Solar Hybridization Paths for Cement Production Processes

Abstract

Cement industry is responsible for a significant portion of global carbon dioxide emissions leading to global warming and climate change. A substantial part of these emissions is due to burning fossil fuels to supply heat to the kiln at a high temperature. Concentrating solar collectors can be used for preheating the air supplied to the kiln or directly preheating the ingredients in the pre-calciner before feeding them into the kiln. Based on an existing cement plant’s available energy audit, a MATLAB model of the plant with its sub-processes has been developed. After verifying the model results by checking against the available energy audit’s mass and energy balances, the model is used to identify the possible solar hybridization paths and other energy-saving approaches. Considering the year-round solar resources in the region where the plant is located and other possible locations, it is shown that there are hybridization paths leading to significant carbon dioxide emission savings.