Boral Cement installs alternative fuel system

Boral Cement has installed an alternative fuel system to power its Berrima cement plant in NSW. Based on similar fuel systems in Europe and the UK, the company contracted Schenck Process Australia (SPA) to supply the technology and components for the feed system.

In development for almost three years, the new fuel system has been fully approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and gives Boral license to burn up to 100,000 tonnes of mixed waste product, including wood waste (eg, sawdust, pallets, mill cut-offs), screened and processed refuse-derived fuel (eg, paper, cardboard, packaging and some plastics) and tyre chips, at its Berrima cement plant.

SPA’s contract for the Berrima plant included the design, supply, installation and commissioning of all equipment and technology for the feed supply system, along with steel structure.

In operation, two Multibins receive the waste product, weigh it and feed it onto the tube belt conveyor. Believed to be the first tube belt conveyor in this country, experience has shown that a conveyor of this type is the best for containing and transporting light loads, similar to the waste product Boral is burning.

The tube belt lifts the feed 70 m — on a 30° incline — to be processed through a screw weightfeeder (to prevent surges and regulate the flow of the waste product) then delivered into the site’s calciner kiln, which is operating at around 800°C.

According to Boral, the 100,000 tonnes of mixed waste product — the fuel for the Berrima plant — will result in a substantial reduction in coal consumption and a significant reduction in waste destined to be landfill. Production costs are forecast to fall, which will improve the company’s competitiveness in a tight market.

Schenck Process has extensive international experience in alternative and biomass fuel feed systems and the company has designed and installed a number of systems for private and public sector clients in the US, Europe and the United Kingdom, including the giant Drax Power Station in Yorkshire.