The effects of MgO, Na2O and SO3 on industrial clinkering process: phase composition, polymorphism, microstructure and hydration, using a multidisciplinary approach

Preprint publicado en: Materials Characterization Volume 155, September 2019, 109809The present investigation deals with how minor elements (their oxides: MgO, Na2O and SO3) in industrial kiln feeds affect (i) chemical reactions upon clinkering, (ii) resulting phase composition and microstructure of clinker, (iii) hydration process during cement production. Our results show that all these points are remarkably sensitive to the combination and interference effects between the minor chemical species mentioned above. Upon clinkering, all the industrial raw meals here used exhibit the same formation temperature and amount of liquid phase. Minor elements are preferentially hosted by secondary phases, such as periclase. Conversely, the growth rate of the main clinker phases (alite and belite) is significantly affected by the nature and combination of minor oxides. MgO and Na2O give a very fast C3S formation rate at T > 1450 K, whereas Na2O and SO3 boost C2S After heating, if SO3 occurs in combination with MgO and/or Na2O, it does not inihibit the C3S crystallisation as expected. Rather, it promotes the stabilisation of M1-C3S, thus indirectly influencing the aluminate content, too. MgO increseases the C3S amount and promotes the stabilisation of M3-C3S, when it is in combination with Na2O. Na2O seems to be mainly hosted by calcium aluminate structure, but it does not induce the stabilisation of the orhtorhombic polymorph, as supposed to occur. Such features play a key role in predicting the physicalmechanical performance of a final cement (i.e. rate of hydration and hardening) when used as a bulding material.The present study has been partly funded by the project PRIN 2017 (2017L83S77), of the Italian Ministry for Education, University and Research (MIUR)

Life cycle assessment of completely recyclable concrete

Since the construction sector uses 50% of the Earth. s raw materials and produces 50% of its waste, the development of more durable and sustainable building materials is crucial. Today, Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) is mainly used in low level applications, namely as unbound material for foundations, e.g., in road construction. Mineral demolition waste can be recycled as crushed aggregates for concrete, but these reduce the compressive strength and affect the workability due to higher values of water absorption. To advance the use of concrete rubble, Completely Recyclable Concrete (CRC) is designed for reincarnation within the cement production, following the Cradle-to-Cradle (C2C) principle. By the design, CRC becomes a resource for cement production because the chemical composition of CRC will be similar to that of cement raw materials. If CRC is used on a regular basis, a closed concrete-cement-concrete material cycle will arise, which is completely different from the current life cycle of traditional concrete. Within the research towards this CRC it is important to quantify the benefit for the environment and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) needs to be performed, of which the results are presented in a this paper. It was observed that CRC could significantly reduce the global warming potential of concrete

The impact of intrinsic anhydrite in an experimental calcium sulfoaluminate cement from a novel, carbon-minimized production process

Gulf Organisation for Research and Development EG016-RG11757 Open access via Springer Compcat Agreement The authors are grateful for the financial support of the Gulf Organization for Research and Development (GORD) through grant EG016-RG11757. Mr Mathieu Antoni of LafargeHolcim is thanked for his assistance in processing the grinding of the experimental clinker. Mr Theodore Hanein is thanked for insight gained in discussions regarding thermodynamic modelling of the CaO-Al2O3-SO3-SiO2 system within the kiln environment.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Interval type‑2 fuzzy aggregation operator in decision making and its application

Type-2 fuzzy sets (T2FSs) can deal with higher modeling and uncertainties which exist in the real-world application, specifically in the control systems. Particularly the climate changes are always uncertain and thus, the type-2 fuzzy controller is an effective system to handle those situations. Polyhouse is a methodology used to cultivate the plants. It breaks the seasonal hurdle of the formulation and it is also suitable for the conflictive climate conditions. Controlling and directing internal parameters of the polyhouse play an essential role in the growth of the plant. Among those, humidity is an important element when one deals with the growth of the plant in polyhouse. It affects the weather, as well as the global change of the climate and hence, the inner climate of the polyhouse will be disturbed. In this paper, operational laws for triangular interval type-2 fuzzy numbers and derived triangular interval type-2 weighted geometric (TIT2WG) operator with their desired mathematical properties using Dombi triangular norms. Also, humidity control is analyzed using interval type-2 fuzzy controller (IT2FC) with the use of derived aggregation operator which is the aim of the paper. Further stability of the system has been analyzed by applying four different defuzzification methods and the method is recommended which gives a better response

The reaction of slag in cement: theory and computer modelling

In this study, theoretical models available for the reaction of both pure slag\ud (alkali-activated) and slag-blended cement are reviewed. They were developed by using stoichiometric computations

Kesediaan pelajar terhadap kit 'Smart CCTV' bagi pelajar teknologi elektronik di Kolej Vokasional

Penggunaan alat bahan bantu mengajar (ABBM) dalam pengajaran perlu dipelbagaikan bagi memudahkan dan membantu pelajar dari segi kefahaman yang mendalam dalam subjek yang dipelajarinya.Kajian ini ingin membangunkan satu produk Kit ‘Smart CCTV’ sebagai ABBM dan mengkaji persepsi pelajar mengenai kefahaman kepada pelajar terhadap topik Pemasangan Perkakasan Elektronik sistem litar tertutup televisyen (CCTV) dari segi domain kognitif, afektif dan psikomotor bagi pelajar aliran Teknologi Elektronik di kolej vokasional. Reka bentuk kajian ada dua bahagian iaitu reka bentuk pembangunan produk yang menggunakan model ‘Rapid Prototype’dan kajian deskriptif kaedah tinjauan untuk kajian keseluruhan. Analisis kajian ini menggunakan kaedah deskriptif kekerapan, peratusan, skor min dan sisihan piawai yang menggunakan perisian Microsoft Office Excel 2016. Reka bentuk pembangunan produk kit ‘Smart CCTV’ amat sesuai sebagai ABBM. Dapatan analisis bagi persepsi pelajar terhadap penggunaan ABBM keseluruhannya skor min ketiga-tiga domain; kognitif, psikomotor dan afektif, masing-masing mempunyai skor min 3.25, 3.21 dan 3.30, maka ketiga-tiga domain memberikan kesan yang sama terhadap pelajar berkenaan dengan penggunaan ABBM kit ‘Smart CCTV’. Hasil kajian ini diharapakan dapat dijadikan sebagai satu garis panduan kepada guru di kolej vokasional untuk menggunakan ABBM dalam PdP serta panduan kepada pengkaji lain untuk meneruskan kajian berkenaan dengan penggunaan ABBM terhadap pencapaian pelajar

Clinkering and early age hydration characterization of Belite-Alite Calcium Sulfoaluminate (BACSA) cements

In this work, four BACSA clinkers with different compositions (belite ~ 70-55 wt %, alite ~ 10-15 wt % and ye’elimite ~ 10-15 wt %) were synthesized (at laboratory scale). Lime, gypsum, kaolin and sand were used as raw materials and clinkering temperatures from 1280 to 1300 ºC were studied. Every BACSA clinker was chemically and mineralogically characterized through X-ray fluorescence and laboratory X-ray powder diffraction (LXRPD), the latter in combination with the Rietveld methodology to obtain the full phase assemblage including amorphous contents. The clinker with the targeted composition (belite ~ wt 60 %, alite ~ 13 wt % and ye’elimite ~ 10 wt %) was chosen to perform the scaling-up (5 kg). To do so, the processing parameters (milling time and clinkering conditions) have been optimized. Finally, the hydration of the corresponding BACSA cement pastes (prepared with the scaled-up clinker and gypsum) was studied through rheological measurements (at very early hydration time), calorimetry and impedance spectroscopy (first 24 h), and LXRPD in combination with the Rietveld methodology and G-factor method, at 1 and 7 hydration days to determine degree of hydration.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

The specific selection function effect on clinker grinding efficiency in a dry batch ball mill

Dry grinding experiments on cement clinker were carried out using a laboratory batch ball mill equipped with a torque measurement. The influence of the ball size distribution on the specific selection function can be approached by laboratory runs using mono-size balls. The breakage is more efficient with maximal specific selection functions at the initial size reduction stage. But, in terms of cement finish grinding all stages of grinding are determinant for the production of a required Blaine surface area (3500 cm2/g). So, the choice of ball size according to a maximal specific selection function leads to an increase of the energy consumption. In addition, investigations on the mono-sized fractions and on the crude material (size minus 2.8 mm) demonstrate that the energy efficiency factor can be optimized using ball size corresponding to relatively low specific selection function

Treatment of end-of-life concrete in an innovative heating-air classification system for circular cement-based products

A stronger commitment towards Green Building and circular economy, in response to environmental concerns and economic trends, is evident in modern industrial cement and concrete production processes. The critical demand for an overall reduction in the environmental impact of the construction sector can be met through the consumption of high-grade supplementary raw materials. Advanced solutions are under development in current research activities that will be capable of up-cycling larger quantities of valuable raw materials from the fine fractions of End-of-Life (EoL) concrete waste. New technology, in particular the Heating-Air classification System (HAS), simultaneously applies a combination of heating and separation processes within a fluidized bed-like chamber under controlled temperatures (±600 °C) and treatment times (25–40 s). In that process, moisture and contaminants are removed from the EoL fine concrete aggregates (0–4 mm), yielding improved fine fractions, and ultrafine recycled concrete particles (<0.125 mm), consisting mainly of hydrated cement, thereby adding value to finer EoL concrete fractions. In this study, two types of ultrafine recycled concrete (either siliceous or limestone EoL concrete waste) are treated in a pilot HAS technology for their conversion into Supplementary Cementitious Material (SCM). The physico-chemical effect of the ultrafine recycled concrete particles and their potential use as SCM in new cement-based products is assessed by employing substitutions of up to 10% of the conventional binder. The environmental viability of their use as SCM is then evaluated in a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The results demonstrated accelerated hydration kinetics of the mortars that incorporated these SCMs at early ages and higher mechanical strengths at all curing ages. Optimal substitutions were established at 5%. The results suggested that the overall environmental impact could be reduced by up to 5% when employing the ultrafine recycled concrete particles as SCM in circular cement-based products, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 41 kg CO2 eq./ton of cement (i.e. 80 million tons CO2 eq./year). Finally, the environmental impacts were reduced even further by running the HAS on biofuel rather than fossil fuel.The authors of the present paper, prepared in the framework ofthe Project VEEP "Cost-Effective Recycling of C&DW in High AddedValue Energy Efficient Prefabricated Concrete Components forMassive Retrofitting of our Built Environment", wish to acknowl-edge the European Commission for its support. This project hasreceived funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 researchand innovation programme under grant agreement No 723582.This paper reflects only the author’s view and the European Com-mission is not responsible for any use that may be made of theinformation it contains.The authors are also grateful to the Spanish Ministry of Science,Innovation and Universities (MICIU) and the European RegionalDevelopment Fund (FEDER) for funding this line of research(RTI2018-097074-B-C21)

Raman spectroscopy of cements: Problems and possibilities

Until recently there has been a common held misconception that Raman spectroscopy of cements is not possible, or at least so inconvenient as to make it impracticable. With recent advances in Raman spectrometers resulting in more efficient spectrometers, faster acquisition times and the use of lower powered lasers there has been a resurgence in the application of the technique to the study of cementitious materials. However, there are limitations, ready to catch the inexperienced user unawares. Fortunately, by understanding the technique’s limitations and the origin of some of the likely problems, it is possible to obtain valuable information from cementitious systems, gleaning information for example on chemical structure, hydration reactions, or early stage carbonation. This paper will show the development of Raman spectroscopy applied to cementitious systems, review recent advances in the field and look towards possible future applications