Cement Producers Producing Green Goals With Petuum

As recently presented at the International Cement Seminar & Conference by Edward Sullivan, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist for the Portland Cement Association (PCA), the cement demand for 2020 looks bright. PCA regularly releases forecasts and guidance to cement manufacturers for their market intelligence. While cement is a backbone industry that is projected to grow alongside our construction, infrastructure, and cities overall, it is also the expectation that so will its undesirable by-products. Sullivan advised that we should expect further scrutiny and possible regulation changes in the coming years to force a reduction of the cement industry’s carbon footprint.

If you are trying to get ahead of these initiatives and incorporate new technology into your organization, Petuum offers ready-to-deploy solutions for cement and other industries that help manage energy recovery and savings, alternate fuel substitution, asset stability, among other benefits.

As an example, Petuum’s AI-pilot was able to reduce the emission of gases such as NOx, SOx, and heavy metals, such as mercury and lead, by efficiently recuperating temperature from the cooler to the kiln and pre-calciner, thus reducing the need to burn additional fuels. The observed median fuel saved in the pre-calciner burner and main burner was 17.42 mmBTU and 14.09 mmBTU, respectively. Additionally, we reached a reduction of emissions by over 3,000 kgs per hour or up to 28,000 metric tons per year at the plant.

Petuum takes a data-driven and dynamic approach to improve your operation, capabilities never seen before in the industry. We analyze the complexities behind your ever-changing business goals and constraints, and then we deliver process variable forecasts, setpoint prescriptions and a “supervised-steer” autonomous mode.

We have been busy sharing our technological evolution with the industry over the past few months. In addition to speaking at OSIsoft PI World in Gothenburg ( recording found here), exhibiting at the International Cement Seminar & Conference, and presenting “How to Leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI)” at the IEEE-PCA West Coast Conference this year, Petuum was recently recognized as an innovation leader within the materials sector.

In October 2019, Petuum received the International Cement Review “Cement Project of the Year” Award with CEMEX at Cemtech Europe 2019. Petuum has received several prestigious awards for our technology and research over the years; however, this was the first that recognized our field application in relation to a specific customer and recorded benefits. We observed yield improvements and energy savings of up to 7%. CEMEX’s Operations Digital Technologies Manager says,

“On top of getting better heat recovery, we’re getting additional yield. The higher the production rate across each site, the higher the benefits. Once you factor in this, the numbers multiply very fast and this will be a big path for CEMEX. This is a giant step in digital transformation, and it is huge for the cement industry.”

Also, we would like to give a special congratulations to CEMEX for being the most recent recipient of the Tecnos Neuvo Leon 4.0 award! We are thankful for CEMEX and similar industry leaders who embrace Petuum’s technology as part of their Industry 4.0 and digital transformation journeys.

While the cement industry continues to evolve, creating consistently high-quality product will not be the only metric that organizations will pride themselves on. More emphasis will be placed on your socioeconomic impact, such as earning the EPA’s Energy Star Certification or incorporating “green practices” into your operations for the benefit of the company, your customers, and neighboring communities.

Embracing new technology is a daunting but rewarding task. As we approach the holidays and plan for 2020, it is a great time to reflect on our accomplishments and to set new ambitious goals. If you are looking to pilot a green initiative or start an energy management program, Petuum is here to help you break down the barriers and reach your operating objectives.

Please reach out to business@petuum.com if you are seeking technology providers for your operational needs. Until then, we look forward to sharing more innovations in the new year!

Originally published at https://petuum.com on December 12, 2019.