In the interview of World Cement's issue of september caught up with Andreas Wimmer of STELA Laxhuber to discuss the company’s history, its offerings to the cement industry, and recent projects around the world.
How long has STELA been operating in the cement sector?
We installed our first belt dryers for the cement industry in 2014 together with customers from Poland and the Czech Republic.
What products and services does STELA provide?
STELA is specialised in manufacturing low temperature belt dryers which are used to dry alternative fuels or several kinds of biomass. We can use various different mediums, such as hot water or steam, for the heat source. In the cement industry it is especially convenient to use the hot gases from the clinker production process.
Capacities of 20, 30, or even 40 tph are possible with one single line. Final water content levels as low 5% are reachable without any problem.
How do STELA's belt dryers help cement plants?
Drying alternative fuels increases the calorific value of the material and makes the handling and dosing easier for operators. At the same time we are using thermal energy sources which are already available and mostly unused on site. This means there is no need to prepare additional thermal energy for the drying process.
Do you have any recent projects that you’d like to discuss?
In July this year we commissioned another project for the cement industry. At a customer’s facility in Romania we installed a belt dryer for drying 11 tph of solid shredded waste with a material size of up to 50 mm, drying from 35% to 10% water content. For the drying process we use filtered hot gases from clinker cooling step.
Earlier this year, you launched a new company in the USA – tell us more.
This spring we launched STELA Drying Technology Corp. in Atlanta, GA as part of our long-term commitment to our current and future North American customers. As energy efficient and innovative drying of bulk material is playing an increasingly important role in North America too, we are convinced that we have proven solutions to offer for a wide range of applications in numerous industries. We are happy that Wedig Graf Grote has joined our team representing STELA in North America.
Do you have any final thoughts for our readers?
The changing cement industry faces major challenges. Energy sources and their availability are particularly important, and alternative fuels play a crucial role in ensuring energy security. In many cases, drying is required and STELAcan help its customers with this at any time and anywhere in the world.
all rights by World Cement, september issue 2023
