Alpena Plant (Holcim) – Alpena, Michigan, USA (2022-2023) – AFS Technology provided a turnkey fully-automated mid-kiln tire fuel feed system for the Holcim cement plant in Alpena, Michigan.
The system is designed to feed whole car and truck tires to the mid-kiln of two of the five kilns at the plant. The system is designed to feed an average of 4 tires per minute per kiln, or eight tires per minute total average, which equates to approximately 4.8 short tons per hour. The system includes on the ground level a trailer tipper, live bottom hopper, tire separator, tire separation refinement system with tire inspection and rejection. From the ground level the system includes a 300′ long trussed framed inclined belt conveyor which feeds tires to a platform above the kilns. On this platform the system includes a series of roller conveyors with a transfer conveyor that directs tires to each of the two kilns. Dedicated to each kiln, the system includes tire weighing systems, tire staging chutes and mid kiln valve cam actuator. Mounted on each kiln are mid kiln valves which open by the cam actuators.
