First use of the Ankral low carbon technology in pilot projects with LafargeHolcim in Austria and Switzerland

Sustainability plays a key role in the cement industry. In the past years, RHI Magnesita’s cement business unit has worked on ambitious sustainability initiatives and put great efforts into enabling the reduction of emissions. Now, as a result of years of development work, RHI Magnesita can actively support its customers in the cement industry in reducing emissions during production processes.

The Ankral LC, an innovative product from RHI Magnesita, impresses by its sustainable production method, which enables production with particularly low CO₂ emissions. This special feature is the first ever use of new recycling solutions, which allow reuse of recycled materials without compromising technical requirements and specifications. This state-of-the-art product has now first been used in a pilot project with RHI Magnesita’s customer LafargeHolcim in Mannersdorf/Austria.

LC stands for low carbon and refers to the significantly lower CO₂ footprint compared to conventional products. This is mainly achieved by using secondary recycled materials from rotary cement kilns. These were previously considered unsuit-able for further use in the production process of magnesite bricks, because in most cases they contain a high amount of infiltrated salts which have a negative effect on the properties of the bricks. Yet the RHI Magnesita research team took up the challenge, revolutionized the technical methods for reusing these precious recycled materials and created significant intellectual property including the filing of patents. RHI Magnesita adopted its process and organizational setup accordingly, and now also invests in the installation of new environmental equipment in its plants to make them fit for the future. The new exhaust gas cleaning system at the RHI Magnesita plant in Veitsch, for example, sets new standards in environmental protection.

Pilot project between LafargeHolcim and RHI Magnesita in Mannersdorf

In February, the LafargeHolcim plant in Mannersdorf/Austria was the first to install the Ankral Q2 LC bricks from RHI Magnesita in its rotary kiln, followed by further installations at other LafargeHolcim plants in Austria and Switzerland to minimize waste and maximize use of recycled material.

“We are very proud and grateful for this successful cooperation between LafargeHolcim and RHI Magnesita in these pilot projects,” elaborates Dr. Christopher Ehrenberg, plant manager of Lafarge Zementwerk Mannersdorf. “Together we want to continue on our path towards sustainability in order to reduce CO₂ emissions throughout the supply chain”.

Sustainable through recycling

The increased use of recycled materials contributes to securing stocks in the long term by reducing cost-intensive recycled material procurement and sustainably improving the ecological footprint and environmental balance of RHI Magnesita by reducing CO₂ emissions. When dismantling facilities, the company ensures that the recovered recycled materials are recycled, following the zero-waste concept.

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