Lhoist-Kalkwerk Hönnetal and HJS Emission Technology from Menden are working together on an industrial efficiency project. The aim is to save over 1,000 tons of CO2 per year and at the same time increase the output of waste heat recovery.
The Menden-based specialist for gas filtration, HJS Emission Technology, and Lhoist-Kalkwerk Hönnetal are working on a cooperation project in which a new type of technology is to be used that has not yet been used in the local lime industry.
Stefan Flügge, head of the Lhoist plant in Hönnetal, explains: “When we fire the limestone in our kilns, hot exhaust gases are also produced. We already use these to preheat the stones. However, we hope that the project will enable us to make further use of the residual energy contained in the kiln exhaust gases for additional heating and drying processes or for generating electricity. At the same time, electricity consumption at the exhaust gas blower will be reduced by more than 2,000 megawatt hours per year. This corresponds to an annual saving of more than 1,000 tons of CO2. We are delighted to have found a technology partner in the immediate vicinity in HJS.”
Limestone is heated up to 1200 degrees in kilns to produce quicklime. The raw material lime, which is indispensable for many industries, is only produced by burning. The technology offered by HJS is designed to make the resulting exhaust gases much more efficient to use. “Our sintered metal filters are significantly more efficient in hot gas filtration than the textile filters that have often been used to date. Less cooling air is required, the hot gases can be used directly for electricity and heat, we significantly reduce the required power consumption and also reduce CO2 emissions,” explains Hubertus Borgmeier, International Sales Manager at HJS.
Stefan Flügge: “We are working hard to constantly reduce our energy consumption and CO2 emissions. This project is a further step towards more climate-friendly lime production.” In a first step, parts of the exhaust gas will be routed through the new HJS system on a trial basis. This is because there is no technology on this large industrial scale yet. If the tests are successful, the project will be expanded in order to achieve the highest possible level of efficiency.
Caption: Stefan Flügge (left), Plant Manager at Lhoist-Kalkwerk Hönnetal, and Hubertus Borgmeier (4th from right), International Sales Manager at HJS, explain the joint project at the plant to the Menden efficiency network. (Image: Lhoist).
About Lhoist Germany
Lhoist Germany (LGE) is the German subsidiary of the Lhoist Group, a globally active lime and limestone producer headquartered in Belgium. Rheinkalk GmbH, with its 12 locations and 1,300 employees in Germany, has been part of Lhoist Germany since 1999. Lhoist Germany takes its responsibility towards people and nature seriously and combines centuries of experience and the in-depth know-how of the founding companies in dealing with limestone with state-of-the-art extraction, production and recultivation technology. The products are used in steel and iron production, the environment, the chemical industry, the construction industry, water and wastewater treatment as well as agriculture and forestry.