What Fuel is Suitable for Burning Ceramsite?

With the development of industrialization, the disposal of sludge, especially municipal sludge, has become a top priority in many areas. Municipal sludge is precipitated after the sewage is purified by domestic sewage treatment plants. It is rich in organic matter, germs, and microorganisms. It usually emits a pungent odor. If it is dumped at will, it will be stored for a long time, which will seriously affect the surrounding environment.

In terms of national policy guidance, the resource utilization of municipal sludge is encouraged, especially the resource utilization of building materials. Since the dry base of municipal sludge, that is, after drying the water and burning the organic matter, the main components are silica and alumina, so after the sludge is processed, it can be used for resource utilization of building materials.

Sludge ceramsite is a typical solution for the complete resource utilization of municipal sludge. However, sludge alone cannot be used to make ceramsite. Other raw materials need to be added, usually construction waste/shale. The two are mixed in a certain proportion, granulated, and then calcined to make the finished product of ceramsite. 

Because the calcination temperature of ceramsite is between 1100℃ and 1200℃ when calcination, fuel is a very important part in the production process of sludge ceramsite. More than 60% of the production cost of ceramsite is the cost of fuel, so it is very important to select the appropriate fuel based on the conditions of the project site.

The main calcining equipment of the ceramsite production line is a rotary kiln. The rotary kiln can use generator gas, natural gas, coal bed methane, rice bran, pulverized coal, etc. as fuel for calcining. The choice of fuel should be considered from many aspects such as economy, environmental protection, and sustainability. After years of development, more than 60% of domestic sludge ceramsite production lines now use rice bran as the fuel for ceramsite calcination.

Rice bran is the product of rice hulling and grinding into fine powder. Its usage is similar to that of pulverized coal. It uses pneumatic transportation to spray the powdered rice bran into the kiln through the burner. It burns quickly in the shortest possible time and releases heat to ensure the temperature in the rotary kiln.

Next, let’s analyze the advantages of using rice bran as fuel in the ceramic production line from several aspects.

The first is economy.

The calorific value of rice bran is 3400 kcal/kg, which is not high compared to other fuels. But there is no problem at all in maintaining the temperature in the rotary kiln between 1100°C and 1200°C.

As can be seen from the table above, the price of natural gas is twice or even more than that of rice bran.

The second is sustainability.

Rice is mostly grown in southern my country, and a large amount of rice husk is produced every year, and the source is very stable. And its price is also affected by seasonal changes. During the rice harvest season, the price of bran will be low.

The third is environmental protection. 

Rice bran can be regarded as biomass fuel. After burning, the rice bran powder turns into white ash, part of which is attached to the ceramic particles, and part of which is collected by the dust collector. The exhaust gas is mainly dust, and more than 99% can be collected by the dust collector. After burning rice bran, a small amount of sulfur dioxide will be produced and basically no nitrogen oxides will be produced. Tail gas treatment with complete dust collection and desulfurization equipment can meet environmental protection requirements.

To sum up, when building a sludge ceramsite production line in the southern region of the country, rice bran can be regarded as the preferred fuel.

Henan Zhengzhou Mining Machinery Co., Ltd is a company dedicated to sewage sludge and contaminated soil fired ceramsite equipment and an overall solution provider for solid and hazardous waste recycling. Sludge fired ceramsite has advanced process technology and product quality is guaranteed. If you want to invest For ceramsite projects, you can click on the online customer service consultation or whatsapp me at +8618037866379, we will serve you wholeheartedly!