Concrete

Stud technology has proven to be a boon for the industry

Published

3 years ago

August 21, 2023

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Ashok Kumar Dembla, President and Managing Director, KHD Humboldt Wedag India, discusses the advancements in grinding solutions that focus on low energy consumption, dust free circuits and low maintenance.

Tell us about the role of your grinding solutions in the cement industry?
We all know that grinding constitutes about 65-70 per cent of electrical energy consumption of cement manufacturing. Any saving in grinding energy can be good for operating cost reduction. Also, energy cost is increasing with time, therefore cement manufacturing companies are looking for new technologies for low electrical energy consumption. In the past few years, KHD has worked extensively in the field of grinding to reduce electrical energy consumption in the cement industry, which also helps in reduction in carbon footprints. We at KHD provide all kinds of grinding solutions be it raw material grinding, cement grinding or slag grinding.

How do you customise your grinding solutions to fit the requirements of distinct cement plants?
Based on the cement manufacturers requirement, we offer customised solutions for various grinding circuits. Every cement plant has specific requirements. Like some focus on low-cost solutions, some focus on energy efficiency whereas some focus on operational excellence. The input material hardness, moisture, abrasively, feed size and product requirement decide what solution is to be offered for achieving a cost effective and energy efficient solution. We have various sizes of roller presses, various types of roller surfaces, types of rollers and arrangement of roller presses in the circuit like roller press in semi-finish mode, roller press in finish mode, size of ball mill in semi-finish mode, location of static separator in process circuit, etc. So, based on all the factors, we decide what is to be offered.

How do your grinding solutions help cement plants achieve energy efficiency?
Latest developments related to raw material grinding in finish grinding in roller press have paid dividends even for soft and medium to hard material. Hard raw materials are giving higher bonus factor in finish grinding roller press systems and cement manufacturers are getting 2-4 Kwh/t saving in electrical energy in raw material grinding itself by using this technology as compared to vertical mill technology. Typical circuit offered by KHD for raw materials grinding in ComFlex Grinding circuit has advantages to process raw materials with high moistures with incorporation of V-Separator below the roller press and use of hot gases to dry the raw materials.
With the focus of the industry towards WHR systems, roller press grinding has further received acceptance as it uses no water for bed stabilisation and uses minimum hot gases as compared to other contemporary technologies.
In case of cement grinding, two technologies are being accepted, either vertical roller mill or roller press in semi-finish or finish grinding. Roller press in finish grinding has the advantage of further saving of 3-4 Kwh/t as compared to semi-finish grinding and vertical mill technology. With more acceptance of blended cements like PPC, PSC and composite cements, roller press in finish grinding is accepted as advanced technology in cement grinding. Typical finish and semi-finish grinding circuits offered by KHD are very popular in the cement industry. which includes use of roller press alone or in combination of roller press and ball mill respectively.
In the case of slag grinding, acceptance of roller press in finish grinding is well recognised. It offers a distinct advantage of saving of about 6-7 Kwh/t as compared to the vertical roller mill at 4200 Blaine. The advantage comes due to the hardness of slag and pressure grinding in roller press instead of attrition and low pressure in vertical roller press. Moisture issue is also tackled with the problem of coating by incorporating a V-separator below the roller press.

Tell us about the role of separators in the grinding process? How do they help achieve cost efficiency?
The basic role of a separator is to separate the feed material entering into it after grinding into two products i.e., coarse and fine. While fine is normally the final product in case of dynamic separator and is intermediate product in case of V-Separator. Dynamic separators have also gone through various technological developments, and we are offering 4th generation high efficiency separators now-a-days. These separators offer sharp cut point and minimum bypass (particle below 3 microns). This leads to less recirculation of fines thus improving the availability of the system and in turn efficiency of the system. V-separator is an excellent pre-separator cum dryer (in case of wet material) which is used for pre-separating the roller press throughput before the second separation in a dynamic separator. Two stage separation in the roller press circuit makes it energy efficient and ensures proper product quality.

Materials used for the manufacturing of cement are evolving every day. How does your machinery adapt to this change at the cement plants?
With the trends more on low clinker to cement ratio, today the Indian cement industry is moving very fast toward this aspect. PSC, PPC, composite cements are going up the curve. The cement industry is well versed with the utilisation and manufacturing of blended cement. KHD is one of the key suppliers for providing energy efficient technologies viz roller press grinding for the production of blended cement.
It is estimated that decreasing the clinker ratio in production of cement contributes to nearly 37 per cent of targeted CO2 reduction. By promoting PPC and PSC cement in India, more than 85 per cent cement is produced as blended cement or composite cement (which has come into existence during the last 3-5 years). PPC allows 35 per cent fly-ash usage at present, whereas PSC allows 55 per cent to 65 per cent granulated slag in clinker. Increase of Pozzolana (fly-ash) usage in PPC, up to 45 per cent can reduce the carbon footprint further which has a permissible limit of up to 55 per cent in some European countries. Our roller presses are well versed to take care of all these materials smoothly.

What role does technology play in designing and executing your grinding circuit at the cement plants?
It’s mainly the technology that has promoted the roller press circuits for grinding over VRM technology. Our technology takes into consideration the lowest energy consumption, dust free circuits, nil water consumption, lower maintenance and more in terms of availability and reliability. So, all the systems are based on technology to address all these points. For example, roller press surface plays an important role regarding maintenance requirements. Stud surface of roller press can provide continuous availability of roller press for 4-5 years without any welding requirement. Welded surfaces also have less than half the requirement of welding as compared to VRM, which has the attrition principle of grinding in addition to pressure grinding.

What are the major challenges in curating and executing grinding solutions?
Over the years we have done intensive work in the field of grinding solutions. We don’t foresee any major challenge now as we have already achieved lower power consumption, dust free circuits, more reliability, environmentally friendly grinding. However, we are on the track of continuous improvements to even achieve better because we believe that nothing is impossible, and we are always bound to reach new heights. With use of blended cements and LC3 Cement in coming future in India we are expecting higher blain requirement in final product which may see some technological advances in secondary grinding i.e., ball mills may be replaced by special mills however roller press shall continue in semi-finish and finish grinding applications.

Tell us about the innovations by your organisation in the near future that the cement industry can look forward to.
At present, the focus is to use roller press in finish grinding to get maximum energy advantage as compared to ball mill grinding especially for blended cement. Apart from electrical energy, the focus is also on roller press surfaces, which has minimum wear and offers trouble and maintenance free operation. Stud technology has proven to be a boon for the industry. Tungsten Carbide Studs are fixed on the roller surface by pressing in pre-drilled rollers, which offers autogenous grinding and minimum wear. Life expected out of these roller surfaces varies from 25,000-40,000 hours of operations without any surface maintenance.
Apart from this, developments are focussed on optimising the process circuit for energy efficient and pollution free operation. Developments in actuated dosing gate for feeding material to roller press and online monitoring of roller press surface are also worth noticing. There shall also be developments related to use of digital technology to monitor the performance of these grinding systems, which can contribute towards optimised production and increased availability due to timely signals regarding maintenance requirements.

-Kanika Mathur

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Concrete

Cement Makers Reaffirm Commitment to Sustainable Growth

Published

1 day ago

June 5, 2026

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World Environment Day spotlight on innovation and circularity

On World Environment Day, the Indian cement industry reiterated its commitment to supporting India’s climate ambitions through sustainable manufacturing, resource efficiency and the adoption of cleaner technologies.

The Cement Manufacturers’ Association (CMA) said the sector remains aligned with the Government of India’s Net Zero commitments and is accelerating efforts to reduce its environmental footprint while supporting the country’s infrastructure and development agenda.

Parth Jindal, President, CMA and Managing Director, JSW Cement, said the industry is increasingly adopting cleaner technologies, improving energy efficiency and expanding the use of alternative fuels and raw materials. He also highlighted the growing importance of circular economy practices, where industrial by-products and waste streams from one sector are utilised as resources in another.

“The Indian Cement Industry is aligned to the Government’s commitments on carbon mitigation and is accelerating the adoption of cleaner technologies, resource efficiency and circular economy practices while actively exploring the potential of Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) as a critical pathway for deep decarbonisation,” said Jindal.

He added that coprocessing industrial waste and by-products helps conserve natural resources, reduce disposal requirements and lower the environmental footprint across multiple sectors.

According to Jindal, sustainability is no longer limited to manufacturing processes but is increasingly influencing investment decisions, innovation strategies and long-term growth plans within the industry.

Echoing similar views, Dr Raghavpat Singhania, Vice President, CMA and Managing Director, JK Cement, said sustainable development extends beyond emissions reduction and must also focus on responsible resource utilisation and waste minimisation.

“Sustainability in the built environment cannot be measured by emissions alone. It is equally about how efficiently we use resources, how effectively we minimise waste and how responsibly we create the infrastructure that will serve future generations,” said Singhania.

He noted that the cement industry is advancing its sustainability agenda through greater resource efficiency, increased circularity, technological innovation and continuous improvements in manufacturing practices. As a key contributor to India’s infrastructure development, the sector has a critical role to play in balancing economic growth with environmental responsibility.

On the occasion of World Environment Day, industry leaders reaffirmed their commitment to supporting India’s climate goals while delivering the materials required for resilient, durable and sustainable infrastructure.

Concrete

Building a Greener Future Together

Published

2 days ago

June 4, 2026

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Environmental sustainability requires immediate action, not just long-term commitments and discussions. Recycling, circular economy practices, and technology-driven waste management can help industries reduce environmental impact while supporting sustainable growth.

Author: Jignesh Kundaria, Director and CEO, Fornnax Technology

World Environment Day serves as an important reminder that environmental sustainability can no longer remain confined to discussions, reports, or long-term commitments. The environmental challenges facing the world today demand immediate, measurable, and collective action. Across industries and communities, waste generation continues to outpace our ability to process it responsibly, placing increasing pressure on ecosystems, natural resources, public health, and the well-being of future generations.

One of the most significant shifts required today is a change in how society perceives waste. Rather than being viewed as a material to be discarded, waste must be recognised as a valuable resource that can contribute to both economic growth and environmental protection when managed through the right technologies and systems. This mindset forms the foundation of the circular economy model that countries across the world are increasingly adopting to reduce landfill dependence, recover valuable materials, and create more sustainable industrial ecosystems.

India has made meaningful progress in strengthening awareness around sustainability, recycling, and environmental responsibility over the past decade. Significant efforts are being made to formalise the recycling sector through improved infrastructure, technology adoption, policy implementation, and broader stakeholder participation. These developments are creating a stronger foundation for responsible waste management and resource recovery across the country.

However, achieving long-term environmental impact requires collaboration from all stakeholders. Industries, policymakers, technology providers, and communities must work together with greater accountability to strengthen recycling ecosystems, encourage responsible waste management practices, and create sustainable outcomes through consistent execution rather than temporary interventions.

As someone closely associated with the recycling industry, I firmly believe that technology will play a decisive role in addressing future environmental challenges. Advanced recycling systems have the potential to recover valuable resources, reduce pollution, minimise landfill burdens, and conserve energy, creating a more sustainable future for generations to come. This belief is deeply reflected in Fornnax’s motto, “Committed to Create a Green Future,” which embodies our commitment to building long-term environmental value through innovation and responsible action.

At the same time, technology alone cannot deliver meaningful change. Real progress requires intent, awareness, participation, and a shared sense of responsibility. Sustainable development can only be achieved when innovation is supported by collective action and a genuine commitment to environmental stewardship.

On this World Environment Day, let us move beyond conversations and take meaningful steps towards creating a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable planet. By embracing innovation, strengthening recycling ecosystems, and acting responsibly today, we can create lasting environmental impact and secure a better future for generations to come.

Concrete

JK Lakshmi Advances LC3 Cement Expansion

Company highlights commercial production and research partnerships

Published

5 days ago

June 1, 2026

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The meeting reviewed progress in limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) technology and its commercial adoption in India’s cement sector, focusing on low-carbon alternatives to conventional binders. JK Lakshmi Cement noted that limestone calcined clay cement can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 40 per cent compared with conventional cement and said this reduction supports industry decarbonisation. The company highlighted that it was among the first two cement manufacturers in India to move LC3 into commercial production after the Bureau of Indian Standards approved the technology as a cement standard.

Vinita Singhania said the transition of LC3 from research to commercial production reflected collaboration between industry, academia and international institutions. Maya Tissafi acknowledged JK Lakshmi Cement’s role in advancing LC3 adoption in India and its contribution in taking the technology from laboratory trials to commercial implementation. Both representatives underlined the growing relevance of sustainable construction materials as India expands infrastructure and urban development.

The meeting explored continued collaboration with Swiss research institutions such as EPFL, EMPA and ETH Zurich alongside Indian academic partners and development organisations. JK Lakshmi Cement has been associated with the LC3 initiative since 2014 and worked with EPFL, IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, Development Alternatives and Technology and Action for Rural Advancement. The company conducted one of the earliest industrial trials of LC3 and recently announced commercial production of Green Pro LC3 cement from its Jaykaypuram plant in Rajasthan.

India remains the world’s second-largest cement producer and expansion of infrastructure, urbanisation and housing demand continue to support long-term sector growth, increasing interest in low-carbon technologies. The company reported an annual turnover of more than Rupees (Rs) 60 bn and current cement capacity of about 18 million (mn) tonnes (t) per annum, with a target of reaching 30 million (mn) tonnes (t) by 2030. Apart from grey cement, the company also makes ready-mix concrete, gypsum plaster, wall putty, primers, adhesives and fly ash blocks, and both sides concluded on the need for continued collaboration to develop sustainable construction solutions.