KHD commissions second Pyrorotor® alternative fuel system in China
- KHD commissions the latest Pyrorotor installation at Conch Group’s Baoshan cement plant.
- The system processed high-moisture biomass with zero kiln instability or accumulation at the kiln inlet.
- Baoshan plans to invite other Conch plants to view the installation, opening opportunities across China’s largest cement producer.
KHD Humboldt Wedag (KHD) has commissioned a Pyrorotor alternative fuel system on a 5,000-tpd production line at Conch Group’s Baoshan cement plant in Yunnan Province, China. Completed in late December 2025, the installation demonstrated the technology’s robustness under particularly demanding fuel conditions and marks the second implementation of the technology in the Chinese market.
Demanding fuels; consistent performance
During commissioning, the Pyrorotor system processed biomass with a high moisture content. Despite these demanding fuel conditions, the system achieved a feed rate of 18 tph while maintaining kiln stability. The installation processed a mix of shredded biomass and municipal waste.
No material accumulation at the kiln inlet was observed throughout the commissioning process—a critical performance indicator for alternative-fuel systems. The unit also operated at higher rotational speeds than in previous refuse-derived fuel (RDF) applications, reflecting the system’s adaptive response to the high-moisture feedstock. “The Pyrorotor unit handled the adverse fuel conditions without a problem,” said A. Timuçin Tuzcuoğlu, KHD’s commissioning supervisor for the project. “Our team did a great job at Baoshan and achieved fantastic feed tonnage, with the potential to improve outcomes further with higher-quality fuels.”
Advanced alternative fuels technology
The Pyrorotor technology is KHD’s most advanced alternative fuels solution, enabling cement plants to use low-quality, locally available materials with virtually no preprocessing. By leveraging a plant’s existing tertiary air stream to achieve reactor temperatures, it combines optimized combustion conditions with variable residency times to ensure complete burnout of fuels for plastics and for biomass and tire chips.
Following commissioning, the Baoshan plant indicated plans to experiment with different biomass feedstocks, expand waste-preparation capacity, and potentially source externally prepared RDF fuels to increase throughput. The company also stated it would invite officials from other factories within the group to the Baoshan facility to view the new installation, opening potential opportunities for additional Pyrorotor installations across China’s largest cement producer.
Growing global interest in Pyrorotor technology
“This project demonstrates that the technology can handle extremely challenging fuel specifications while maintaining production stability,” said Samar Sharma, KHD project manager. “With 23 Pyrorotor installations now operating or contracted worldwide—across South Korea, China, Türkiye, Portugal, Thailand, Cambodia, and most recently Egypt—momentum is building as the technology proves its value for cement producers looking to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels.”