Mannok Welcomes International Team Developing Innovative Technology to Make Cement Production More Sustainable

Mannok’s Cement division hosted a team of senior student researchers from Denmark, who are part of an innovative project to make cement manufacturing more sustainable in the future. Through the development of pioneering technology, the initiative aims to reduce fossil fuel usage and emissions in Mannok’s cement plant as well as others globally. The five-year project, which is in its third year, is entitled ‘Process Technology for Sustainable Building Materials’. The students travelled to Mannok’s cement plant to harvest data and analyse their newly developed technology.

A group of six senior student researchers from Technical University of Denmark, one of the three organisations involved in the project, conducted tests, took measurements and samples and collected data while using their newly developed models on Mannok’s cement plant. The three parties involved in the mission to make cement production more sustainable are FLSmidth, Technical University of Denmark and Rockwell. The project is co funded by International Innovation Fund Denmark and FLSmidth.

The group of senior researchers were led by Lars Skaarup Jensen, FLSmidth’s Research & Development Specialist and Project Manager, who commented on the partnership and the experience for the students saying,

“There are good synergies with this partnership, we all have different perspectives to add, and we will bring them together to actively solve the challenges in developing process technology for sustainable building materials.

The students are receiving several benefits from this visit to Mannok’s cement plant, but the most important part is the industrial experience. There is a significant difference between the lab and the ideal world, and through this experience, the students are understanding how complex the project is. It is not about fixing just one problem at a time; it is about linking everything together and getting the best overall process.

I know the students really appreciate the opportunity to visit and experience Mannok’s industrial cement plant. It is valuable for them as many have a key focus, like us at FLSmidth, to make a better world and better cement industry.

Ultimately, the research will help Mannok and FLSmidth, improve the alternative fuels firing in its cement plant to reduce fossil fuel usage and investigate more efficient ways of reducing emissions such as carbon dioxide and nitric oxide.”

The student researchers will take all the data, samples and their other observations, which they have collected over their seven-day stay on site, back to Denmark for analysis and further research. Mr Jensen estimated it could take up to three months for them to analyse the extensive data and samples they have captured, which will lead to adjustments in the technology. The student researchers will then return to Mannok’s cement plant to follow up on the findings and retest the adjusted technology.

Damian Reilly, Cement Plant Process Manager at Mannok, expressed how important it was for Mannok to be involved in this sustainability project, saying,

“It was a pleasure to welcome the group of researchers to our cement plant. We are delighted that the university researchers, working alongside FLSmidth Process and Chemical Engineers, have captured the necessary data that they required. We look forward to getting feedback on the research and, in time, welcoming back members of the research team to fine tune the technology installed further.

We have worked with Mr Jensen and FLSmidth for many years, and during this time we have collaborated on a wide range of pioneering projects to make the cement industry more sustainable. We are extremely excited about this current project of Process Technology for Sustainable Building Materials which will make our cement production even more sustainable going forward and thus reducing our cement plant’s impact on the environment.

We have already made a number of changes in our cement manufacturing process to operate in a more sustainable way and we look forward to the completion of this innovative project which we will be adopting to further reduce our use of fossil fuels and emissions.”