Petrocem 10th International Conference

Russia’s path to sustainability

The domestic industrial context and government strategy for the building materials industry was addressed by Pavel Servatinsky, Ministry of Trade & Industry (Russia), who highlighted progress made following the adoption of ‘The Construction Materials Industry Development Strategy (2020-2030)’. Signed by the Prime Minister of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, in May 2016 and approved by the government on 6 April 2017, this agreement provides the central framework for the future development of the Russian cement industry, and aims to ensure balanced supply and demand, support for the adoption of modern and innovative cement manufacturing technology, as well as the promotion of cement as a key building material. The strategy assigns an important role to the cement industry in the sphere of waste co-processing, which it hopes will solve the issue of landfill waste. Federal laws in support of alternative fuel utilisation in cement plants have been rolled out and are expected to drive higher substitution rates going forward.

Eurocement’s president, Mikhail Skorokhod, reviews the

performanceof the regional cement industry and the

shift from wet to dry technologies

Mikhail Skorokhod, President of Eurocement Group (Russia) and Chairman of the Board, Soyuzcement – the association of cement manufacturers of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) – presented a detailed account of the progress made by the regional cement industry, which has invested US$15bn over the last decade in the modernisation of its technology. The principal achievement has been the transition from wet- to dry-process production, which has risen from just 15 to 75 per cent in 2017. Over this period, efficiency has been greatly enhanced with fuel consumption per tonne of clinker falling from 200 to 160kg and harmful emissions greatly reduced.

Mr Skorokhod noted two key challenges for the industry going forward: one is to meet growing demand, which is expected to rise from 55.5Mt in 2017 to at least 72Mt by 2023. The second is to develop the industry in line with the higher environmental standards. “We want a green cement industry,” said Mr Skorokhod. “We don’t want a situation where we are not prepared for stricter environmental regulations.” Therefore, he envisaged higher investment by companies in new equipment, particularly in relation to emissions control.

Further analysis of the Russian cement industry was provided by Vladimir Guz, CM Pro (Russia), who gave an historical overview of the industry, which has grown from the first Portland cement plant, established in 1870 in Schurovo (now Kolomna, Moscow region) to a peak production level of 84.7Mt in 1989. Today, the Russian Federation has 58 integrated cement plants and seven grinding plants with a total capacity of 104.3Mta.

Wider sustainability context

A presentation by Koen Coppenholle, CEO Cembureau (Belgium), shifted the discussion to the wider role of concrete in society, an indispensable material for human development but also a low-carbon product when understood in the context of its full life cycle.

Dr Martin Schneider, VDZ CEO, provided a keynote technical paper on composite cements, which offer unique properties allowing the optimisation of workability, strength development and durability and which can offer Russian cement producers new opportunities for CO₂ abatement.

Continued industry modernisation and investment

In addition, a range of papers were presented from the region’s neighbouring cement industries, providing perspectives on market development and the latest activities in relation to manufacturing technologies and capacity upgrades.

Alexander Sidorov, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Architecture and Construction, Republic of Belarus, reviewed the development of the Belarussian cement industry, which has seen three modern dry-process lines put into operation over the past 15 years, with total domestic capacity now reaching 6.4Mta. The focus now is to dramatically increase alternative fuel utilisation with a phased shift from gas and coal to RDF and MSW.

Shavkat Atajanov, AO Bekabadcement (Uzbekistan), reviewed the performance of the booming Uzbekistan cement sector, where cement production reached 8.9Mt in 2017. The industry has commissioned a number of new facilities in recent years and modernisation is ongoing. Capacity expansion projects amounting to 10Mta are now underway as the country’s industry seeks to replace its aging kiln lines from the 1960s. Meanwhile, Eurocement (Russia) has begun construction of the 3Mta Akhangaran Cement plant in partnership with AO Uzstroymaterialy.

Sergei Rogachev, Sebryakovcement (Russia), described the evolution of this plant from a wet-process facility running seven long wet kilns, to a modern plant using semi-dry technology. This enabled the company to reduce fuel consumption by 40 per cent and save 170Mm³ of natural gas per year. The company is now working with FLSmidth (Denmark) to build a new kiln which will replace the final remaining wet kiln.

However, due to the wide range of geological and climatic conditions, there is still a role for wet production technologies in Russia. Vostok Cement, which serves the remote ‘Far East Federal District’, will commission a new 0.5Mta wet-process line at its Yakut plant in 2018, while on the other hand it is converting a wet line at Teploozersky Cement to the dry method. Horses for courses…

Exhibitor programme

The sold-out Petrocem exhibition featured 66 exhibitors representing technologies and solutions from both local and international technology suppliers, with the main sponsors for the event also taking an active role in the presentation programme. Eugeniy Tschegolyayev, KHD Humboldt Engineering (Russia), presented the COMFLEX roller press as the ideal system for grinding granulated blast-furnace slag (GBFS), whose glassy structure makes it suitable to high-pressure comminution. In terms of investment, the roller press can be installed with 10 per cent lower civil costs compared to the vertical roller press, making it a competitive alternative.

Stanislav Adamenko, FLSmidth (Russia), reviewed the OK vertical roller mill (VRM), which is a versatile technology suitable for the grinding of all raw materials and clinker. VRM technology is especially suited to raw materials with in excess of 20 per cent moisture (limestone, pozzolan and fly ash), because the mill can utilise a much higher quantity of hot gases for drying compared to other mill technologies.

Xi Kai, Sinoma CBMI (China), presented its new ‘MMG’ semi-mobile grinding system utilising VRM technology, with a capacity range of up to 60tph (0.5Mta). The modular units are pre-assembled, allowing for fast erection and commissioning within 12 months from contract.

Torsten Harzt presented a case study of a successful crusher modification at the LafargeHolcim Ferzikovo plant in Russia, carried out by thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions (Germany). The double roller crusher was retrofitted with special ‘ripping teeth’ and a new uprated motor, enabling it to successfully process difficult-to-handle clay raw materials with high plasticity and moisture.

Other technologies represented in the programme included bagging and packaging solutions from Haver & Boeker (Germany), waste heat recovery systems from Isgec Heavy Engineering (India), process optimisation from ABB (Switzerland) and modern filtration technologies from Herding Polska (Poland).

Rounding off a successful conference and celebrating the 10th Petrocem conference,

delegates enjoyed a spectacular Gala Dinner

In addition to the engaging conference programme and comprehensive international exhibition, Petrocem offered delegates two stunning evening events that allowed all participants to enjoy the grandeur of the great city of St Petersburg. These included a wonderful cultural evening in the grand Marble Palace overlooking the Neva River followed by a sumptuous gala dinner to close the event held in an historic 18th century building. There could not have been a better way to celebrate the accomplishments of serving the regional cement industry over two successful decades.