Cement Clinker based on industrial waste materials

The manufacturing of cement consumes energy and results carbon dioxide emissions. This work focused on producing cement clinker using coal fly ash (CFA), sewage sludge ash (SSA) and an industrial waste with a high content of calcium silicate (CS). Experiments were conducted to assume the use of a process that may consume less energy and raw materials that used in cement clinker manufacturing. The raw mixtures were prepared with lower clay and limestone contents than those used in Portland clinker manufacturing and then burned at lower temperatures, ranged from 1000 to 1200 °C. Due to the content of fluxes and mineralizers of the raw mixtures, this method could decrease carbon dioxide emissions from calcination up to 60% and energy consumption up to 350 kcal/kg of clinker. The free lime content of the clinker was found out by volumetric analysis and was consistent with free lime content in Portland cement clinker. Activation energies ranged from 42.7 to 91.1 kJ/mol and the cement clinkers contents of fluorine varied from 0.82 to 3.9%. The main characterizations of the obtained clinker, which were X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction and SEM, highlighted interesting composition as building material.