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CONTENTS FEBRUARY

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Email: www.worldcement.comWebsite: www.worldcement.com

Volume 46: Number 2

February 2015

ISSN 02636050

THIS MONTH’S COVER

RELIABLE GAS SAMPLING IN EMISSIONS AND PROCESS CONTROL

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69 22WORLD CEMENT REGULARS

05 Comment

07 News

15 Keynote: Cement’s First Torrefaction ProjectFrederick De Raedt, Alterros LLC, and John Kline and Charles Kline, Kline Consulting.

93 Product News

96 Regional Report Infographic

REGIONAL REPORT: CHINA & THE FAR EAST

22 Far East: Opportunities & RisksPaul Maxwell-Cook.

RAW MATERIAL & CEMENT GRINDING

27 Operational ExperienceDr Caroline Woywadt, Gebr. Pfeiffer SE, Germany.

COVER STORY

34 Controlled ConveyingXaver Meier and Siegfried Andräß, SICK AG, Germany.

PYROPROCESSING & MAINTENANCE

41 The Heart of OperationsSerge Jorget and David Kotrys, Fives FCB, France.

45 Enhancing Combustion Systems with OxygenGary C. Palo and Russell Hewertson, Air Products, USA, and Petr Tlamicha, Air Products, Czech Republic.

49 Evolution Through ExperienceReinhard Ringdorfer, Unitherm, Austria.

55 Acid Resistant InsulationPeter H. Trane, Skamol A/S, Denmark.

61 New Levels of ProtectionLinas Mazeika, 3L&T Inc., USA.

65 Comprehensive Cooler MaintenanceICC Specialist Mechanical Engineers.

LOADING, UNLOADING & STORAGE SYSTEMS

69 Love Me, TenderMartin Bakker, Van Aalst Bulk Handling B.V., the Netherlands.

75 Withstanding The HeatDaniele Sciuto, Euromecc, Italy.

ALTERNATIVE CEMENT MIXES

79 Zero Cement Structural Concrete Offers Opportunity Not ThreatDavid Ball, past President of the Concrete Society, Founder and Chairman of David Ball Group PLC, UK.

82 Flyash: A Key Ingredient For SuccessDr Robert Carroll, UK Quality Ash Association (UKQAA).

85 Transforming Adversities Into OpportunitiesDr S. P. Pandey and R. A. Somani, R&D and Technical Services, Dalmia Bharat Ltd, India.

BAGGING & PACKING

91 Bagging & Packing Round-upNews items from Beumer, BillerudKorsnäs, Haver & Boecker and Windmöller & Hölscher.

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According to Chinese superstition, only one out of ten people born in the Year of the Goat finds happiness. Expectant mothers may therefore be encouraging their babies to make an early entrance into the world to avoid the 19th February cut-off when the calendar turns and the Year of the Goat begins. When it comes to the fortune of the country itself, however, perhaps it is best to look to analysts rather than astrologers.

News reports in January this year told that China has surpassed the US to become the world’s biggest economy. In the same month, we were warned that growth had fallen to its slowest pace in 24 years – though still an enviable 7.4%, it was below the government target of 7.5%. The target for 2015 has yet to be announced, but Fitch Ratings is forecasting 6.8% growth this year and 6.5% in 2016. In Europe such numbers would be celebrated; in China, they are cause for concern.

A downward trend is inevitable after almost three decades of double-digit growth. China has issues with bad debt and a stagnant property market, not to mention a smog problem that is, according to various figures, responsible for somewhere between 0.5 and 1.2 million deaths each year. Economy-wide debt has reached about 250% of GDP. The government has injected huge sums of cash into the economy, which have failed to have any significant impact on bringing down interest rates for businesses and industry. Despite all this, analysts do not seem overly concerned about

consumption – the rising middle class continues to rise and with oil prices dropping, consumers should find themselves with more purchasing power.

As for the aforementioned smog problem, China is working on it. Government targets to reduce emissions were reportedly met last year, with 7 million high-emission vehicles taken off the road and 50 000 coal-fired furnaces shut down, among other activities. The China National Coal Association reported in January that coal production had fallen 2.1% in the first 11 months of 2014 – the first time production has decreased since 2000. In November the government announced a cap on emissions from cement and steel plants, which stipulates that emissions from these industries remain at the same level in 2020 as in 2015. Since steel and cement are responsible for one fifth of the country’s total CO

2 emissions, finding a way to stabilise their CO2 output would make a significant difference to the country’s environmental performance. So far, that way mostly seems to be getting rid of outdated capacity. For the steel industry, which produces more than China can use, another method is pushing production overseas – plans are already in place for Chinese steel plants in South Africa, Eastern Europe and South America. Could cement be next? Unlikely. Construction growth is still forecast at 8% in the short-term as demand from urbanisation and industrialisation continues to rise. Modernisation is ongoing.

Speaking of modernisation, you may have noticed the new advert for a World Cement App. Subscribers can now download the digital version of the magazine to their iPad or Android tablet at no extra cost by visiting www.worldcement.com/cement-app. If you haven’t yet received your password, please email [email protected] and we will send it along.

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WORLD NEWS FEBRUARY

February 2015 / 7 World Cement

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

To read more about these articles go to:

• CRH issues statement on LafargeHolcim speculation

• Siwertell delivers third road-mobile unloader to Turkish customer

• Argos recognised for sustainability efforts

Egypt Boldrocchi completes dedusting project at Suez Cement’s Sokhna plant

Boldrocchi Ecologia has successfully completed the commissioning and startup of new air pollution control equipment for the Suez Cement Sokhna plant’s Line 1. The mechanical installation was completed in October 2014. After three months of operation (since startup), tests have shown good results and performance of the equipment, with the dust emission level at <5 mg/m3.

The commissioned dedusting line consists of a kiln and raw mill baghouse filter, clinker cooler heat exchanger and bag filters with new exhaust fans. The turnkey project carried out at the Sokhna plant represents the third time Boldrocchi has supplied air pollution control equipment for Suez Cement Group of Companies (SCGC) in Egypt. The company has carried out projects at the cement manufacturer’s Helwan and El Minya (white cement) facilities over the last three years.

The Board of Directors of UltraTech Cement Ltd has approved the acquisition of the following Jaiprakash Associates Ltd (JAL) cement businesses in Madhya Pradesh:

l An integrated plant at Bela with a capacity of 2.1 million tpy of clinker and 2.6 million tpy of cement.

l An integrated plant at Sidhi with a capacity of 3.1 million tpy of clinker and 2.3 million tpy of cement.

l 180 MW TPP, of which 25 MW is situated at Bela and 155 MW at Sidhi.

This acquisition will create significant synergies and increase the company’s presence in the Satna region

of Madhya Pradesh. The surplus clinker will enable UltraTech to augment its cement capacity by a further 1.8 – 2.5 million tpy, in addition to the 4.9 million tpy mentioned above. This will increase the company’s total cement capacity in India from ~60 million tpy to ~65 million tpy and, with new projects underway, capacity is set to rise to ~71 million tpy by 2016.

The Board has approved the Memorandum of Understanding setting out the broad terms and conditions of the proposed acquisition, which has an agreed enterprise value of Rs.5400 crores. The transaction is subject to customary due diligence, definitive agreements and regulatory approvals.

Nine Cemex USA sites received certifications through the Wildlife Habitat Council’s (WHC) Corporate Lands for Learning and Wildlife at Work programmes.

The Corporate Lands for Learning (CLL) certification recognises exemplary conservation education and outreach opportunities provided to local communities. Cemex’s 474 sand mine (FL), Brooksville South operations (FL), FEC quarry (FL) and Knoxville plant (TN) were recertified with WHC’s CLL programme, while its Fairborn plant (OH) received a new certification.

Wildlife at Work recognises the creation, conservation and restoration of habitats, with employee and community involvement. Cemex’s 474 sand mine (FL), Brooksville South operations (FL), Center Hill mine (FL), FEC quarry (FL), Gator sand mine (FL) and Lake Wales sand mine (FL) achieved recertification, while its Clinchfield plant (GA) received a new certification.

USA Nine Cemex plants receive Wildlife Habitat Council certification

India UltraTech approves acquisition of JP Associates assets

February 2015 8 \ World Cement

EVENTS

Claudius Peters has won a follow-up order from the government of Egypt for two 6000 tpd ETA 10611 S Coolers for El Arish Cement, following four years of successful operation with two existing ETA Coolers.

“Both ETA Coolers have proven [to have had] excellent performance and maintenance benefits for 4 years of operation. That is the reason why we decided to continue with this convincing clinker cooling technology and we ordered two new ETA Coolers each with a capacity of 6000 tpd,” said Eng. Mahmoud, Production and Maintenance GM.

Egypt Claudius Peters wins follow-up order for El Arish Cement

HeidelbergCement has entered into a definitive agreement with an American affiliate of Lone Star Funds to sell its North American (excluding Western Canada) and UK building products business (Hanson Building Products), for an aggregate purchase price of US$1.4 billion, of which up to US$100 million will be payable in 2016, depending on the performance of the business in 2015. The closing is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. HeidelbergCement expects the transaction to close in the first quarter of this year.

The sale of Hanson Building Products is consistent with HeidelbergCement’s strategy of focusing on processing and refining raw materials for its core products of cement and aggregates and further downstream activities. Deutsche Bank AG, BNP Paribas and Bank of America Merrill Lynch acted as financial advisors and Shearman & Sterling LLP acted as legal advisor to HeidelbergCement for the transaction. For Lone Star Funds, Citi, Credit Suisse and Barclays acted as financial advisors, with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher acting as legal advisor.

“Hanson Building Products is a multinational business with leading market positions, but the focus of its product portfolio on bricks, pressure and gravity pipes and precast is outside the core businesses of HeidelbergCement. We are pleased that Lone Star will acquire this business, which as an experienced financial investor will support the sustainable development of the business going forward,” said Dr Bernd Scheifele, CEO of HeidelbergCement. “We will use the proceeds to accelerate our debt pay down. This is an important step towards reaching our target financial metrics that are relevant for improving our credit-worthiness. I am very pleased with our financial discipline in 2014 and we will do our utmost to continue to create value for our shareholders in 2015.”

Hanson Building Products is a leading manufacturer of concrete pressure and gravity pipes in North America, as well as one of the largest brick producers in North America and the UK. The business employs 4621 people and has an extensive network of 107 manufacturing plants and 11 distribution facilities in the US, Eastern Canada and the UK.

Worldwide HeidelbergCement to sell its North American and UK building products business

26 – 30 April 2015

IEEE-IAS/PCA Conference

Toronto, Canada

www.cementconference.org

27 – 29 April 2015

Cementtech 2015

Beijing, China

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21 – 24 April 2015

24th AFCM Technology Symposium & Exhibition

Hanoi, Vietnam

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3 – 7 May 2015

37th International Cement Microscopy Association Conference

Seattle, USA

www.cemmicro.org

14 – 15 April 2015

7th Africa CemenTrade Summit

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

www.cmtevents.com

15 – 18 September 2015

UNITECR 2015

Vienna, Austria

www.unitecr2015.org

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Europe FLSmidth sells Cembrit Holding for DKK1.1 billion

FLSmidth has concluded its divestment of all interests in building materials companies with the sale of its shares in Cembrit Holding A/S to a company in the Solix Group AB for DKK1.1 billion. Cembrit is one of the leading distributors and manufacturers of fibre-cement products in Europe.

The buyer is a consortium of investors headed by Solix Group AB. Solix’ strategy is to retain and further develop Cembrit, which has been part of the FLSmidth Group since 1927.

The Cembrit sales process was initiated in August 2012, but stalled in August 2013, as it was not possible at the time to find the right new owner of Cembrit. The decision was taken to postpone the sales process for a period of 3 – 4 years, during which a new Board of Directors, new sales initiatives and productivity improvements would be initiated, a process currently well under way. Recently, however, FLSmidth was approached by the Solix Group, which presented an attractive unsolicited offer. The transaction is expected to close during 1Q15.

Hope Construction Materials celebrated its second anniversary by announcing that it is investing £14 million in projects to increase production at the Hope cement plant in Derbyshire.

The investment will help improve the plant’s sustainability, enhance the efficiency of its operations, and allow the company to fulfil its ambitious growth targets over the coming years.

Key investment projects:

l Completion of a multi-million pound system to increase the amount of sustainable waste-derived fuels the operation can accommodate.

l An internal overhaul of the iconic Hope chimney, which will involve the construction and use of a second temporary chimney for a number of months.

l Construction of a new storage facility to increase stock holding of cement clinker. This will help secure a consistent supply of cement to the construction industry.

l Improvements to the way the raw materials are fed into the twin kilns.

l Maintenance and refurbishment of a large section of one of the two kilns. The delivery and installation of this section of kiln and the kiln tyre have involved months of project planning, complex transport logistics and the use of oversize cranes onsite.

“We are very excited to be involved in the largest investment programme onsite for many years,” said Ed Cavanagh, Hope Works Operations Manager. “This works has operated for more than 85 years and directly employs nearly 200 people, making a massive contribution to the UK construction industry, producing 1.5 million t of cement at the site in 2014.”

UK Hope announces major investment plans

Hope Construction Materials’ Industrial Director Ashley Bryan inside the recently completed 20 000 t capacity clinker store at Hope Works in Derbyshire.

India Sanghi Industries to invest in renewable energy and port development

Sanghi Industries Ltd has announced plans to invest Rs.250 crore over the next couple of years, with a focus on sustainable development, innovation and energy conservation. The company will invest Rs.150 crore in the construction of a new 15 MW waste heat recovery (WHR) system and another Rs.100 crore to develop its facilities at Navlakhi Port in Gujarat.

Sanghi Industries has already signed a contract for the installation of a 15 MW WHR system at its Kutch plant in Gujarat. The use of this technology will result in fossil fuel and foreign exchange savings, as well as a significant reduction in the emission of pollutant gases such as CO2 and SO2. Sanghi will recover more than 70% of waste heat generated from its cement manufacturing process.

For the conservation of coastal soil, the company will undertake a mangrove plantation spread over 200 hectares on the Gujarat coast. This initiative will protect the ecology and coastal environment and will also improve socio-economic development.

“Our focus is on increasing efficiencies at our manufacturing facilities, as well as reducing our carbon footprint by cutting down on pollutants that affect the environment,” said Alok Sanghi, Director of Sanghi Industries. “Also, in line with the Ministry of Shipping agenda to increase transportation through the coastal sea route, Sanghi has set up a terminal with an investment of Rs.50 crore at Navlakhi Port. We will invest an additional Rs.100 crore to further develop the terminal at Navlakhi as the sea route reduces our transportation cost considerably.”

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IN BRIEF

N+P has announced that it will expand its cooperation for the delivery of high quality Subcoal® pellets with Dyckerhoff in Germany.

Subcoal® is produced at the Qlyte facility in Delfzijl, the Netherlands. The Qlyte facility produces around 65 000 tpy of Subcoal® pellets; for this it processes approximately 100 000 t of non-recyclable paper-plastic waste fractions, which otherwise would have ended up in landfill or waste incineration. The Subcoal® is used to replace lignite dust or bituminous coal at power stations, and in lime and cement kilns.

Dyckerhoff began using Subcoal® two years ago and since then both N+P and Dyckerhoff have worked together to improve the alternative fuel for optimal use in their kilns. The cooperation has led to a new Subcoal® fuel, which is used at the Dyckerhoff kiln in Lengerich. The kiln in Geseke will continue to use the standard Subcoal® quality.

Europe N+P announces further cooperation with Dyckerhoff

Metso Corporation has entered into an agreement with Valmet for the sale of its Process Automation Systems (PAS) business. The divestment forms part of Metso’s strategy to focus on the product and services businesses for the mining, aggregates, oil and gas industries, as announced in July 2014. Subject to regulatory approval, the transaction is expected to close by April 2015.

Cemex has closed the series of transactions with Holcim originally announced on 28 August 2013 and supplemented on 30 October 2014. Cemex acquired all of Holcim’s assets in the Czech Republic and divested its western German assets to Holcim. In Spain, Cemex acquired Holcim’s Gador plant and Yeles cement grinding station. As part of these transactions, Cemex paid A45 million to Holcim.

Lafarge Tarmac has awarded Babcock International Group a £41 million 5-year contract (with a 5-year extension option) to provide a fleet managed service for its Heavy Mobile Equipment (HME) across the UK. Babcock will work closely with Lafarge Tarmac to procure the right equipment at the most competitive price, securing better warranty terms and continuing to advise on and source new market products.

One of the world’s leading refractory materials and services providers, ANH Refractories Company, has announced the decision to rebrand itself under the new name of HarbisonWalker International, effective immediately. The decision was made following an exhaustive market research and branding initiative in which one of the company’s legacy brands, Harbison-Walker, returned the highest awareness and positive customer perception of all of the company’s brands.

The former ANH Family of Companies, including A.P. Green Refractories Company, North American Refractories Company, and Harbison-Walker Refractories Company, is known as a knowledgeable leader in the manufacture and supply of innovative refractory products for a wide range of industry applications presenting, among other things,

challenging heat-intensive or chemically corrosive production environments.

Building on this strong heritage, the new HarbisonWalker International is positioning itself as the first and only choice for comprehensive solutions to address the needs of its growing international customer base. It also hopes to reinvigorate the strong bond between the company and both its employees and its customers.

Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, HarbisonWalker International has a network of 18 manufacturing facilities and 28 distribution centres to serve markets across North America, manufacturing facilities in the UK, Indonesia and Mexico, as well as a lab/testing facility located in China.

USA ANH Refractories rebrands as HarbisonWalker International

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KEYNOTE FEBRUARY

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February 2015 / 15 World Cement

Cement’s First Torrefaction Project

IntroductionThere is a global, scientific consensus that climate change is happening, and that one of the leading causes is anthropogenic sources of carbon dioxide. By limiting our CO2 emissions, mankind hopes to mitigate the effects of climate change as much as possible. Annually, the global cement industry emits nearly 2 billion t of CO2, which is roughly 5% of the total global CO2 emissions per annum.

The Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) have established a road map with the intent of lowering the cement industry’s CO2 emissions by roughly 40% by 2050. In order to do this, they have identified the following levers to reduce emissions: carbon capture and storage, clinker substitution, alternative fuels and biomass, and energy efficiency.

Of these four levers, alternative fuels and biomass is proposed to account for 24% of the total reduction in CO2 emissions. In order to reach this goal, a significant amount of investment and R&D will be required to address the issues that arise from using non-traditional sources of fuel. New, emerging technologies need to be tested to ensure that they are the appropriate choice for the industry’s goals.

A new torrefaction project is currently being constructed in Canada and may be the first of its kind to produce ‘biocoal’ for a cement plant. Torrefaction is fast becoming an interesting process for improving the characteristics of biomass fuels.

BiomassThe planet has a natural carbon cycle that connects the biosphere with the carbon in the atmosphere. Carbon

Frederick De Raedt, Alterros LLC, and John Kline and Charles Kline, Kline Consulting, discuss the cement industry’s first torrefaction project, which is taking place at Lafarge’s Richmond plant in British Columbia.


dioxide is captured by plants and used as the building blocks of life through photosynthesis. The CO2 is used and stored throughout the lifecycle of the plant, before it eventually decomposes and is released back into the atmosphere, completing the cycle.

Fossil fuels, although also carbon-based, are not part of this natural carbon cycle. By burning fossil fuels, which have been trapped below ground for thousands or millions of years, extra CO2 is released into the atmosphere, creating an excess of greenhouse gases, and in turn contributing to global climate change. By changing fuel sources from fossil fuels to biomass, CO2 emissions become ‘carbon neutral,’ as long as the rate of fuel use does not outpace the rate of biomass regeneration. Therefore, biomass as a CO2 neutral fuel source becomes very appealing.

However, there are several difficulties associated with the use of biomass as a fuel source. Of particular concern to the cement industry are the following. First, unprocessed biomass tends to have a low heat value. This means that a larger amount of biomass is required to replace traditional fuel sources; for example, raw wood has roughly 30% of the calorific value of coal. Second, unprocessed biomass has a high initial moisture content. Using such a fuel would result in the creation of large amounts of steam, which would lead to a reduction in kiln throughput due to the higher volume of combustion products generated per tonne of clinker.

Third, the low heat value and high moisture content can lead to a reduced flame temperature and longer flame, negatively impacting clinker reactivity. However, torrifying raw biomass provides a finished product referred to as ‘biocoal’, resolving several (if not all) of these issues.

TorrefactionThe first step to using biocoal as an alternate fuel source is to identify a readily available supply of biomass. Most of the torrefaction technologies that are currently available have been developed and tested for woody biomass. However, there are several sources of biomass available that can be tapped as potential supply chains. Such sources include farming wastes and residues, forestry wastes and residues, municipal solid wastes, and of course, biomass crops. Table 1 gives an indication of the components of interest in some of these types of materials.

Once a supply has been identified, the next step is to perfect the process. Each source of biomass is unique in its requirements for processing. Factors that need to be considered while designing the system include (but are not limited to): the chemical makeup and the initial

Figure 1. Phase changes that occur during torrefaction (adapted from Uslu, 2005). Phase 1: drying; phase 2: glass transition/softening; phase 3: depolymerisation and recondensation; phase 4: limited devolatilisation and carbonisation; phase 5: extensive devolatilisation and carbonation.

Table 1. Chemical makeup of typical biomass materials

Polymer Hard wood

Soft wood

Biomass crops

Hemicellulose 18 – 35 20 – 32 31 – 38

Lignin 18 – 25 23 – 35 18 – 22

Cellulose 40 – 44 40 – 44 31 – 45

Alternative fuel: switchgrassPresently, there are two cement plants in North America experimenting with switchgrass as an alternative fuel source: Lafarge at its Bath, Ontario, plant and Buzzi Unicem at its Stockertown, Pennsylvania, plant. Switchgrass is a resilient and versatile plant, which evolved to grow over a large portion of the North American continent. One of the many attractive features of switchgrass is that after a good growing season, plants can grow 10 ft tall, with stems as thick as 6 mm. In addition to being fast growing, switchgrass also serves a multipurpose role. Not only can it be grown as a cash crop for an emerging biomass market, but farmers can also use it as feedstock for herds, or as a natural way to enhance their soil. This provides farmers with an additional incentive to grow the crop.

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February 2015 18 \ World Cement 18 \ World Cement

moisture content of the biomass. These parameters determine the temperature of ‘roast’ (the thermal processing of the biomass that drives off the light volatiles and moisture) and the length of the roast. Figure 1 illustrates the phase changes that take place during torrefaction of the basic biomass materials.

ProcessA typical torrefaction process starts with the raw biomass being fed into a drying unit. This is of vital importance for the efficiency of the system. Occasionally, a sizing and pre-drying unit will be required to get the initial size and moisture content of the biomass to a more manageable level before it is introduced to the torrefaction process. Once the biomass is as dry as possible, it is then introduced into the torrefaction reactor where the remaining moisture will be driven off by temperatures in the range of 200˚C to 300˚C. It is important to note that in addition to the thermal conditions, the reactor is also a lean oxygen environment in order to prevent combustion.

Under these conditions, the biomass undergoes thermo-chemical transformations (Figure 1). At this point, the biopolymers (cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin) contained within the biomass partly decompose, giving off volatiles. These volatiles (also known as syn-gas) are usually recycled in a closed-loop system, and are then used to maintain the level of heat necessary for torrefaction. One of the strengths of the technology is that apart from the initial thermal energy required to start the process, very little additional thermal energy is required to maintain the process.

In a situation where a torrefaction unit is integrated into the cement plant (rather than being an independent unit), waste heat can be diverted from the cement process (for example, off the cooler vent or

preheater tower) to help drive the torrefaction reaction. In such cases, excess volatiles can then be diverted from the torrefaction process to function as another fuel stream in the cement plant.

Once the biomass has finished roasting, it can then pass into a cooling unit to bring the biocoal to handling temperatures ready for use as an alternative energy source. In situations where pelletisation is desired, additional processing to densify the biocoal is usually carried out ahead of the cooling. Densifying the biocoal increases the heat value and reduces the shipping costs. A typical heat and mass balance is shown in Figure 3. It is worth noting that although the high heat value (HHV) has decreased in the solids, the actual heat per unit mass (0.9 HHV/ 0.7 kg) has increased.

Advantages of biocoalPelletised biocoal has several advantages over biomass as a fuel source. Biocoal has a lower moisture content than biomass. Torrefied wood pellets will have a moisture content of 0 – 5% (by

weight), compared to 30 – 45% (by weight) of wood. Furthermore, torrefied wood pellets have a much higher bulk density than biomass, with pellets typically ranging between 0.75 to 0.85 kg/l, compared to 0.2 to 0.25 kg/l for wood. Pellets also have a higher calorific value than wood, typically between 20 – 24 MJ/kg, compared to 9 – 12 MJ/kg. This means that the overall volumetric energy density of the pellets is significantly higher than wood (again, 15.0 – 18.7 GJ/m3 as opposed to 2.0 – 3.0 GJ/m3). This results in significantly lower shipping costs for the same amount of energy. Furthermore, biocoal is hydrophobic in nature, which means it requires less complex storage requirements prior to use, as well as being less sensitive to degradation. Therefore cement plants that use remote torrefaction processes may consider pelletising the torrefied biomass to reduce transport costs and improve longer-term outdoor storage.

Biocoal has similar characteristics to traditional coal, and can be added directly to an existing solid fuel system at most cement plants. Biomass burning would typically require the installation of dedicated equipment and systems (such as special feeding systems and burners).

While there are several advantages to using biocoal over biomass, there may remain a few drawbacks of switching to a green energy source over more traditional fuel sources. First, though the energy density of biocoal is significantly higher than that of unprocessed biomass, it is slightly lower than that of coal, meaning that to achieve similar energy outputs, a greater amount of biocoal is required. Furthermore, the cost of biocoal is likely to be higher than the cost of coal. While the economies of shipping and handling are roughly the same, the cost of production is higher. Several studies have been conducted in an attempt to

Figure 2. Typical torrefaction process.

Figure 3. Typical heat and mass balance.

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fully understand the economics of torrefaction, but due to the variety of factors involved, it is difficult to definitively state what the price of biocoal is. A conservative assumption is that the price of biocoal is anywhere between 1.5 and 2 times the (average) price of coal in the US today.

However, as carbon taxes and cap and trade systems become more established and mature, the economics of green energy sources will change. Added incentives will not only make the cost more palatable, but funds gathered under these regulatory schemes can be used to further the research and development of alternative fuel sources. As an example, the Canadian province of Alberta has had a carbon tax in place since 2007. Funds collected from the carbon tax are placed in the Climate Change and Emissions Management Fund. This is managed by the Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation (CCEMC), which was created in 2009 to distribute the money gathered by the tax as funding to various projects that would help reduce Alberta’s emissions.

Torrefaction in cementOne advantage of co-locating a torrefaction reactor with a cement plant is that the plants typically have a ready source of waste heat that can be diverted for use in the torrefaction process. Assuming the waste heat that comes off the cooler vent or preheater tower to be in the range of 300˚C to 350˚C, this can easily be used both to dry the biomass before it enters the torrefaction reactor and in the reactor itself to help power the reactions. Furthermore, co-locating would completely eliminate the need to ship the biocoal, as it would be used onsite. Assuming that a stock of biomass is readily available in the vicinity, shipping costs would be almost entirely eliminated.

At the time of writing, there is only one torrefaction project involved with the cement industry in North America. At Lafarge Canada’s Richmond plant in British Columbia, the company has partnered with a local renewable energy firm with funding from the British Columbia Bioenergy Network (BCBN), Sustainable Development Technology Canada, private sector investors and other funders (for a total of US$9 million in funding), to deliver a fully automated, 25 000 tpy torrefaction facility. This torrefaction reactor is designed to process wood and wood residuals, and will reduce the CO

2 emissions of the Richmond plant by approximately 52 500 tpy, equivalent to 10 500 fossil fuelled cars. This is a major contribution to Lafarge’s 2020 Sustainability Ambition, with a goal of 50% non-fossil fuel substitution, with 30% of that substitution being biomass.

The torrefaction unit will be located closer to the source of biomass, in Merritt, British Columbia, which is located approximately 300 km away from the Richmond plant. The finished biocoal will then be shipped by truck, and will account for roughly 10% of the fuel used by the plant. Delivery of the biocoal is expected to begin in March 2015. If this technology proves commercially viable, it could be the start of a new trend for cement plants with easy access to biomass, particularly in areas where a carbon tax has been implemented.

Bibliography• KLEINSCHMIDT, C. P., ‘Overview of International Developments in

Torrefaction’: http://www.ieabcc.nl/workshops/task32_2011_graz_torrefaction/Kleindschmidt_Paper.pdf.

• USLU, A., ‘Pre-Treatment Technologies, and Their Effects on the International Bioenergy Supply Chain Logistics: Techno-economic evaluation of torrefaction, fast pyrolysis and pelletisation’, December 2005.

• KOPPEJAN, J., et al., ‘Status Overview of Torrefaction Technologies’, IEA Bioenergy Task 32 Report, December 2012.

Table 2. Fuel properties

Wood Wood pellets Torrefied wood pellets

Charcoal Coal

Moisture content (% wt) 30 – 45 7 – 10 1 – 5 1 – 5 10 – 15

Calorific value (MJ/kg) 9 – 12 15 – 16 20 – 24 30 – 32 23 – 28

Volatiles (% db) 70 – 75 70 – 75 55 – 65 10 – 12 15 – 30

Fixed carbon (% db) 20 – 25 20 – 25 28 – 35 85 – 87 50 – 55

Bulk density (kg/l) 0.2 – 0.25 0.55 – 0.75 0.75 – 0.85 ~0.20 0.8 – 0.85

Volumetric energy density (GJ/m3)

2.0 – 3.0 7.5 – 10.4 15.0 – 18.7 6.0 – 6.4 18.4 – 23.8

Dust Average Limited Limited High Limited

Hydroscopic properties Hydrophilic Hydrophilic Hydrophobic Hydrophobic Hydrophobic

Biological degradation Yes Yes No No No

Milling requirements Special Special Classic Classic Classic

Handling properties Special Easy Easy Easy Easy

Product consistency Limited High High High High

Transport cost High Average Low Average Low

(Table recreated from ‘Overview of International Developments in Torrefaction’, M.Sc. C.P. Kleinschmidt)

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IntroductionTowards the end of 2014, the IMF predicted that China would overtake the United States by the end of that year to become the world’s largest economy, five years earlier than expected. Others say it will be 2015, but no matter the timing, we know that it will be a reality. As the Chinese government begins to formulate the next Five-Year Plan covering 2016 – 2020, we look at recent developments in China, and in its neighbours, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.

China

One in a billionJack Ma has come a long way since he was an informal tour guide in Hangzhou, China, in the late 1970s and then an English teacher at the Hangzhou Teacher’s Institute. Today, he is China’s richest man, with a net worth of almost US$22 billion. In September 2014, Alibaba, the giant online

retailer that he started in 1999, went public on the New York Stock Exchange with a market value of US$230 billion. It is said that he started Alibaba with his wife and 16 other co-founders in his living room, which doubled as his company office. He called the company Alibaba to evoke the phrase ‘Open Sesame’. As Ma says: ‘the company’s platforms open a doorway to fortune for small businesses’.

His success has been achieved through opportunism and a passion to transform some big international ideas into bigger Chinese ones. In the 12 months to June 2014, Alibaba accounted for 54% of the country’s package deliveries and helped to create 15 million jobs. Fifty-one-year-old Ma, having achieved dominance in the internet business scene in China, is now moving into entertainment, finance and football. It is said he has a ‘burgeoning interest in environmentalism’. As John Stepek wrote in Prospect/The Week Guide, ‘If investors ever needed reminding that investing in China is a land of vast potential opportunities amid all the risks, this was it.’

22 \

One year on,

Paul Maxwell-Cook

presents another

review of the major

countries that

are making the

headlines in the

Far East.

Property gloomAt present there are certainly plenty of risks. Real estate investment, which affects more than 40 other sectors from cement to furniture, rose by about 12.5% in 2014 acompared to 13.2% in the previous year. Wang Tao, an analyst at UBS in Hong Kong, says: ‘The weakest part of China’s recovery is still the property sector. The government has relaxed some controls and property sales may pick up, but we may not see improvement in sectors like heavy industries. We expect the economy to continue to slow down.’ In September 2014, the government relaxed some controls, such as cutting mortgage rates and down payment levels for some home buyers for the first time since the 2008/09 global crisis in a move to boost the economy, which was becoming threatened by a flagging housing market. At the time, analysts felt it was too early to see if the measures would halt price declines. In many Chinese cities developers have massive inventories of unsold homes, reports biznews.com.

It also mentions that in 2014, China’s largest cement manufacturer, Anhui Conch Cement Company, posted its slowest profit growth in a year and a half, pinched by the weakening property sector.

ConsolidationTowards the end of 2014, The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced that before the end of the year over 82 million t of obsolete cement production capacities would have been eliminated. This represented an increase of over 30 million t from the original target of 50 million t. The Chairman of Asia Cement (China), Hsu Shu-tong, sounded a cautious note in September 2014, stating that the growth rate of fixed assets investment had declined while the property market had remained depressed. The growth rate of cement demand had hit its lowest level in 10 years. A report on www.cementchina.net states that based on the relationship between the rate of urbanisation and per capita cement consumption, the

/ 23

relationship between GDP and cement demand, and the relationship between GDP growth and cement output growth, China’s cement industry could well hit a peak of consumption in about 10 years. It predicts that future demand for cement will remain at 4.9% per year. It is well known that since 2006, mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have become the core theme of the industry’s development. Private or large enterprises or groups that form JVs are the ones on the lookout for these. The report talks of ‘diversified ways of M&As. These include equity acquisition, asset acquisition, asset replacement, and debt restructuring. Cross-industry M&As will link upstream and downstream industries to form integrated companies.’

Urbanisation acceleratesLast year, China’s State Council announced guidelines for the country’s next round of urbanisation for 2014 – 2020, which is targeted to rise from 53% in 2013 to 60% in 2020. Some 100 million rural residents are expected to move into urban areas and set off RMB10 trillion of investment in related municipal infrastructure. Roger Liu of China Finance Online comments that further integration of more developed city clusters in the East (Beijing-Tianjin-Hebel, Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta) and the expansion of new city clusters in Central and Western China should spur investment in cross-region transport and municipal infrastructure construction. Social housing remains a key area and the country aims to start construction of 7 million units and spend RMB1 trillion to redevelop shanty towns. The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of China said in September 2014 that 4.7 million households were expected to have been built in 2014, compared with over 3.2 million rebuilt houses in shanty towns in 2013.

Top two accordIn November 2014 came the historic declaration from the Asia-Pacific Economic Corporation (APEC) Summit in Beijing, that China and the United States had agreed to new limits on carbon emissions.Together, the two countries produce approximately 45% of the world’s carbon emissions. President Barack Obama stated that the US had set a goal of reducing greenhouse emissions by 26 – 28% by 2025, compared to 2005 levels. President Xi Jinping said his country would cap its emissions by 2030. This is the first time that China has set a date for capping. At the same time the Chinese leader unveiled plans to ensure at least 20% of the country’s energy will come from alternative sources by 2030. As one reporter put it, ‘It is hoped that the historic deal will encourage others to sign up to similar targets ahead of the global summit on climate change in Paris in December of this year’.

Taiwan

More of the sameTaiwan Cement Corp. continues to expand its interests in mainland China. In November 2014 it announced plans to acquire Sichuan Railway Group Cement Co. for US$110.57 million via a subsidiary. The deal will see Taiwan

Cement increase its annual cement capacity by 2 million t. Its current total annual production in China is 55.2 million t and in Taiwan it is 10.6 million t. This acquisition will make the company the largest cement company in the vicinity of Chongqing, Sichuan Province, with an annual capacity of about 8 million tpy. We mentioned in our article in the March 2014 issue that the company has set a target to raise its capacity in China to 100 million t by the end of 2016. This will be through further acquisitions and capacity expansion.

The company raised cement prices in Guangdong Province in August and October 2014 amid rising demand in the Pearl River Delta. It has indicated that prices might also increase in other provinces such as Guangxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Fujian, Yunan, Sichuan and Guizhou.

We reported in June of last year that Taiwan’s second largest cement manufacturer, Asia Cement Corp., was on the lookout for new M&As in China. The production capacity of its Chinese unit is expected to rise to 40 million t in 2015 and up to 50 million t in 2016. This is based on the premise that investment in infrastructure and property will continue to grow through urbanisation in rural areas.

On 15 December at the 2014 Cross-Strait CEO Summit in Taipei, Jack Ma, (yes him again), urged Taiwan’s small businesses to sell their products to the mainland using Alibaba as a platform. He was addressing business leaders from China and Taiwan to tie in with an eight-day visit by a top Chinese envoy. Trade with China continues to be a sensitive topic as fears increase over the mainland’s influence on Taiwan.

Japan

Recession and re-electionLast November came the shock news from Tokyo that the Japanese economy, the world’s third largest, had fallen into recession. This surprised experts who had mostly predicted modest growth in the economy. When he took office in 2012, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe promised to improve the slumping economy through massive public stimulus spending and reforms, a plan that became known as ‘Abernomics’. The shrinking economy follows the April 2014 rise in consumption tax from 5 to 8%, which apparently discouraged spending by consumers and businesses. This forced the Prime Minister to delay a second tax hike of 10% until April 2017. He called for a snap election in December 2014, the result of which returned him to power on a record low turnout of 53.3%. He has vowed to pursue his Abernomics plan. The LDP-led coalition could ease the Prime Minister’s path to re-election in a party leadership race in September of this year, and this might see him remain in power until 2018.

March 2015 marks the fourth anniversary of the triple disaster of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown known as the Great Tohoku Earthquake, which caused unbelievable devastation. Planners in Japan are still facing practical problems and unprecedented challenges with over 62 municipalities affected in six different prefectures along hundreds of kilometres of coastline. We mentioned in our March 2013 issue that the post-earthquake era had created a resurgence in construction. The Japan Credit


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Rating Agency Ltd, in summarising the financial results of cement companies for the fiscal year to 31 March 2014, said domestic demand for cement had increased by 7% to 47.71 million t. While public sector demand increased by 8.6%, centring around demand for earthquake disaster reconstruction, disaster prevention and natural disaster reduction works, private sector demand increased by 5.4% as a result of a robust trend in housing investment and capital investment. The Japan Cement Association had forecast that domestic demand for FY14 would remain flat at 48 million t. The Agency predicts that despite uncertainty about the sustainability of economic recovery in and after FY15, the demand for earthquake disaster reconstruction and infrastructure development for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo will expand.

South Korea

Success and progressThe value of South Korea’s construction industry increased at a compound annual growth rate of 2.4% during 2009 – 13. Growth was supported by private and public investments in infrastructure, industrial and commercial construction projects. Of particular importance is the country’s energy infrastructure construction, which is expected to be supported by the government’s plans to develop nuclear energy, increasing its usage to half of the total energy consumption by 2022. The country has plans to increase the use of nuclear energy from 29.2% of total energy consumption in 2012 to 43.4% by 2022 and 59.0% by 2030. To achieve this, 18 new nuclear power plants are proposed to be built by 2030, with an anticipated investment of US$32 – 40 billion.

An extraordinary example of South Korea’s technical prowess is being revealed through the construction of Songdo, known as ‘The World’s Smartest City’, or ‘The City of the Future’, along the River Incheon waterfront. It lies 65 km southwest of Seoul and is connected to Incheon International Airport by a 12.3 km reinforced concrete bridge. Built on 1500 acres of land reclaimed from a marshy stretch of tidal flats in the Yellow Sea, Songo International Business District claims to be the largest private real estate development in history. It is said that the reclaimed area required 500 million t of sand as infill. At a cost of US$40 billion the government is creating a sustainable city. After 11 years and a few economic downturns, some 60% of the planned infrastructure and buildings have been completed. The development will have 40% of its area reserved as green space, including a park of 100 acres, 26 km of cycle lanes and numerous charging stations for electric vehicles.

FTAs and FDIsWhile the US-China declaration on new limits on carbon emissions was a top item on the agenda at November’s APEC Summit in Beijing, another important decision was reached by the Chinese and South Korean governments. They said they had effectively achieved a free trade agreement (FTA) that would remove or sharply reduce

barriers of trade and investment between the two countries, ending negotiations that started in 2012. The agreement covers 17 areas including online commerce and government purchasing, but leaves barriers on rice and automobiles. When asked who stands to benefit the most economically, Gareth Leather, Asia Economist at Capital Economics, told Deutsche Welle: ‘It seems that South Korea would benefit most. China is South Korea’s biggest export market, with total exports worth over US$145 billion, accounting for 25% of its exports and around 11% GDP. The acceleration in export growth to China could deliver a large boost to South Korea’s economy. But China will also benefit. In the long run, the increase in trade between the two countries could create opportunities for greater specialisation.’

This is not good news for Taiwan as South Korea is its biggest competitor for the Chinese market, in which their exports share an overlap of some 70%. Once the pact between South Korea and China takes effect, Taiwanese exporters will lose their competitive edge as Korean exports enjoy substantial tariff advantages. The government is suggesting that about 30% of Taiwanese industrial products will be affected. The loss of market share in China could see Taiwan’s GDP drop by 0.5%.

In mid-2014 the Younhap news agency reported that for the first time in seven years South Korea’s investment in China outpaced that from Japan. Over the past two years, as tensions between China and Japan have risen, exports from Japan to China have been falling. Japanese FDI into China declined by almost 50% in the first half of last year compared with the same period in 2013. Chinese FDI into Japan in 2013 fell by 23.5%.

While Japan’s interests in China appear to be falling away, its cooperation with India is accelerating. In September 2014, the two countries announced a deepening of their strategic defence and economic cooperation and asked their officials to expedite inking of a pact for nuclear energy cooperation. Japan intends to invest US$35 billion in India over 5 years.

Rajiv Biswas, Asia-Pacific Chief Economist at IHS, speaking about the likely impact on the Chinese economy said: ‘The impact of Japanese firms diverting their new FDIs away from China will not have a significant impact on overall Chinese growth, since total Japanese investment flows are relatively small compared to the size of China’s GDP. However it will have implications for the ASEAN economies, with new FDIs flowing into countries such as Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and Myanmar, rather than into China’.

Is it a simple case of win some, lose some?

Sources• Company news/press information.• China Cement News.• Reuters.• Bloomberg.• Markets Research Reports.biz.• Financial Times.• Taipei Times.• Timetric.com.• www.business-standard.com.• Deutsche Welle.


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