thyssenkrupp Polysius has been commissioned by SMA Mineral to carry out pre-engineering for the world’s first industrial flash calcination plant based on Electric Arc Calciner (EAC) technology. The assignment focuses on conceptual design, preliminary plant layout, and the integration of SaltX Technology’s electrified calcination process, with particular emphasis on advanced preheating and cooling systems.
The project forms part of SMA Mineral’s long-term modernisation strategy to improve efficiency, cut emissions, and strengthen the competitiveness of Nordic lime production. Ensuring domestic lime supply—and, in the longer term, enabling fossil-free aviation fuel—is viewed as strategically important for both industrial development and national resilience.
As part of the pre-engineering phase, thyssenkrupp Polysius and SaltX are developing a multi-stage cyclone preheater combined with cyclone-flash cooling, adapted to site-specific conditions at SMA Mineral’s Mo i Rana facility in Norway. This work will serve as the technical foundation for a planned pilot plant with a capacity of 120 tons per day, a key step toward a future full-scale installation.
Parallel material and thermal tests are being conducted to validate process behaviour under electric operating conditions. Together, SMA Mineral, SaltX, and thyssenkrupp Polysius aim to accelerate the transition toward fully electrified, low-emission quicklime production and a more resilient, future-ready lime industry.
