Carbon 99 will offer the local market big advantages.
Carbon International Trading (Pty) Ltd (CIT), a James Durrans Group (JDS) company, operates a vertical shaft kiln calcination plant in Sasolburg in the Free State province of South Africa and has been in operation since July 2019.
“The vertical shaft kiln (VSK) calciner is a unique technology and is the only calciner of its type in South Africa and was the first plant to be erected outside of China by a reputable Chinese process engineering company,” said Stefan Pfeffer, a Carbon International Trading (Pty) Ltd Director.
“The VSK is very energy efficient, due to no added outside energy sources such as gas or coal being required to keep it warm, it is self-sustaining. CIT believe this is one of the main reasons why they can offer their customers superior product at affordable pricing. The plant runs on a continuous basis, producing a range of calcined coke products. These products are well suited for numerous foundry, steel and other applications.”
Carbon International commissioned a calcination plant in the ChemCity industrial complex in Sasolburg. The innovative plant is the first of its kind to be erected in this country and the first plant to be erected outside of China by the Chinese process engineering company
“The company beneficiates raw pitch cokes that are traditional carbon raisers used in South Africa. However, the company has recently introduced a new product line, which uses a petroleum coke raw material for its VSK. CIT believes that the added benefits that the calcined petroleum coke (trade name: Carbon 99) will offer the local market is something to be excited about.”
“CIT currently exports the majority of its product, but would like to expand its local customer base. The company feels that selling locally can offer the local market numerous benefits, such as supply chain advantages, negating the need for importing of specialist niche products as well as a broader portfolio of products.
“Being domiciled in South Africa, the company has become a beacon of hope by creating employment in an economy that desperately requires job creation. Furthermore, the company is part of the larger Durrans Group (www.durransgroup.com) and can thus offer the local market world-class expertise.”
“CIT has full access to the groups’ hard and soft assets, such as:
Intellectual property, being for example:
Raw material sourcing
Logistical know-how
R&D and product development resources
Manufacturing hardware and know-how
Production and product synergies
High-yield (low waste) raw material input
Market knowledge
Customer databases with information on, for example, technical and product requirements and commercial opportunity and risks assessments.”
“The sales and marketing expertise and infrastructure of CIT/JDS is based on an international sales network, which utilities a team of employed commercial sales experts, sales engineers, specialised distribution partners and sales agents.”
The main components of a calcination plant include a green coke delivery and storage area, a vertical shaft kiln/calciner, a calcined coke storage-silo, calcined coke crushing, screening and bagging facility and a storage area for the products of the calcination process
“This sales organisation is managed by CIT/JDS and constantly strives to further its backward and forward integration into the supply chain, to ultimately enhance the business of the company’s suppliers and customers. According to our motto, ‘to sell well, we need to buy well’.”
“In terms of market reach, CIT has good market presence globally, with sales into South and North Africa, Europe, Middle East, India, South East Asia, China and the Americas. In addition, to the market reach via JDS, CIT also benefits from the broad carbon-based product portfolio offered by the group. These products find their way in a vast spectrum of industries, such as the graphite electrode manufacturing, specialty carbons and graphite’s, anode and cathode manufacturing, carbon additive for iron and steel, chemical, friction, glass, batteries, lubrication, insulation materials, conductive materials/earthing, cathodic protection, filtration and purification of vegetable oil and carbon and graphite for refractories.”
The petroleum coke produced by a coking unit is generally referred to as green petroleum coke. Green petroleum coke contains relatively minor concentrations of volatiles, which are removed in a calcining unit. The volatiles would be catastrophic if introduced into molten metal. The green coke is preheated in the top of the shaft kiln by rising combustion gases. In the intermediate section of the kiln, the coke is then heat soaked at calcining temperatures and finally cooled by recycled gas moving upwards from the lower part of the kiln. Cooled calcined coke is recovered from the bottom of the kiln
“The company has a very strict quality protocol. CIT’s Quality Management System, as audited by DQS, fulfils the requirements of the ISO 9001:2015 and has been certified accordingly. Furthermore, CIT has been registered on ‘IQ Net’ as a recognised and certified organisation.”
CIT operates a state-of-the-art laboratory where a range of tests can be completed, such as, but not limited to, sulphur, fixed carbon, moisture, volatile matter, ash content and particle size distribution (PSD).
The company hopes to grow and expand operations in South Africa in future.
For further details contact Durrans RMS on TEL: 011 917 0702, email rms@rmscc.co.za or visit www.durransrms.co.za or visit Carbon International Trading at www.durransgroup.com
