MAG. ERICH FROMMWALD, CEO, AND DIPL.-ING. ANTON SECKLEHNER, PLANT DIRECTOR, KIRCHDORFER ZEMENTWERK HOFMANN GMBH

First DeCONOx system up & running nicely at Kirchdorfer Zement

Kirchdorfer Zementwerk Hofmann GmbH

1 Mag. Erich Fromm-wald (left) and Plant Director Dipl.-Ing. Anton Secklehner

Kirchdorfer Zementwerk Hofmann GmbH

Anett Fischer

2 The new DeCONOx system had to fit into a 30 m-long by barely 9 m-wide nook

Anett Fischer

Scheuch

3 The DeCONOx process not only scrubs the exhaust gas, but also recovers heat from it for use in breaking down additional pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and organic compounds

Scheuch

Kirchdorfer Zementwerk Hofmann GmbH

4 Anton Secklehner, Dr. Michael Strugl (Upper Austrian State Minister of Economic Affairs), Eva Hofmann (part owner) and Mag. Erich Frommwald at the official commissioning ceremony

Kirchdorfer Zementwerk Hofmann GmbH

7 From the very start, the DeCONOx system delivered the desired results Kirchdorfer Zementwerk Hofmann GmbH

Kirchdorfer Zementwerk Hofmann GmbH

6 Aerial view of Kirchdorfer Zementwerk

Kirchdorfer Zementwerk Hofmann GmbH

Scheuch/Kirchdorfer Zement

8 Schematic diagram of the DeCONOx process

Scheuch/Kirchdorfer Zement

Scheuch

9 The DeCONOx system at Kirchdorfer Zement is equipped with two towers each for untreated and treated gas plus a scrubbing tower

Scheuch

All Scheuch

On 29.09.2016, Kirchdorfer Zementwerk officially inaugurated its new DeCONOx system. Built by Scheuch, the new DeCONOx setup combines the advantages of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) with those of regenerative thermal oxidation (RTO). The arrangement employs those two well-proven technologies to ensure high NO_x, VOC and CO separation efficiency. On the occasion of its commissioning, we spoke with the CEO of Kirchdorfer Zement, Mag. Erich Frommwald, and with Plant Director Dipl.-Ing. Anton Secklehner about the investment and the company’s environmental commitment.

ZKG: The new DeCONOx system installed at Kirchdorfer Zementwerk counts as the world’s first industrial-scale plant of its kind, making you a pioneer in the use of this technology. What made you decide to go for this new process, and how high was the overall investment?

FROMMWALD: We have been producing cement here in Kirchdorf for nearly 130 years, and we have been engaged in environmental protection for many decades. Our management has implemented numerous measures designed to minimize potentially negative impacts on the environment. The first impetus, of course stemmed from the fact that our...