Utilization of blast furnace slag as a raw material for the manufacture of portland cement clinker

Abstract

Presently, there is an increased emphasis on the use of blended cement like slag cement, fly ash cement etc. This reduces the energy requirement for cement production or reduces the CO2 release in the environment as the portland cement clinker is produced utilizing calcium carbonate based raw material. The replacement of calcium carbonate by alternative raw material like slag may again reduce the energy consumption. In the present investigation, blast furnace slag has been utilized as a cement raw material for the production of portland cement clinker. Clinker thus produced has been characterized to see the effect of slag
utilization. A normal portland cement clinker has also been prepared to compare the properties. The clinkerisation process was quicker in case of slag containing raw mix. The free lime content of that clinker was also low compared to normal clinker. The amount of C3S phase formation was higher in slag containing clinker. Similarly, the hydration rate and compressive strength of cement produced
utilizing slag clinker was higher compared to normal portland cement. All these results indicate that slag could be utilize to reduce the calcium carbonate content of cement raw mix efficiently to produce better, cheap and environmental friendly cement.