Burkina Faso: AVIC International Beijing, in collaboration with Humboldt Wedag GmbH (KHD), has won an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract from Ciments de l'Afrique (CIMAF) to build a 900t/day clay calcination plant. This plant aims to integrate with CIMAF's existing clinker grinding line to produce calcined clay cement, potentially reducing CO₂ emissions by up to 30%, according to the company. KHD will be responsible for designing and equipping the plant with clay calcination technology, while AVIC, as the EPC contractor and KHD's parent company, manages the overall project execution.
KHD's system features a two-stage preheater and flash calciner with a pre-combustor, offering adaptability for the future installation of KHD’s Pyrorotor technology to maximise secondary fuel usage. The technology also includes a colour stabilisation process to maintain consistent supply of grey or black calcined clay. The project is scheduled for completion by mid-2026.
CIMAF Group Vice-President, Malik Sefrioui, said "This project is a major piece of our group decarbonisation roadmap, fully financed by IFC under a green loan form. Two other similar projects are being studied and will be launched very soon. The choice of AVIC/KHD is based on their long track record in cement pyro-processing projects. We are sure that this inaugural partnership will deliver significant added value for both parties."
