Cement and Clay Products Technology

Abstract

Cement is used mostly in the construction, plumbing and masonry industries where it finds its application in the production of concrete, preparation of mortar, marking grout, and the preparation of stucco. Two types of cement are used in the construction industry, namely hydraulic cements (e.g. lime, gypsum plasters, oxychloride) and non-hydraulic cement (e.g. Portland cement). There are special cements that have Portland as the base but formulated for special applications, such as expansive cement, super high strength, alinite and special high C₂S cements. In this chapter, the chemistry of cement manufacture and the production processes have been covered. Refractories that are ceramic materials with high strength and fracture toughness have also been covered. They are inert to most chemical attacks, abrasion-resistant and can withstand high temperatures above 1100 °C. The techniques used to manufacture refractory materials have been presented in this chapter, namely the mold and burn process, electric fusion process and ceramic fiber formation process. There are safety and environmental concerns associated with the production and use of cement such as noise pollution, emissions of dust particles, chromium content and the release of large amounts of CO₂, NO_x and SO_x emissions. Methods applied to minimize and control the safety and environmental problems have been considered. Finally, an overview of the cement industry in Ghana has been presented.