The first 30 months of operating results with Rudersdorfer Zement´s Kiln No.5

Like many other East German plants, the Rudersdorf cement works proved to be in need of restoration after the takeover by Readymix in the autumn of 1990. The production plants were technically obsolete and severely run-down. Productivity and environmental protection were far behind western standards. The entire technology in all production stages was in need of modernization or even, in the majority of cases, of complete replacement. The final, and also the largest, stage of investment at the Rudersdorf works-the construction of a new 5000 tpd clinker line, which came into operation in 1995-was carried out after the limestone quarry and the cement grinding and dispatch system had been modernized. Two requirements were of particular importance to be included in the basic engineering of the new kiln line: Effective utilization of the carbon-containing grate ash from lignite-fired power stations as a raw material component. Use of secondary fuels for up to 25% of the total energy requirement to reduce fuel costs. Obviously, special attention was also paid to achieving low specific energy consumptions when the plant was being planned. A circulating fluidised bed is used in the cement production process