Case study: Salonit, cement manufacturing in Slovenia

Salonit Key figures - June 2019

• Up to 99% of SO2 mitigated in emissions

• Less than 6 months between initial tests and full operation

• Up to 100% switch to alternative fuels made possible

What Salonit needed: to use alternative fuels while curbing emissions

Switching fuels while reducing maintenance costs

Our customer is a cement manufacturer in Slovenia. After initial tests, they fully implemented their flue gas treatment system in 2018. Their problem was to be able to operate the kiln (the large oven in which limestone is calcined into lime to produce cement) with alternative fuels, while avoiding the formation of alkaline salts that cause blockages. In effect, they were looking to increase their production capacity while switching fuels and reducing maintenance costs, all at the same time.

Ensuring compliance with EU regulations

Cement manufacturing is an activity that requires compliance with stringent regulation with regard to air emissions, namely the European Union’s BREF (Best Available Techniques Reference Document), which sets limits at the smokestack for sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions. These are the same regulations as those that apply to the Energy from Waste industry.

What SOLVAir® did for Salonit?

A ready-to-use and easy solution

The factory set up a flue gas bypass system that requires the gases to be treated before being released through the smokestack. In order to minimize the cost of the investment to treat these gases and get the new solution up and running as quickly as possible, SOLVAir® proposed its ready-to-use solution. This was made easy by the fact that existing unused storage silos could be re-employed.

SOLVAir®, the only provider to combine efficiency and low investments

SOLVAir® was the only supplier able to provide an efficient sorbent, bicarbonate based, that enabled the plant to implement its bypass solution while complying with emissions requirements without needing significant investments. Other solutions by competitors either required heavy investments or just weren’t efficient enough in their SO2 mitigation.

Benefits for Salonit

Making the switch to alternative fuels possible

At the end of the day, by implementing SOLVAir®’s solution, the Slovenian cement factory gained higher flexibility in its fuel mix, which was the initial concern, and thus ensuring its sustainable operation in the long-term.

SO2 eliminated even with higher production capacities

Less than six months after the first flue gas treatment tests, the plant was able to substitute up to 100% of its energy input with alternative fuels while mitigating up to 99% of its SO2 emissions and maintaining fully running, and even higher capacity, industrial operations.

Requirement of the legislation in Slovenia

• BREF Cement

• WI (EU) emission limits at stack: 50 mg/Nm³ SO2, while using alternative fuels for cement kiln