The benefits of partial substitution of fossil fuel by alternative fuel in cement plants. Case study

The partial substitution of fossil fuels by alternative fuels is associated with economic benefits for the cement producers. This fact has been confirmed by their growing interest in such substitutions. In this paper, based on the energy balance, it was demonstrated for a selected cement plant that by cocombustion of fine coal with the PAS-r fuel the cement plant is able to save 3.03 Mg·h^–1of fine coal thanks to the use of 5.04 Mg·h^–1of the PAS-r fuel. An advantage worth emphasizing is the fact that waste co-incineration is a part of a sustainable development strategy. Energy recovery from waste also is an example of the use of renewable energy sources. The results of the present work allow concluding that the substitution of fossil fuels by alternative fuels is justified by both the environmental and economic objectives.