Weighing technology in Europe’s biggest lime works

Rheinische Kalksteinwerke GmbH was founded by August Thyssen in 1903. Since 1999 Rheinkalk GmbH has been part of the Belgian Lhoist group which owns more than 90 plants and is the world’s leading producer of lime and dolomite. From production facilities, lime terminals and subsidiaries in Germany, Rheinkalk delivers high quality products for various industries and applications. The product range includes limestone, quicklime and slaked lime of various qualities. The Flandersbach works in Wülfrath (Fig. 1) is the leading lime producer of the Rheinkalk group and is Europe’s largest lime plant. About 7.5 million tons of limestone are extracted each year from their own quarry (Fig. 2). The sales volume of quality products made from quicklime is about 1.8 million tons, equivalent to 25 % of the total German production. The sales of limestone products account for almost 3 million tons. With lime as an important primary matter, the German steel industry is the plant’s biggest customer which buys around 50 % of their production. The remaining half of the production is used in fields such as environmental protection and the building material and chemical industries.