Waste heat powers cement manufacturers

Rapid urbanization, an underappreciated currency and the ambition to become a world-class leader have become some of the foremost drivers of the modern China.

A strong grasp on some of the world's most important industries does not hurt either. Rare earth metals and coal, chemical production, and even petroleum refining are some of the industry hotbeds now, but steel, glass, and cement production are the literal building blocks of urbanization. China is not alone in rapid growth. Nations that benefit from Chinese imports of steel, glass, and cement have the potential to feel the warm glow of growth.

Global cement production in 2009 was more than 2.5 billion tons, dipping only slightly from the previous year. China, whose cement output has doubled since 2000, accounted for more than half of all cement produced globally last year. This year, China's cement exports have risen, although the future of the industry is uncertain. The ominous cloud of surplus capacity looms in the not-too-distant future. It appears that companies are beginning to slow down growth. Although more than $5.5 billion worth of cement projects are planned for completion between the beginning of 2011 and the end of 2012, only slightly more than $1 billion worth of these projects has actually commenced construction.

One of the features that is being increasingly implemented in the country's cement production facilities is the use of waste heat to generate power. China Resources Cement Company CRCC, a subsidiary of China Resources National Corporation, is working in association with South China Institute of Environmental Sciences to construct such a cement facility. Facilities owned and operated by other companies have reported that the capture of waste heat from the cement manufacturing process raises the plant's overall efficiency by 30 in some cases.

CRCC plans to begin construction of the new cement plant next year near Yunfu, in the Guangdong province. The $224 million facility will begin operations in late 2013 and will have a cement production capacity of 10,000 tons a day. The plant will generate 18 megawatts of waste heat power that could be provided to the local grid.