Commissioning amid a revolution: part three

Green cement

BMIC takes matters of the environment very seriously and constantly meets the highest environmental standards, with emissions being negligible. This is thanks to the plant’s Danish FLS Midth Air Tech filters, which are currently being deployed across the industry as it transitions to coal. BMIC has taken a more cautious approach to coal, as its dynamics are still unclear, and instead the company is currently contracting for multichannel burners that will allow the kiln to run on a wide array of different fuels. The target mix is in the vicinity of 60% coal and petcoke, 10% fuel oil for the support flame and 30% refuse-derived fuel (RDF).BMIC is also concerned with the wellbeing of the surrounding environment and has invested in 15 acres of landscaping as a first phase, including the planting of thousands of Camphor trees that are irrigated with treated-water discharge. These non-fruit bearing trees also work as a windbreaker for the plant.

Looking ahead

BMIC is on the cusp of being fully independent of the state’s fuel supply and is connected to the national electricity grid. Also, its independent power generation house is still operating, advanced infrastructure and technology is in place, and it can draw from the valuable experience of successfully troubleshooting during times of instability. These factors, coupled with high market demand in the south of Egypt, have placed the company in a strong competitive position going forward, even as the cement industry as a whole deals with fuel shortages. The experience of commissioning amid a revolution is now in the past, and – having already obtained a reputation for innovative and trend-setting solutions – the company will be utilising the knowledge gleaned throughout this time to target a doubling in capacity over the coming period. If the plant’s resilience and success over the past few years are any indication, the best is yet to come.

This is part three of a three-part article written by Samir Sabry for World Cement’s November issue and abridged for the website. Subscribers can read the full issue by signing in, and can also catch up on-the-go via our new app for Apple and Android. Non-subscribers can access a preview of the November 2015 issue here.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/africa-middle-east/29102015/sabry-bmic-cement-difficulties-cement-plant-3/