Maerz Ofenbau AG and ZKG Cement Lime Gypsum continue to enjoy their longstanding and successful cooperation in conveying innovative ideas and providing technical solutions for lime plants worldwide. To mark ZKG’s 111th birthday Patrick Bucher, Head of Process Engineering at Maerz Ofenbau AG in Zurich/Switzerland talks about this partnership:
First of all: Happy Birthday, ZKG! You are one of the few technical journals, which caters not only to cement manufacturers, but also serves the lime and the gypsum industry. For us as a company specialising in the design and engineering of state-of-the-art kilns and hydration plants for the lime industry this is of utmost importance, as we can share our innovative technology with customers on this internationally highly acclaimed platform.
Interestingly enough, when looking back to the mid-1960s, ZKG was the first journal to publish an article in its 8/1965 issue about the then newly invented Maerz PFR lime kiln, which even to this day sets technical standards in the lime industry because of its unsurpassable thermal efficiency.
Burning lime is energy intensive and has a negative impact on our climate. At Maerz, we have taken responsibility and have met the challenge head on, to innovate the lime burning process, by capturing the CO2 generated during calcination, when it leaves the kiln and using it as a valuable component for subsequent processes or sequestration. With our Maerz EcoKiln® series, we can enrich the kiln’s off-gas up to a CO2-content of 97% – a unique technical solution in the lime industry. For more information, read our article, published in ZKG 6/2021.
This constitutes a complete change of mindset in the industry. In the future, not only lime, but also the kiln’s off-gas will be a product. That is our contribution to sustainability!
To us, the ZKG, as a platform where ideas pertaining to our industry can be shared and where we can be updated on innovations and new technologies, is absolutely vital. The high quality of ZKG’s publications, especially on process technology, is legendary. I applaud you for maintaining such a high standard and look forward to the ZKG contributing to keeping the engineers in our industry inspired for many years to come. Maerz Ofenbau is more than happy to participate in this undertaking by publishing its innovations and other technologi-cal highlights in the upcoming editions of the ZKG!
