New Kiln Photographs Padeswood Opendoor



 

Padeswood works in North Wales

The most modern cement kiln in Europe is up and running

Castle Cement’s kiln 4 at Padeswood works in north Wales is operational. The new kiln is the most modern in Europe and will bring enormous benefits to the company and local community. It also underlines Castle’s position as an indigenous UK cement producer and Castle’s commitment to the north Wales and north west English market.

Not only will Castle increase production at the works from 500,000 to over 800,000 tonnes of cement per year, but the kiln will operate to the very highest levels of environmental control and performance.

Central to the greatly improved performance is the use of alternative fuels, in which Castle has been a pioneer. Alternative fuels to be used at Padeswood include Cemfuel, which is processed from the residue of recycled waste solvents and Profuel, which comprises paper and plastic wastes. In the future, vehicle tyres will also be used as an alternative fuel.

The new kiln also ensures an increased supply in the marketplace of particularly light-coloured cement. The light colour is especially attractive to precast concrete manufacturers as it can allow a brighter finished product and when used, less pigment may be necessary to arrive at a specified shade.

The opening of the new kiln has resulted in the closure of three existing kilns at Padeswood and two wet kilns at the company’s Ribblesdale works in Lancashire. This will reduce the company’s carbon dioxide emissions by 17.5 per cent per tonne of cement produced against 2004 performance. Acid rain gases at Padeswood will be reduced by a staggering 75 per cent. Peter Weller, managing director of Castle Cement said: “Kiln 4 will lead to major improvements in the local environment. It will also help reduce Wales’ dependence on landfill sites while using waste both for cleaner production and lower energy consumption.”

“Castle Cement’s Kiln 4 maintains the company’s position as a world class cement producer and places Wales at the forefront in the drive for sustainable development.”

Key figures

  • 2,650 tonnes per day capacity
  • 450 motors
  • 2,100 site inductions
  • 900,000 man hours worked
  • Key facts
  • Kiln 4 total cost £63 million
  • Kiln is 65 metres long
  • 95 metre preheater tower will feed in raw materials
  • Acid rain gases will be reduced by more than 75 per cent
    18,000 new trees and shrubs have been planted as landscaping measures
Donwload PDF Map to Padeswood Works


Padeswood Works
Castle Cement Limited
Padeswood
Mold
Flintshire
CH7 4HB

Tel: 01244 550330
Fax: 01244 543189


Padeswood Live Webcam Feed
Padeswood Live Webcam Feed
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Download Weekly Data Graph Click here to view the latest Dust Emissions for the Padeswood Kiln 4 Stack (updated weekly)

 
 




Kiln will help tyre problem

The new kiln at Padeswood will help solve one of Wales’s most serious environmental problems.

By burning waste tyres, it will help clear some of the mountains of rubber that are in danger of being a blight on the landscape and a threat to human health.

About 6600 tonnes of waste tyres are dumped every year and new rules will make it illegal to bury them in landfill sites. This could lead to a serious problem with cowboys and fly-tippers.

“We have always said that local people can be proud of what we are doing here – this adds a national dimension,” said Padeswood’s General Manager, Danny Coulston.

Because of the very high heat needed to make cement, the waste tyres are completely burnt and impurities are sucked in to the cement clinker itself.

Castle is world class

Well before firing the new kiln, Castle Cement at Padeswood has gained safety and quality in all aspects of its work.

The last award, to complete the hat-trick, was the ISO 9001/2000 for quality to add to similar qualifications on environmental control and safety standards.

This means that all parts of the production process are covered, from the limestone quarry at Cefn Mawr to the finished product leaving the works.

“We are now achieving international standards in all aspects of our work,” says Clare Richards, Quality Manager at the works.

“But the work doesn’t end with reaching this standard – we have to continue monitoring to make sure that we do even better.”
     

Unique – and a model

The new kiln at Padeswood puts north east Wales on the map with the most modern cement producing works in the world.

It is the first in the UK to be built especially to use some of the new generation of clean fuels being developed for the industry.

“Every cement works is a one-off,” says Paul Russell who is managing the building project. “Our aim is for Padeswood to become a model of cement production in the UK and Europe.”

He compares the development of the new kiln to “moving from the Middle Ages to the present day” – all steps of the process in the new kiln will be controlled by sophisticated computer systems.

The Two Es – Environment and Economy

As well as the environment, the new kiln at Padeswood will be a big boost to the economy in the area.

Contractors from north east Wales were amongst the first to start on the building work – preparing the site and installing some of the groundwork.

There have been up to 500 people working on the construction at any one time and, while installing the main equipment itself was a highly specialised project, more local firms have been involved in sub-contracts and support work.

When the new kiln comes on stream in the first quarter of 2005, it will help safeguard about 200 jobs at Padeswood and double that in indirect employment. Padeswood is one of the region’s most important and biggest manufacturing employers.

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