Technology

Optimising Plant Performance

Published

10 years ago

July 4, 2016

admin

The Rietveld method of quantitative analysis of amorphous materials has gained importance in the light of the BIS issuing specifications for composite cement.
Nowadays, many industries are looking for possibilities to reduce CO2 emissions, energy consumption and increase the reuse of waste materials, These demands are enforced by various regulations and international agreements, and in the long term, they will cause cost reductions. In the cement industry, this can be achieved by using modern techniques in production and by an optimisation of the burning process, by fuel substitutions, alternative clinker compositions or by the production of blended cements with different additives. A variety of completely or partly amorphous materials are used as additives, like slag, fly ash, silica, pozzolana and others. Controlling these additives quantitatively is essential in order to guarantee the cement norms.

Since the mineralogy strongly influences the reactivity of the cement as well as the physical properties of the hydrated product, the need for a direct mineralogical assessment by X-ray diffraction is more important than ever before. X-ray diffraction (phase analysis) opens enormous possibilities for process and quality control. Moreover, the recent development of ultra-high-speed X-ray detectors and of the software for quantitative X-ray diffraction analysis allows truly interactive process control. The quantitative Rietveld analysis is an important tool to control raw materials as well as industrial products, hence offering significant benefits in terms of cement production. Cluster analysis in combination with Automatic Program Selection increases the reliability of quantification results.

The examples presented in this paper will show how X-ray diffraction is being used to quantify blended cements with a complex mineralogy containing crystalline and amorphous phases.

Production and quality control using XRD
Nowadays X-ray fluorescence (XRD) and X-ray diffraction (XRF) analyses are standard tools for process and quality control in cement plants. XRD analysis in combination with Rietveld refinement is a reliable, precise and very reproducible way to quantify the relative phase abundances in building materials. The whole process from sample preparation, through measurement to Rietveld evaluation can be implemented in existing laboratory automation systems and takes approximately 10 minutes. Due to the completely automated operating principle, no additional staff are required and the results are user-independent. The Rietveld method is now being applied in industrial laboratories and also in various cement plants as the standard method for quantitative analyses of raw materials, Portland cement clinkers, Portland cements (OPC) and all types of blended cements.

For clinker, the Rietveld method is the only option to determine the phase content in an accurate and fast way, because the Bogue calculation is usually not correct due to the incorporation of higher amounts of minor and trace elements in the clinker phases, especially when alternative fuels are used. The quantitative mineralogical composition of the cement is directly linked to the hardening behavior and the compressive strength after 28 days. Blended cements are classified under different norms. In order to fulfill these norms and to guarantee the quality of the product, it is necessary to determine the exact amount of added blending materials which is only possible by Rietveld quantification.

Figure 1: Contribution of crystalline and amorphous phases to
an XRD pattern

Figure 2: Rietveld quantification of a pure fly ash, containing
mullite, quartz and around 45 per cent amorphous material..

Figure 3: Rietveld quantification of a fly ash
cement with separate

Figure 4: Cluster analysis of different slag cements with low
(blue), medium (grey) and high (green) amounts of slag
quantification of the fly ash components, including amorphous content

Application of Rietveld analysis for blended cements
The Rietveld analysis uses the whole XRD pattern for quantification and not only single peaks like the classical free lime determination. All peaks from the pattern are used for the refinement and the crystalline compounds are normalised to 100 wt.-%. The Rietveld analysis requires information on the structure data of all crystalline phases in the material and other crystallographic parameters. The quantification of amorphous material requires special procedures. Amorphous material doesn?t give clear diffraction peaks; the pattern may just show a higher background or a hump in a certain region. This hump is not always discernible, especially for low concentrations of the amorphous phases. The background noise strongly influences the quantification results for the amorphous material. Figure 1 illustrates the contribution of crystalline and amorphous phases to a XRD pattern.

Different approaches to determine the amorphous content are described in the literature. The addition of an internal standard is a common method for the determination of the amorphous content.

A defined amount of a standard (like corundum or rutile) is added to the material, and the amorphous content can be calculated from the obtained standard amount from the Rietveld quantification. Influences on the quantification resulting from mixing of the sample with the standard, from possible amorphous content in the standard (Whitfield & Mitchell, 2003) or from crystallographic parameters (De La Torre et al., 2001) were studied. Westphal et al. (2009) showed that the calculation of the amorphous content via Rietveld analysis using an internal standard follows a nonlinear function. For an industrial application, especially for automated systems, the internal standard method is not suitable.

Figure 5: Cluster analysis of different limestones rich in quartz, dolomite
or mica. Outlier in red was a damaged sample.
Figure 6: Working scheme of the Automatic Program Selection
based on Cluster Analysis.

For industrial applications, other methods for quantification of the amorphous material were developed. One possibility is the external standard method. In this case a crystalline standard material is prepared only once and measured separately on a weekly basis. Via mathematical procedures the data obtained from this scan are used for the determination of the amorphous content in the cement. The advantage of this method is that no mixing of standard material and cement sample is necessary. Another possibility is to calculate the area or the intensity of the amorphous contribution to the powder diffraction pattern. This approach is known as the ?HKL? method. The amorphous part is considered as an additional phase and included in the Rietveld calculation. The final result including all crystalline and amorphous phases is again normalised to 100 wt.-%.

Table 1 shows typical ranges of reproducibility and repeatability for different slag cements containing slag from 8 wt.% to 65 wt.%. Table 2 shows typical ranges of reproducibility and repeatability for different fly ash cements with fly ash contents from 10 wt.% to 30 wt.%. For the reproducibility sets of 10 separately prepared samples of the same material were measured. The variation of the results is mainly caused by sample inhomogenities and preparation effects. For the repeatability values one prepared sample was measured 10 times.

Some blended cements have a very complex composition containing more than 20 crystalline phases and one or more amorphous components, introduced by the addition of materials like fly ash or other compounds. Fly ashes used in the cement industry contain usually 30 – 70 per cent amorphous material and as main crystalline phases quartz and mullite. Different feldspars, magnetite, hematite, anhydrite or other phases may also occur.

A Rietveld refinement of an example of a fly ash containing quartz, mullite and amorphous material is shown in Figure 2.

The described quantification methods including amorphous contents can easily be integrated into automation systems. The output file can be defined according to the needs, either all crystalline phases are shown separately (as depicted in Figure 3), or a total value for the amount of slag, fly ash, pozzolana or other added material is given.

A Rietveld refinement of a cement sample containing 20 per cent fly ash is shown in Figure 3.

Cluster Analysis
Statistical analysis techniques are necessary for the data interpretation.
Cluster analysis is a useful tool, as it greatly simplifies the analysis of large amounts of data. This application can be used for simple pass/fail analyses of raw materials, characterisation of blended cements, and automatic selection of control files for Rietveld analysis (APS).

Powder diffraction scans or other data sets are sorted automatically into separate clusters, with closely related scans in a cluster. The most representative as well as the most different scans or data sets can be identified. Outliers are clearly visible as they do not fit into any of the defined classes. Outliers represent deviations or problems in the production process, like changes in the composition, instabilities in a kiln or others. They can be also a result of problems with the sample itself, resulting from sample preparation or transport, like uneven surface or a broken sample. An example of cluster analysis of different slag cements is shown in Figure 4. In Figure 5 an example for an outlier produced by a damaged sample is given.

Automatic Process Control (APS)
The quality of the control files for the Rietveld quantification is decisive for the accuracy of the results and therefore also for the whole process control. A control file can work over a large range of compositions, e.g. from very low to very high amounts of slag in a cement, with good results. For smaller ranges, the control files can be designed with an optimised accuracy. Separate control files are also recommended if different fly ash types are used. Special designed refinement strategies, different background treatment and an optimised fitting for other parameters can be implemented to achieve higher accuracy for the quantification. The selection of a control file can be done automated by cluster analysis. After a measurement, the scan is compared with a pool of scans, the master scans. These scans define separate clusters, representing clinkers or cements with different compositions, like slag cements with low, mid, and high amounts of slag. The variability of each cluster, represented by the diameter of the spheres in the PCA (Principal Component Analysis) plot, is defined by the allowed range of composition for each material. Every measured scan is classified into an existing cluster, if it is within the allowed range, or rated as an outlier.

To each cluster, an optimised control file for the automated quantification is assigned. Each scan can then be processed by a special control file designed for this material. The results of the quantification can be handled by a LIMS (Laboratory Information Management Solution) system. Outliers have to be treated in a special way. The scan can be processed with the control file of the nearest cluster, accompanied by a warning message, that the quantification is of limited reliability. In any way, human interaction is necessary or recommended. The process scheme of the Automatic Program Selection is shown in Figure 6.

Conclusion
Phase analysis by X-ray diffraction opens enormous possibilities for process and quality control in the cement industry especially for blended cements. Moreover, the development of fast X-ray detectors allows fast quantitative X-ray diffraction analysis and truly interactive process control. The Rietveld method allows precise and reproducible quantitative analysis of all types of blended cements. It can be performed in an automated, stable and accurate way. Using an external standard or HKL fit, the determination of the amorphous content can be done directly on the cement sample. The result output includes the quantitative analysis of the crystalline and amorphous phases as well as the total amount of added cementitious material. Nowadays the Rietveld method is being applied in many cement plants worldwide as the standard method for quantitative phase analyses of all types of blended cements. The integration of the cluster analysis into the Rietveld quantification allows fully automated selection of an optimised control file for each material. This increases the accuracy of the quantification and allows an easy identification of outliers.

References
1.Rietveld, H. M. (1969): A profile refinement method for nuclear and magnetic structures, J. Appl. Cryst. 2, 65-71
2. Young, R. A. (1993): The Rietveld Method, Oxford University Press
3.De La Torre, A. G., Bruque, S., and Aranda, M. A. G. (2001): Rietveld quantitative amorphous content analysis, J. Appl. Crystallogr. 34, 196-202.
4.Westphal, T., F?llmann, T., and P?llmann, H. (2003): Rietveld quantification of amorphous portions with an internal standard-mathematical consequences of the experimental approach, Powder Diffr. 24, 239-243
5.Walenta, G., Gimenez, M., and F?llmann, T. (2008): Quantitative analyses of blended cements in industrial applications.- International Cement Review, July 2008, 67-71
6.Whitfield, P. S. and Mitchell, L. D. (2003): Quantitative Rietveld analysis of The amorphous content in cements and clinkers, J. Mater. Sci. 38, 4415-4421.
7.Westphal, T., F?llmann, T.: Quantifying Amorphous Portions in Blended Cements – A Comparative Study.
8.F?llmann, T., Meier, R., and Witzke, T.(2012): Use of X-ray techniques to optimize the efficiency of cement and concrete characterization.
Fuellmann, T., Witzke, T., van Weeren, H. PANalytical B.V., Lelyweg 1, 7602 EA Almelo, The Netherlands

Economy & Market

From Vision to Action: Fornnax Global Growth Strategy for 2026

Published

5 days ago

January 19, 2026

admin

Jignesh Kundaria, Director & CEO, Fornnax Recycling Technology

As 2026 begins, Fornnax is accelerating its global growth through strategic expansion, large-scale export-led installations, and technology-driven innovation across multiple recycling streams. Backed by manufacturing scale-up and a strong people-first culture, the company aims to lead sustainable, high-capacity recycling solutions worldwide.

As 2026 begins, Fornnax stands at a pivotal stage in its growth journey. Over the past few years, the company has built a strong foundation rooted in engineering excellence, innovation, and a firm commitment to sustainable recycling. The focus ahead is clear: to grow faster, stronger, and on a truly global scale.

“Our 2026 strategy is driven by four key priorities,” explains Mr. Jignesh Kundaria, Director & CEO of Fornnax.

First, Global Expansion

We will strengthen our presence in major markets such as Europe, Australia, and the GCC, while continuing to grow across our existing regions. By aligning with local regulations and customer requirements, we aim to establish ourselves as a trusted global partner for advanced recycling solutions.

A major milestone in this journey will be export-led global installations. In 2026, we will commission Europe’s highest-capacity shredding line, reinforcing our leadership in high-capacity recycling solutions.

Second, Product Innovation and Technology Leadership

Innovation remains at the heart of our vision to become a global leader in recycling technology by 2030. Our focus is on developing solutions that are state-of-the-art, economical, efficient, reliable, and environmentally responsible.

Building on a decade-long legacy in tyre recycling, we have expanded our portfolio into new recycling applications, including municipal solid waste (MSW), e-waste, cable, and aluminium recycling. This diversification has already created strong momentum across the industry, marked by key milestones scheduled to become operational this year, such as:

Installation of India’s largest e-waste and cable recycling line.
Commissioning of a high-capacity MSW RDF recycling line.

“Sustainable growth must be scalable and profitable,” emphasizes Mr. Kundaria. In 2026, Fornnax will complete Phase One of our capacity expansion by establishing the world’s largest shredding equipment manufacturing facility. This 23-acre manufacturing unit, scheduled for completion in July 2026, will significantly enhance our production capability and global delivery capacity.

Alongside this, we will continue to improve efficiency across manufacturing, supply chain, and service operations, while strengthening our service network across India, Australia, and Europe to ensure faster and more reliable customer support.

Finally: People and Culture

“People remain the foundation of Fornnax’s success. We will continue to invest in talent, leadership development, and a culture built on ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement,” states Mr. Kundaria.

With a strong commitment to sustainability in everything we do, our ambition is not only to grow our business, but also to actively support the circular economy and contribute to a cleaner, more sustainable future.

Guided by a shared vision and disciplined execution, 2026 is set to be a defining year for us, driven by innovation across diverse recycling applications, large-scale global installations, and manufacturing excellence.

Concrete

Technology plays a critical role in achieving our goals

Published

1 month ago

December 24, 2025

admin

Arasu Shanmugam, Director and CEO-India, IFGL, discusses the diversification of the refractory sector into the cement industry with sustainable and innovative solutions, including green refractories and advanced technologies like shotcrete.

Tell us about your company, it being India’s first refractory all Indian MNC.
IFGL Refractories has traditionally focused on the steel industry. However, as part of our diversification strategy, we decided to expand into the cement sector a year ago, offering a comprehensive range of solutions. These solutions cover the entire process, from the preheater stage to the cooler. On the product side, we provide a full range, including alumina bricks, monolithics, castables, and basic refractories.
In a remarkably short span of time, we have built the capability to offer complete solutions to the cement industry using our own products. Although the cement segment is new for IFGL, the team handling this business vertical has 30 years of experience in the cement industry. This expertise has been instrumental in establishing a brand-new greenfield project for alumina bricks, which is now operational. Since production began in May, we are fully booked for the next six months, with orders extending until May 2025. This demonstrates the credibility we have quickly established, driven by our team’s experience and the company’s agility, which has been a core strength for us in the steel industry and will now benefit our cement initiatives.
As a 100 per cent Indian-owned multinational company, IFGL stands out in the refractory sector, where most leading players providing cement solutions are foreign-owned. We are listed on the stock exchange and have a global footprint, including plants in the United Kingdom, where we are the largest refractory producer, thanks to our operations with Sheffield Refractories and Monocon. Additionally, we have a plant in the United States that produces state-of-the-art black refractories for critical steel applications, a plant in Germany providing filtering solutions for the foundry sector, and a base in China, ensuring secure access to high-quality raw materials.
China, as a major source of pure raw materials for refractories, is critical to the global supply chain. We have strategically developed our own base there, ensuring both raw material security and technological advancements. For instance, Sheffield Refractories is a leader in cutting-edge shotcreting technology, which is particularly relevant to the cement industry. Since downtime in cement plants incurs costs far greater than refractory expenses, this technology, which enables rapid repairs and quicker return to production, is a game-changer. Leading cement manufacturers in the country have already expressed significant interest in this service, which we plan to launch in March 2025.
With this strong foundation, we are entering the cement industry with confidence and a commitment to delivering innovative and efficient solutions.
Could you share any differences you’ve observed in business operations between regions like Europe, India, and China? How do their functionalities and approaches vary?
When it comes to business functionality, Europe is unfortunately a shrinking market. There is a noticeable lack of enthusiasm, and companies there often face challenges in forming partnerships with vendors. In contrast, India presents an evolving scenario where close partnerships with vendors have become a key trend. About 15 years ago, refractory suppliers were viewed merely as vendors supplying commodities. Today, however, they are integral to the customer’s value creation chain.
We now have a deep understanding of our customers’ process variations and advancements. This integration allows us to align our refractory solutions with their evolving processes, strengthening our role as a value chain partner. This collaborative approach is a major differentiator, and I don’t see it happening anywhere else on the same scale. Additionally, India is the only region globally experiencing significant growth. As a result, international players are increasingly looking at India as a potential market for expansion. Given this, we take pride in being an Indian company for over four decades and aim to contribute to making Aatma Nirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) a reality.
Moving on to the net-zero mission, it’s crucial to discuss our contributions to sustainability in the cement industry. Traditionally, we focused on providing burnt bricks, which require significant fuel consumption during firing and result in higher greenhouse gas emissions, particularly CO2. With the introduction of Sheffield Refractories’ green technology, we are now promoting the use of green refractories in cement production. Increasing the share of green refractories naturally reduces CO2 emissions per ton of clinker produced.
Our honourable Prime Minister has set the goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070. We are committed to being key enablers of this vision by expanding the use of green refractories and providing sustainable solutions to the cement industry, reducing reliance on burnt refractories.

Technology is advancing rapidly. What role does it play in helping you achieve your targets and support the cement industry?
Technology plays a critical role in achieving our goals and supporting the cement industry. As I mentioned earlier, the reduction in specific refractory consumption is driven by two key factors: refining customer processes and enhancing refractory quality. By working closely as partners with our customers, we gain a deeper understanding of their evolving needs, enabling us to continuously innovate. For example, in November 2022, we established a state-of-the-art research centre in India for IFGL, something we didn’t have before.
The primary objective of this centre is to leverage in-house technology to enhance the utilisation of recycled materials in manufacturing our products. By increasing the proportion of recycled materials, we reduce the depletion of natural resources and greenhouse gas emissions. In essence, our focus is on developing sustainable, green refractories while promoting circularity in our business processes. This multi-faceted approach ensures we contribute to environmental sustainability while meeting the industry’s demands.

Of course, this all sounds promising, but there must be challenges you’re facing along the way. Could you elaborate on those?
One challenge we face is related to India’s mineral resources. For instance, there are oxide deposits in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, but unfortunately, they contain a higher percentage of impurities. On the magnesite side, India has deposits in three regions: Salem in Tamil Nadu, Almora in Uttarakhand, and Jammu. However, these magnesite deposits also have impurities. We believe the government should take up research and development initiatives to beneficiate these minerals, which are abundantly available in India, and make them suitable for producing high-end refractories. This task is beyond the capacity of an individual refractories company and requires focused policy intervention. While the government is undertaking several initiatives, beneficiation of minerals like Indian magnesite and Indian oxide needs to become a key area of focus.
Another crucial policy support we require is recognising the importance of refractories in industrial production. The reality is that without refractories, not even a single kilogram of steel or cement can be produced. Despite this, refractories are not included in the list of core industries. We urge the government to designate refractories as a core industry, which would ensure dedicated focus, including R&D allocations for initiatives like raw material beneficiation. At IFGL, we are taking proactive steps to address some of these challenges. For instance, we own Sheffield Refractories, a global leader in shotcrete technology. We are bringing this technology to India, with implementation planned from March onwards. Additionally, our partnership with Marvel Refractories in China enables us to leverage their expertise in providing high-quality refractories for steel and cement industries worldwide.
While we are making significant efforts at our level, policy support from the government—such as recognising refractories as a core industry and fostering research for local raw material beneficiation—would accelerate progress. This combined effort would greatly enhance India’s capability to produce high-end refractories and meet the growing demands of critical industries.

Could you share your opinion on the journey toward achieving net-zero emissions? How do you envision this journey unfolding?
The journey toward net zero is progressing steadily. For instance, even at this conference, we can observe the commitment as a country toward this goal. Achieving net zero involves having a clear starting point, a defined objective, and a pace to progress. I believe we are already moving at an impressive speed toward realising this goal. One example is the significant reduction in energy consumption per ton of clinker, which has halved over the past 7–8 years—a remarkable achievement.
Another critical aspect is the emphasis on circularity in the cement industry. The use of gypsum, which is a byproduct of the fertiliser and chemical industries, as well as fly ash generated by the power industry, has been effectively incorporated into cement production. Additionally, a recent advancement involves the use of calcined clay as an active component in cement. I am particularly encouraged by discussions around incorporating 12 per cent to 15 per cent limestone into the mix without the need for burning, which does not compromise the quality of the final product. These strategies demonstrate the cement industry’s constructive and innovative approach toward achieving net-zero emissions. The pace at which these advancements are being adopted is highly encouraging, and I believe we are on a fast track to reaching this critical milestone.

– Kanika Mathur

Technology

ARAPL Reports 175% EBITDA Growth, Expands Global Robotics Footprint

Affordable Robotic & Automation posts strong Q2 and H1 FY26 results driven by innovation and overseas orders

Published

3 months ago

October 15, 2025

admin

Affordable Robotic & Automation Limited (ARAPL), India’s first listed robotics firm and a pioneer in industrial automation and smart robotic solutions, has reported robust financial results for the second quarter and half year ended September 30, 2025.
The company achieved a 175 per cent year-on-year rise in standalone EBITDA and strong revenue growth across its automation and robotics segments. The Board of Directors approved the unaudited financial results on October 10, 2025.

Key Highlights – Q2 FY2026
• Strong momentum across core automation and robotics divisions
• Secured the first order for the Atlas AC2000, an autonomous truck loading and unloading forklift, from a leading US logistics player
• Rebranded its RaaS product line as Humro (Human + Robot), symbolising collaborative automation between people and machines
• Expanded its Humro range in global warehouse automation markets
• Continued investment in deep-tech innovations, including AI-based route optimisation, autonomy kits, vehicle controllers, and digital twins
Global Milestone: First Atlas AC2000 Order in the US

ARAPL’s US-based subsidiary, ARAPL RaaS (Humro), received its first order for the next-generation Atlas AC2000 autonomous forklift from a leading logistics company. Following successful prototype trials, the client placed an order for two robots valued at Rs 36 million under a three-year lease. The project opens opportunities for scaling up to 15–16 robots per site across 15 US warehouses within two years.
The product addresses an untapped market of 10 million loading docks across 21,000 warehouses in the US, positioning ARAPL for exponential growth.

Financial Performance – Q2 FY2026 (Standalone)
Net Revenue: Rs 25.7587 million, up 37 per cent quarter-on-quarter
EBITDA: Rs 5.9632 million, up 396 per cent QoQ
Profit Before Tax: Rs 4.3808 million, compared to a Rs 360.46 lakh loss in Q1
Profit After Tax: Rs 4.1854 lakh, representing 216 per cent QoQ growth
On a half-year basis, ARAPL reported a 175 per cent rise in EBITDA and returned to profitability with Rs 58.08 lakh PAT, highlighting strong operational efficiency and improved contribution from core businesses.
Consolidated Performance – Q2 FY2026
Net Revenue: Rs 29.566 million, up 57% QoQ
EBITDA: Rs 6.2608 million, up 418 per cent QoQ
Profit After Tax: Rs 4.5672 million, marking a 224 per cent QoQ improvement

Milind Padole, Managing Director, ARAPL said, “Our Q2 results reflect the success of our innovation-led growth strategy and the growing global confidence in ARAPL’s technology. The Atlas AC2000 order marks a defining milestone that validates our engineering strength and accelerates our global expansion. With a healthy order book and continued investment in AI and autonomous systems, ARAPL is positioned to lead the next phase of intelligent industrial transformation.”
Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Pune, Affordable Robotic & Automation Ltd (ARAPL) delivers turnkey robotic and automation solutions across automotive, general manufacturing, and government sectors. Its offerings include robotic welding, automated inspection, assembly automation, automated parking systems, and autonomous driverless forklifts.
ARAPL operates five advanced plants in Pune spanning 350,000 sq ft, supported by over 400 engineers in India and seven team members in the US. The company also maintains facilities in North Carolina and California, and service centres in Faridabad, Mumbai, and San Francisco.