INTERCEMENT - LOMA NEGRA - OVER 90 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN ARGENTINA

– By using the CW bale opener, our RDF feeding process was simplified, offering more time for general system maintenance and fuel stock management, and optimizing alternative fuel logistics, explains Mr. Hernán Chantiri, InterCement project leader.

Loma Negra, the leading company in the production and commercialization of cement in Argentina, has more than 90 years of experience and is distinguished as one of the Argentine companies with the greatest public recognition. The company is a proud member of InterCement and is one of the main players in the construction industry in Argentina.

Loma Negra manufactures cement, concrete, and aggregates for the construction industry. The company considers sustainability the basis of its business vision. This vision guides Loma Negras’s activities and commitments to operate in a safe, socially, and environmentally responsible manner. By following the principles and values, the company is using and investing in cutting-edge technologies in cement production, process control, risk management, and specific actions. This under the triple impact concept, promoting economic, environmental, and social development; focusing on improving the life quality of the people and communities where they operate.

One of Loma Negra’s key operating models is the co-processing of alternative fuels; fuels derived from residues used to replace traditional fossil fuels in the manufacture of cement. This model of using waste as inputs in the process allows the integral and sustainable management of waste, controlled and environmentally safe disposal, saving non-renewable natural resources and significant social and environmental benefits, such as:

• Circular Development of the Economy.
• Diversification of the energy matrix, moving to alternative energies instead of traditional fossil fuels.
• Reduction of CO2 emissions.
• Reduction in the cost of making cement.
• Generation of employment and local development.
• Reduction of waste sent to incineration, sanitary landfills, or uncontrolled dumping in open dumps.
• Development of a new production chain for waste management.
• Contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

The company is aware of the services it provides to society and committed to sustainable development, continues to adopt the best available technologies, and developing waste processing. The implementation of the Cross Wrap bale opening machine (BO 3600) is one of the best examples of the process to improve the operation.

IMPROVED PROCESS EFFICIENCY WITH CW BALE OPENER

InterCement Loma Negra L’Amalí cement plant in Argentina acquired a Cross Wrap BO 3600 automatic bale opener to open its alternative fuel bales. These RDF fuel bales are required in co-processing in cement manufacturing. The machine was delivered in 2016 and has been in use ever since.

In the plant, the Cross Wrap bale opener is used to open bales wrapped of Refuse Derived Fuels (RDF), which are received from alternative fuel manufacturing companies: “Arcillex” and “Recycomb”, the latter belonging to the same group from Loma Negra. The Cross Wrap Bale Opener Machine is used to open both cubic and round bales, which can be fed into the system in batches, as the machine program can be changed to operate accordingly.

The use of the automatic bale opener helped the customer to improve the efficiency of the alternative fuel feeding process, as the machine operates independently and eliminates the need to open the bales manually, with the associated time. Since then, at the L´Amalí Plant, a separate shredding system has also been integrated to crush the bale wrap films and incorporate them into the alternative fuel flow.

– By using the CW bale opener, our RDF feeding process was simplified, offering more time for general system maintenance and fuel stock management, and optimizing alternative fuel logistics, explains Mr. Hernán Chantiri, InterCement project leader.

THE CONTINUITY OF THE PROCESS REQUIRES A RAPID FUEL SUPPLY SOLUTION

The L’Amali Clinker kiln process requires a constant feed of alternative fuel, and the fuel feed system is quite sensitive and depends on a high RDF quality. In this way, to guarantee the best possible quality of the alternative fuel, the company uses RDF manufactured and wrapped, based on high standards set. Also, since the particle size of the combustible material must be constant, the furnace needs a bale-opening solution that can separate the bale- wrapped material from the contents of the bale.

– We saw that the operation of the Cross Wrap bale opener was beneficial to our process and the high quality of the machines and their automatic operation convinced us to go ahead to investigate it as part of our RDF fuel feed system. In addition, previous positive experiences of using the Cross Wrap Bale Opener gave us the necessary guarantee of the high quality of the product, summarizes Chantiri.

The Cross Wrap Bale Opener helps to achieve the required alternative fuel process quality and consistency with ease and also offers more time and efficiency through its automatic operation.

– The operation with the Cross Wrap Bale Opener has offered us a more rapid bale opening. The maintenance costs have been moderate, and the profits obtained very high. We believe that Cross Wrap is a very respected company, with good quality and world-renowned equipment, concludes Chantiri.

IN A NUTSHELL:

• Company: InterCement – Loma Negra C.I.A.S.A. – L´Amalí Argentina Plant
• Location: Argentina
• Material: RDF
• Capacity: ~ 40 bales / hour
• Bale size: min. 800 x 700 x 1150 mm, max. 1200 x 1100 x 2200 mm
• CW Machine: BO 3600, Bale Opener Machine