Clinker based on calcium looped meals from the Cleanker Project

Area of Science:

• Chemical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Environmental Science

Background:

• The cement industry is a significant source of CO2 emissions.
• Calcium Looping (CaL) is a promising technology for CO2 capture.
• The Cleanker project aimed to demonstrate the industrial feasibility of integrated CaL for CO2 capture and cement production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of the Calcium Looping (CaL) process for CO2 capture at an industrial scale.
• To evaluate the potential of using CaL-processed meal for cement clinker production.
• To characterize the properties of CaL-processed meals and their impact on clinker quality.

Main Methods:

• Operated a demo-scale CaL pilot plant integrated with a cement kiln.
• Collected and analyzed CaL-processed meals using X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, and particle size distribution.
• Produced and characterized cement clinker from CaL-processed meals in a laboratory furnace.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated the industrial-scale feasibility of the integrated CaL concept for CO2 capture.
• Characterization revealed significant surface changes in CaL meals due to CO2 loading/unloading cycles.
• Clinker produced from CaL meals showed good burnability and confirmed the possibility of reintegration into the production process, albeit with a lower alite/belite ratio.

Conclusions:

• The Cleanker project successfully validated the industrial application of CaL for CO2 capture.
• CaL-processed meals are suitable for cement clinker production, contributing to CO2 reduction strategies.
• Further optimization may be needed to fully manage the impact of calcium depletion on clinker mineralogy.