Industrial application of sugar cane bagasse as an alternative energy source in cement production

Abstract

Among the costs involved in cement production, energy consumption is one of the most relevant factors in the production cost. The search for alternative sources can be a solution to reduce dependence on the use of fossil fuels. The objective of this work was to study the feasibility of co-processing by burning sugarcane bagasse in a pre-calciner. 98 tons of sugar cane bagasse (SCB) were used as an alternative fuel during 16 hours of production. The results showed that replacing part of the fossil fuel with sugar cane did not have a significant impact on the quality of the material produced. The use of this residue as an alternative fuel enabled a reduction in fuel-related costs of R$1,067/hour. Sugarcane bagasse can be used as co-fuel in a pre-calciner, without reducing the equipment's performance and without changing the properties of the flour.