PyroGenesis Inc. a ultra-high temperature processes and a plasma-based technology provider to heavy industry and defence, announced on Dec. 3 that it has signed a EUR815,000 (CAD$1,324,000) contract with a European cement industry customer for the supply of a plasma torch system for the electrification of a calcination furnace.Per a Dec. 3 press release, the goal is to use a plasma torch in a calcination furnace, a key step in the cement production process. For this project, the client is evaluating the use of a CO2-powered plasma torch. The CO2 will be captured from other processes and, in a closed-loop system, redirected to the plasma torch to heat the calcination furnace. The client will test the plasma system for nine months, as part of an existing multi-year initiative that aims to demonstrate that electric heating can substitute fossil fuel combustion in the cement industry.A calcination furnace can be used for the high temperature processing of limestone, quicklime, and trona, to produce lime, clinker, and soda ash, all of which are key components of cement. Reportedly, 40 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in cement production is derived from the combustion of fuel needed to generate the heat required in the calcination process.“The cement industry is under mounting pressure to shift toward cleaner technology for their high temperature process steps,” said Mr. P. Peter Pascali, president and CEO of PyroGenesis. “Transitioning production methods, using plasma as a heating source, is not just a way to boost operational efficiency, but a vital way to achieve the sector’s long-standing net-zero emission reduction goals. Since fossil fuel combustion accounts for roughly 40% of the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions, replacing fossil fuel burners with plasma torches offers a powerful pathway to deep decarbonization and efficiency gains. I am encouraged to see this growing momentum in the cement industry, as the cement industry is one we have targeted as a perfect candidate for the widespread adoption of plasma torches.” (ICE TORONTO)

Fonte notizia: https://www.canadianmanufacturing.com/