After the launch of a carbon-negative binderVicat has taken another step towards its decarbonization objective (carbon neutrality by 2050 across its entire value chain) with the inauguration in the United States of a furnace operating without fossil fuel.
Installed in Ragland (Alabama) by National Cement Company, a subsidiary of Vicat, this furnace required 2 years of work and an investment of 300 million dollars. It must allow reduce the site’s energy consumption by a third and by extension ofat least 40% of its carbon footprint.
Wood and tires
The furnace operating on the basis of alternative fuels (recycled wood chips, sawdust from local furniture and cabinet makers, tire-derived fuels)it was necessary to install a storage space for this waste, but also a 78-meter-high homogenization silo, a vertical raw crusher, a 5-storey preheating tower and an automatic clay storage system.
“Our ambition is to use alternative fuels in all our cement plants around the world“, explained Guy Sidos, CEO of Vicat. “In addition to eliminating fossil energy and replace it with recycled regional waste, our investments contribute directly to local development. We are proud of the modernization and transformation of our Ragland site, our very first acquisition outside France in 1974.”
“Thanks to this new oven, by 2023, all Type I General Purpose Portland cement produced at Ragland is expected to be replaced with Type IL Limestone Portland cementan innovative blended cement that contains up to 15% limestone,” said R. Spencer Weitman, president of National Cement Company.
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