Smart Multivariate Control Strategy for increasing the safe re-use of Waste as Alternate Fuel and Raw material in Cement Kilns

Waste of one industry can be effectively used as alternate fuel or additive raw material in order to increase the replacement of main fuel and in-turn contribute positively to the reduction in environmental impact of fossil fuel usage. Such an initiative in recent times in emission heavy cement plants is a welcome, green manufacturing initiative. But the inconsistent supply of waste and varying quality brings lots of challenges for operation stability and pollution control. Hence advance and alternate control strategy is essential for effective reuse of the waste as an Alternate Fuel and Raw material (AFR) in cement process without affecting the productivity and energy efficiency of the plant. This paper reviews existing practices and proposes alternate smart multivariate strategy for achieving the stated objective of enhanced AFR re-use. Case studies from three different cement plants are discussed to establish the benefit of such advanced process control approaches.