[CemExec] An African Experience: Saving Energy Through Advanced Cement Blending

The Nairobi, Kenya, office of JPMorgan ClimateCare has recently begun a major CDM based cement blending project. Mr. Tom Owino, company vice president, spoke with CemWeek and Prescon about the process in advance of his speaking engagement on Clean Development Mechanisms in Africa's Cement Industry at the upcoming Precon conference.

 

CemWeek: Tell us about the CDM project you did with EAPCC and what new ground you broke in the process?

 

Tom Owino: The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project (ÔÇ£Increasing the Blend in Cement Production at East African Portland Cement Company Limited) entails increasing the Pozzolana content of the Portland Pozzolanic Cement (PPC) blend in cement production to 35% from the current level of 25.30%, with a corresponding decrease in clinker content and energy consumed per ton of cement produced. In order to meet projected cement demand, the proposed project will raise the annual production rate from the current 700,000 tons to 1,300,000 tons. EAPCCL has opted to increase the Pozzolana blend in the cement as a means of overcoming clinker production capacity constraints while at the same time reducing the carbon intensity of the production process.

The project aims to reduce fuel costs and greenhouse gas emissions per ton of cement produced while responding to the ever-increasing cement demand in Kenya by replacing clinker with Pozzolana (volcanic rocks) in the cement blend.

The proposed project involves the addition of a Closed Circuit Ball Mill System with a classifier to the existing Open Circuit Cement Mill. The milling technology, which is mature and well tested elsewhere, has never been applied at EAPCCL before.

 

Read the rest of the interview in the March / April issue of the CemWeek Magazine published in the first week of May

 

Mr. Tom Owino will give a full presentation on the issues raised in his interview during the 2nd Environmental Cement Africa Conference 2011, which will take place in Nairobi, Kenya, on the 11th and 12th of May. The conference, which also features an exhibition, a Gala Dinner and a cement plant visit, is a prestigious gathering of various stakeholders in Africa's cement industry. For information on participation, the programme and exhibition bookings, please visit the website at www.prescon-int.com