To mitigate these market bottlenecks, leading cement producers are investing in in-house alternative fuel preparation facilities.

This approach ensures total control over raw materials, processing, and output quality—ultimately driving up the Thermal Substitution Rate (TSR) and securing a resilient, low-carbon fuel supply.

Leveraging a strong local industrial cluster, a prominent cement producer in Zhejiang province, China, has officially commissioned a new alternative fuel preparation line with an annual capacity of 100,000 tons.

Following successful rollouts in Guangdong, Nanjing, and Chongqing, this project marks another collaboration with Harden.

By turning industrial solid waste into high-quality AFR, the plant has successfully enabled large-scale co-processing, pushing the kiln’s TSR past the 40% milestone.

"Building our own AFR center is more than a short-term hedge against volatile coal prices," says the project director. "It is a core strategic investment aligned with our long-term net-zero goals."

The facility processes local mixed industrial waste—such as textiles, leather, and paper—using Harden’s advanced AFR preparation system.

Equipped with a next-generation "two-stage shredding + magnetic separation" process, the system shreds and purifies complex waste streams into standardized AFR.

Output Particle Size: ~50 mm

Calorific Value: 4,000–5,000 kcal/kg

Application: Direct feeding into the cement kiln to replace primary coal and maximize TSR.

Technical Highlights

1. Precision Quality Control for Maximized TSR

When handling heterogeneous, mixed solid waste, conventional multi-stage shredders are prone to material wrapping, frequent jamming, and irregular, elongated outputs. These sizing inconsistencies often limit the kiln's TSR potential.

Harden overcomes this with a modular screen design and an adjustable cutting unit. Operators can quickly fine-tune cutting parameters and gaps or perform rapid blade maintenance. This strictly controls particle size uniformity from the source and minimizes impurities, delivering a highly standardized, premium AFR optimized for stable kiln combustion.

2. High-Capacity Scaling for Continuous Demand

With a design throughput of 15 tons per hour, the production line continuously processes various soft and hard mixed industrial wastes.

Engineered for 24/7 heavy-duty operation, it reliably fulfills the 100,000-ton annual output required to meet the kiln's non-stop fuel demands.

3. AI-Driven Efficiency and Low OPEX

Multi-machine, interconnected production lines typically suffer from complex control requirements, high energy draw, and unplanned downtime.

Harden addresses these pain points via its proprietary AI collaborative control system, which integrates energy recovery technology and adaptive material-feeding algorithms.

The operational benefits include:

Unplanned Downtime: Reduced by 50%

Overall Production Efficiency: Increased by 26%

Specific Energy Consumption: Reduced by 32%

Result: A highly cost-effective, low-OPEX operation that secures long-term production stability.

Driving the Industry's Green Transition

Between 2022 and 2025, nearly 400 inefficient, high-carbon cement clinker production lines were phased out across China. This capacity optimization is a profound industry restructuring triggered by supply-side reforms, carbon constraints, and shifting market dynamics.

Moving forward, the adoption of high-quality RDF/AFR will be the primary lever for tier-one cement plants to protect profit margins, meet strict decarbonization mandates, and build competitive differentiation.

Backed by over a decade of R&D in solid waste recycling, Harden delivers reliable, standardized, and low-OPEX pre-treatment systems, providing full-link solutions for the global cement industry's green transition.