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Published on: October 25, 2017
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Phase evolution, characterisation, and performance of cement prepared in an oxy-fuel atmosphere
Liya Zheng1, Thomas P Hills1, Paul Fennell1
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK. p.fennell@imperial.ac.uk.
Faraday Discussions
|August 2, 2016
Summary
Oxy-fuel combustion in cement manufacturing enables easier carbon capture and storage (CCS). This study demonstrates that cement produced using this method maintains high quality and comparable strength to traditional methods.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Cement production is a significant source of global CO2 emissions (7-10%).
- Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is crucial for decarbonizing the cement industry.
- Oxy-fuel combustion offers a promising CCS approach by facilitating easier CO2 capture.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility of producing high-quality cement clinker and cement using oxy-fuel combustion.
- To assess the impact of oxy-fuel atmospheres on clinker phase composition and cement properties.
- To compare the performance of oxy-fuel produced cement with conventionally produced cement.
Main Methods:
- Clinker production in an oxy-fuel atmosphere using various raw material compositions.
- CEM I cement preparation by adding gypsum to clinkers.
- Quantitative X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) for compositional analysis.
- Particle size distribution and compressive strength testing of cements at multiple ages.
- Comparative analysis with cement produced in air and commercial CEMEX CEM I.
Main Results:
- Successful production of cement clinkers and CEM I cements in an oxy-fuel atmosphere.
- Clinkers exhibited similar phase and chemical compositions to those produced conventionally.
- Cements demonstrated comparable compressive strength to conventionally produced and commercial CEM I cements.
- Particle size distribution was investigated for its influence on compressive strength.
Conclusions:
- Oxy-fuel combustion is a viable technology for producing high-quality cement with reduced environmental impact.
- Cement produced via oxy-fuel combustion meets quality standards comparable to traditional methods.
- This technology presents an attractive CCS solution for the cement industry, balancing decarbonization with production efficiency.
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