Impact assessment of alternative fuels on production Cost, plant operation and Environment- case study of Indian cement industry

•Alternative fuels are the substitute of coal for sustainable cement production.•Utilization of alternative fuels in cement kilns is a holistic way of waste disposal.•Impact of alternative fuels must be assessed on process, environment, and operation.•Transfer chute jamming is a critical operational issue with the usage of alternative fuels. The cement industry is highly energy intensive, consuming ∼ 15% of total energy demand and responsible for 26% of total industrial CO2 emissions. With the world’s second-largest installed production capacity of 594.14 million tonnes, presently Indian cement industry is struggling with uncertainty in availability as well as the cost of fuel (coal & petcoke), forcing the industry to replace conventional fuels with Alternative Fuels (AFs). This study assesses the impact of AFs on production cost, environment, operation, and maintenance of Indian cement plants and highlights that utilization of AFs provides cost benefits, mitigates CO2 without any environmental issues, and is a holistic way of waste disposal. Jamming of the transfer chute & feeding chute to calciner is found to be a major operational problem contributing to 50 to 70% of system breakdown hours. This study recommends the utilization of AFs in the cement industry and further research to establish design parameters for a transfer chute that can handle the majority of AFs & their mix without jamming, flushing, and plugging issues.