FLSmidth has entered into a research project with scientists from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). The project is backed by the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation with a grant for DKK 25 million (app. USD 4.8m).
The project will research ways to make cement production more environmentally friendly. At the same time it will secure FLSmidth’s, position on the global market for cement plants through more energy efficient and environmentally friendly technology.
Cement is a large and important area for modern society. When one sees tower blocks rise to the sky and bridges crossing waters and valleys, then it is worth to think about that up to one third of the cement used today is produced on plants designed by FLSmidth engineers.
However, cement production is a process which is both energy consuming and which may create harmful emissions to the air.
This is the background for a new research partnership between FLSmidth and Technical University of Denmark (DTU).
“We have with smaller projects tested the collaboration within a number of sub areas which have been beneficial to the fundamental research and the industrial development. We are now ready for this significant venture,” professor and department director at Department of Chemical Engineering at DTU, Kim Dam-Johansen, comments.
VP Technical Division, FLSmidth, Kim Pandrup Christensen continues.
“The research will give us a head start by securing the competitive edge on more energy efficient and less environmentally straining cement plants which can be built all over the world.”
The research partnership combines the most important player on the cement market and one of the best research centres in the world within combustion and industrial high temperature processes.
The task will be to research in and develop new technologies which will limit energy consumption. Researchers will study in detail how pollution is created so that new processes which have lower emission can be developed. This pertains to CO2 and among others SO2, NOX and tracers. It also entails research into the replacement of fossil fuels by alternative fuels.
The project will be built on research and development in DTU’s laboratories and on pilot plants which will be tested in collaboration with development engineers at FLSmidth. Testing will then be done at FLSmidth testing centre Dania and on full scale plants in collaboration with FLSmidth’s customers.
A special advisory board made up of representatives from the Danish companies DONG Energy and Haldor Topsøe and Swedish Vattenfall will ensure that information about developments within power plants and the chemical process industry also will be put into play in the cement industry. At the same time the advisory board members will obtain ideas from the cement industry to be used in their industries in order for the results of the research to be known as quickly as possible.
Fundamental knowledge from the research will also be communicated to other businesses at yearly presentation days.
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