The state of Lower Saxony supports development project of Claudius Peters Projects GmbH
Since its founding in 1906, Claudius Peters Projects GmbH has set the standard for the development, manufacturing and commissioning of material handling and processing systems for the gypsum, cement, coal, alumina and bulk materials industries.
Currently, Claudius Peters is planning the development of an innovative clinker cooler for the cement industry. “The production of cement consists of a series of processes and process steps in which thermodynamics and fluid mechanics as well as heat and mass transfer play a central role. Clinker cooling is an important process for the quality of the product and elementary for the energy efficiency of the overall process,” says Group Manager of Process Technology Lars Heidler.
As things stand today, CO2 emissions attributable to the cement industry account for seven to eight percent of all anthropogenic CO2 emissions. The industry sees itself as responsible for decisively reducing these emissions in the coming years. Well-known global players have published their own roadmaps with the aim of achieving CO2-neutral production in core areas by 2050. In this context, the clinker cooler plays a key role in the concepts for avoiding CO2 emissions in the cement production process as well as in the potential value chain for marketing CO2 as a raw material for regenerative fuels, plastics, etc.
As a technology supplier, Claudius Peters has been closely involved in the development of the cement industry over the last century and is the originator of significant innovations. It is important to maintain this standard for the future and, as a pioneer in clinker cooler technology, to continue to focus on a product that enables your customers to flexibly serve a wide variety of regional and technical concepts. In addition to new plants, a major focus is on the upgrading of existing plants in order to achieve the CO2 reduction targets.
This was a highly innovative project for Claudius Peters, but also one that was very demanding in terms of both finance and personnel and, especially in Corona’s day, was not without its risks. The company received the decisive tip for the right funding from the Elbe-Weser Transfer Center (TZEW) in Stade. For more than 20 years, the TZEW has been a cooperation partner of the economic development agencies in the district and in the Hanseatic city of Buxtehude. It supports the regionally based companies in the development of their innovative projects
“In cooperation with our business development department, TZEW supports companies in Buxtehude in terms of technology and innovation transfer – proactively and in a solution-oriented manner,” says Buxtehude’s mayor Katja Oldenburg-Schmidt. And she continues: “This gives our companies a clear advantage in the competition for innovation. I am very pleased that Claudius Peters’ future-oriented actions are being recognized by the funding from the state of Lower Saxony.
In a joint discussion with TZEW project manager Jörg Schrickel, it quickly became clear that the NBank’s Neustart Niedersachsen Innovation funding program – which unfortunately expired at the end of last year – would be suitable for putting Claudius Peter’s project into practice. A corresponding application was submitted – with success! With the maximum funding of EUR 800,000, the new development of the cooler can now begin. “Numerous companies in Germany are struggling with the economic downturn caused by the Corona pandemic,” says Buxtehude’s economic development manager Kerstin Maack. “That’s why I’m all the more pleased to see our resident companies pushing ahead with their innovative projects despite the current situation and taking advantage of the opportunity to secure funding for development.”
“Our courageous forward planning was rewarded,” says Lars Heidler. “Despite Corona, we have never lost sight of our development strategy. Our plans are aimed at maintaining our position as one of the leading cooler manufacturers in the market.”
(v.l.): Frank Wohlers (Senior Automation Engineer), Guenter Preuss (Lead Engineer), Ingmar Holst (Product Manager Clinker Cooler), Lars Heidler (Group Manager Process Technology), Jörg Schrickel (Head of Project TZEW), Uwe Sprinz (Process Technology Manager Clinker Cooler), Matthias Raabe (Head of Sales and Engineering Clinker Cooler) and Uwe Bock (Head of Construction)