Giant Resource Recovery

In order to increase cement production and energy efficiency, Keystone replaced its two wet-process kilns with a single, dry preheater-precalciner kiln. A 5,000-hp ball mill and two 30,000-ton clinker silos were also installed. Combined with modernized control technology, these upgrades boost cement production by 40-50%.

Resource recovery plays an essential role in Keystone’s cement production process. Since 1976, Keystone has blended high-BTU liquid waste into fuel which is then beneficially burned in the manufacture of cement. The fuel blending operation is known as Giant Resource Recovery (GRR) – Keystone. Keystone was the first cement company in the US to have an energy recovery program of this type.

GRR-Keystone continues to be a leader in the field of recycling waste into fuel. The facility processes approximately 17 million gallons of industrial waste into fuel each year. Recycled waste fuel replaces 50% of Keystone Cement’s coal requirement. This innovative process not only conserves precious natural resources but also safely and securely destroys the waste.

Keystone Cement, Giant Cement, and GRR are subsidiaries of Giant Cement Holding, Inc. (GCHI). The GRR family of waste management companies also includes GRR-Harleyville in Harleyville, SC; GRR Aerosols and GRR-Attalla in Attalla, AL; and GRR-Sumter in Sumter, SC. With over 100 years of combined experience, these facilities provide a broad spectrum of responsible and environmentally sound waste management services.

In December 2009, Keystone Cement Company unveiled a completely new cement manufacturing facility at its site in Bath, PA. This new plant enables Keystone to better serve the growing needs of its customers while at the same time reducing plant emissions. After an investment of more than $200 million and one million man-hours, Keystone now produces nearly double the cement of the previous plant. Keystone is proud to join its sister company, Giant Cement Company in Harleyville, SC, as one of the most technologically advanced cement production facilities in the US.

Keystone introduced the modernization project in early 2006. In conjunction, Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell announced that the state would invest $7 million in support of the Keystone project. Governor Rendell’s announcement emphasized the strong economic progress that PA has made in recent years. Keystone was a contributor to that progress by adding more than $50 million to the state’s economy and employing over 180 people. The substantial number of additional jobs during the construction phase of the project further benefited the surrounding Lehigh Valley. With its expanded facility, Keystone’s positive impact on the state and on the local community will be even greater.

 

Keystone Prepares for Future with $165 Million Expansion