What is Cement:
Cement is a binder, which is a finely ground, inorganic substance. When mixed with water, a chemical reaction takes place between its components, producing a hard, stone-like substance that is insoluble in water. Cement is a component of concrete. It is therefore widely used in the construction industry.
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| How Cement Is Made |
Cement Manufacturing Process:
The most important raw materials for cement production are
limestone and clay. These are extracted through open-pit mining and then
transported to a cement factory either by lorries or by belt conveyors.
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First stage:
The first stage of the cement manufacturing process is raw material preparation. Limestone and clay are broken up into small pieces and then mixed at a ratio of 2:1. Since the chemical and physical properties of the raw material are varied, homogenisation is necessary to produce a uniform mixture. During this process, further substances are also added. The mixture is then transferred to the raw mill, where it is ground into a fine powder called raw meal. The raw meal is then stored in a silo.
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| Cement Manufacturing Process |
Second Stage:
The second stage of the cement manufacturing process is the production of clinker. Raw meal is fed into a heat exchange preheated system where chemical processes start to take place. Then it is transferred to a rotary kiln where it is heated at an even higher temperature. This process produces clinker minerals, which make up cement. During the process, due to the rotary motion of the cement kiln, the materials aggregate into lumps or nodules, known as. Clinker then falls out of the kiln into the cooler where it is rapidly cooled and then stored in a clinker silo.
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| Cement Manufacturing Process |
Third Stage:
The third stage in the process involves grinding the clinker into a fine powder, that is, cement. During this stage, clinker is fed into the cement mill with gypsum and other additives and then ground to a specified fineness. The cement that is produced is then stored in bulk in cement silos. As cement, by nature, is sensitive to moisture, it must not be stored for a long period of time.
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| Cement Manufacturing Process |
Major Cement Producers:
Since cement is a very widely used material, cement production is a major industry throughout the world. The largest cement-producing country is China, while India, the United States, Turkey and Brazil are also major cement producers.
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Environmental Effects:
Cement production has a number of harmful environmental effects at all stages of the process. The quarries destroy large areas of wildlife habitat and cause various types of harmful emissions, including noise, vibration and dust pollution. |
| Environmental Effects |
Equipment to reduce dust emissions is increasingly used by cement factories. The various chemical and heating processes result in carbon dioxide emissions. Approximately 10% of global CO₂ emissions result from cement production. Carbon dioxide released into the air increases the greenhouse effect and thereby the rise in the average temperature of the atmosphere. Global warming is a serious threat to our planet's future.
Usage of Cement:
Most of the cement that is produced is used to make concrete. Concrete is the most widely used artificial building material. It consists of cement and water . |
| Usage of Cement |
In concrete plants, components of concrete are first measured for an appropriate amount and ratio of materials. These are then mixed in forced-action mixers. When cement is mixed with water, it forms slurry, which binds the granules of the aggregate. The concrete, at this point, is a viscous fluid. However, as the cement sets, the mixture hardens into a stone-like material. Concrete is therefore time-sensitive: it must be transported to the place of use before it starts to harden. This is usually done using concrete mixer vehicles, which delay the hardening of concrete.
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