In recent years, due to the decline in downstream demand, the contradiction between supply and demand in the cement market has further intensified, coupled with the fierce market competition, cement prices have been falling all the way. Recently, a number of cement listed companies have released performance reports for the first quarter of 2024, most of which are losing money. Zhang Zhenkun, CEO of Asia Cement (China) Holding Company, pointed out: " To cope with the downturn, energy conservation and cost reduction are things that must be done.". "
Coal and electricity are the core of the cost of cement production, accounting for up to 55%-60%.". With the gradual acceleration of the cement industry towards the carbon trading market, in order to alleviate the cost pressure of cement production, many enterprises have turned their attention to the field of alternative fuels.
Alternative fuel, also known as secondary fuel and auxiliary fuel, is the use of combustible waste as cement kiln clinker production to replace natural fossil fuels. The application of combustible waste in the cement industry can not only save primary energy, but also contribute to environmental protection, with significant economic, environmental and social benefits.
Data show that if 40% of alternative fuels are used in cement production, about 100000 tons of carbon dioxide will be saved for every 1 million tons of clinker produced.
At present, biomass and RDF (refuse derived fuel) have great potential to replace fossil fuels in the field of alternative fuels, which is also the technology being vigorously promoted and applied in the cement industry. At present, many cement enterprises have begun to use alternative fuels in pursuit of reducing production costs and carbon emissions. Through the transformation of green, low carbon and environmental protection, it strives for more benefits and living space for the enterprise itself, and has achieved considerable results. Conch Cement is one of the typical cases.
China's first biomass alternative fuel system, Zongyang Conch Biomass Substitution Project, was completed and put into operation in October 2020, with an annual utilization of 150,000 tons of biomass such as straw, and the rate of biomass fuel replacing raw coal exceeded 40%. In 2021, the cumulative use of alternative fuels was 22013 tons, saving about 9000 tons of standard coal, equivalent to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 24000 tons.
Moreover, the 2023 ESG report of Conch Cement shows that 53 companies have used alternative fuels, and the cumulative use of alternative fuels has reached 2.42 million tons, accounting for about 8% of coal use; in addition, it has also formulated the use target of alternative fuels, and plans to use 15% of raw coal by 2030.
In addition to conch cement, other cement enterprises have also embarked on the journey of alternative fuels, with frequent actions. Huarun Building Materials Science and Technology promotes alternative fuels, carbon capture and other technologies in Yunnan enterprises in an all-round way; Jinyu Dingxin Cement focuses on energy substitution projects and actively carries out industrial experiments of biomass fuels as alternative fuels; Huaxin Enshi Green New Material Industrial Park has been successfully started, supporting the construction of biomass treatment systems..
Recently, 4 cement enterprises were selected in the list of energy efficiency "leaders" published by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Huaxin Cement (Daoxian) and Huaxin Cement (Huangshi) use high alternative fuels to reduce the comprehensive energy consumption per unit clinker product to below 80kgce/t; Wuzhong Saima and Jidong Haitian use a small amount of alternative fuels to reduce the comprehensive energy consumption of clinker per unit product to about 90 kgce/t.
Of course, the alternative fuel technology also has many difficulties that need to be overcome by cement enterprises, such as how to collect and store biomass, the calorific value of various alternative fuels fluctuates too much, etc. There are still many problems in the short development time and incomplete industrial chain of alternative fuels in China's cement industry. Zhou Jinbo, deputy to the National People's Congress of the
cement industry, learned from the survey that the technology of alternative fuels for cement kilns in developed countries in Western Europe is mature, with an average substitution rate of 39%, including 63% in Germany and 85% in the Netherlands. In contrast, in China, cement kilns are mainly used for co-disposal of wastes, and alternative fuels are still in their infancy, with an average fuel substitution rate of only about 5%.
5% to 39% is the realistic gap between figures and the potential space for development. China's cement industry still has a long way to go in the field of alternative fuels.
To this end, China Cement Network will hold the 11th China Cement Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Technology Exchange Conference-Equipment Renewal Forum in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province on June 13-14. At the forum, experts will discuss in depth the current situation of the use of alternative fuels in the cement industry and the impact analysis on cement production. This forum will gather government leaders, industry technical specialist, scientific research institutions, universities, cement enterprises and equipment suppliers to discuss and analyze the practical path of equipment renewal and green upgrading in the cement industry, so as to promote the industry to move towards a more energy-efficient, greener and environmentally friendly future. After the meeting, we will also organize a visit to Jurong Taini Cement Co., Ltd., a national green factory and a national green mine.
