In: International Cement Review, 10, 2023: 16-21.

In the AiF project EVCAZ, the energetic and material utilisation of wastes containing carbon fibres is to be demonstrated on an industrial scale in a cement plant. The central tasks are the evaluation of the conversion success of the CF fibres, the recording of the resulting emissions and the consideration of influences on the process and the clinker quality. The findings obtained are summarised to assess health and environmental risks and to answer questions relevant to approval as a decision-making aid for cement plant operators.

The aim of IGF project 21619 is to develop a training simulator with which learners can independently solve typical process engineering tasks within a virtual reality (VR) environment, particularly in connection with ball mills.

The aim of the research project is to investigate the suitability of previously largely unused mineral secondary raw materials from the stone and earth industry as a resource-conserving and climate-friendly main cement constituent. The use of cal-cined clays from secondary raw materials instead of conventional main cement constituents or high-quality primary clays can make an important contribution to the production of climate-friendly and resource-efficient cements.

With us, you can expand your knowledge around the production of cement and lime, as well as in the area of concrete technology. As a competent partner, we have been offering our customers individual qualification solutions since 2010. In addition to German-language online courses, we also offer English- and Russian-language courses and other services.

The SIMULEX® cement plant simulator for training plant supervisors, foremen, production personnel, control room operators and young engineers was developed by KHD Humboldt Wedag AG in cooperation with VDZ. For over ten years VDZ has been using the simulator within the framework of training courses and has been continually supporting the further development of the system with practical input from the industry. As a result, the simulator provides a realistic reconstruction of a cement plant with a state-of-the-art supervisory control and data acquisition system (SCADA).

This training will provide knowledge of how to conduct and evaluate cement kiln and mill trials. Kiln and mill examinations are carried out in order to gather data on the performance and to validate warranty performance data such as the output, the energy consumption, input/output ratio or the efficiency. They also provide a reliable foundation for the optimisation of individual operational system components, the cement quality, the reduction of emissions levels and for assessment of material cycles and coating formations.

Climate protection and digitisation are key challenges for the cement industry: More than 600 representatives from the international cement industry and associated suppliers, as well as from scientific and research institutes around the world, gathered at the International VDZ Congress 2018 in Duesseldorf at the end of September. Steeped in tradition, the VDZ Congress is one of the world's most important events in the industry. The 40 talks held at this year's congress focused on particularly pressing topics such as climate protection and digitisation. The participants also discussed current technical challenges and the general situation with regard to cement production. A further highlight was an evening ceremony at which the winners of the VDZ Industrial Safety Prize 2017 received their awards.

The 9th International VDZ Congress will take place in Düsseldorf on 6 – 8 November 2024. Following our tradition, we are delighted to host our congress again and provide a forum for a global exchange on the key topics in cement process technology and the decarbonisation aspects of the full cement and concrete value chain. Please save the date.