the carbon dioxide emissions arising from firing a cement kiln with carbon-containing fuels. All fossil fuels are chiefly carbon. Fuel oil is usually more than 86 per cent carbon, coal more than 80 per cent carbon (dependent on the ash content) and natural gas around 76 per cent carbon. It is the prospect of replacing these carbon- rich fossil fuels with electrical heating that potentially leads to lowering the CO2 emissions from clinker manufacture.
