A proposition of an in situ production of a blended cement

Abstract

Many byproducts and waste materials with pozzolanic properties can substitute natural raw materials in cement production. Some of these waste materials like fly ash and blast furnace slag are commonly harnessed by cement industry. Others are of seldom use due to limitations of the very centralized cement production systems currently in use. In the authors opinion, it is necessary to change this system to enable efficient utilization of various waste materials that are available locally (e.g., white and red ceramics). In this study, a new partially centralized system of cement production is proposed. The adoption of a new system would significantly reduce the volume of long-distance transportation and enable utilization of numerous locally available waste materials that are currently dismissed. The last stage of production of the ready-to-use cement would take place in situ. The cement would be produced on demand and be immediately used for concrete production on-site. The research program was conducted considering the importance of the quality of cements obtained in the new way, substituting up to 12% of its mass by white ceramics. The research program was proof of concept of the proposed cement production system. It was shown that the quality of "in situ cement" does not differ from standard cements.