Data-Driven Thermal Energy Management Including Alternative Fuels and Raw Materials Use for Sustainable Cement Manufacturing

Abstract

The thermal process of the cement industry is facing numerous challenges due to environmental and economic expectations of all stakeholders. The most effective way to deal with these challenges is to improve operational excellence and sustainable cement manufacturing by using waste materials as alternative fuels and raw materials. This can be achieved by adopting advanced technology and innovations in the field of process equipment and data-driven Industry 4.0 technologies. Industry 4.0 tools make use of real-time and historical data from cement plants. The data acquired in the plant must be securely transferred across the network, safely stored in a cloud, and intelligently analyzed by algorithms based on artificial intelligence and machine learning concepts. These technologies will form the base for tools which will provide efficient prediction and process optimization of the manufacturing process to achieve an overall improvement in efficiency and sustainable cement manufacturing. The sustainable cement manufacturing goals need synergy of the cement industry with technology suppliers, information technology sources, and research partners to implement the state-of-the-art technologies. The objective of this chapter is to provide a roadmap to implement a data-driven thermal energy management concept with an approach to maximizing the utilization of alternative fuels and raw materials for sustainable cement manufacturing.