Having been impressed with the first pre-commercial installation of the FUELFLEX® Pyrolyzer at the Mannok cement plant in Ireland, Continental Cement (Summit Materials Inc) has awarded FLSmidth a contract for the first commercial installation of this new technology at its Davenport cement plant in Buffalo, Iowa, USA.
The FUELFLEX Pyrolyzer, a significant lever in FLSmidth’s 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, claims FLSmidth, 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, says FLSmidth.
“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 per cent 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 .”
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.
