Achieving climate neutrality in the cement and lime industries poses a particular challenge, given that the majority of CO₂ emissions are caused by raw material-related emissions from the decompo-sition of limestone. The capture and storage of CO₂ (carbon capture and storage, CCS) is therefore pivotal in enabling these industries to achieve climate neutrality. The selection of a suitable capture technology is contingent on site and plant-specific conditions. In many cases, multiple production lines or products exist which generate substantial CO₂ emissions.

The current requirements for low alkali cements mean that calcined clays can hardly be used as main constituent in such cements due to their alkali content. However, it is known that pozzolanic SCMs contribute to the prevention of ASR. The aim of the research project is therefore to systematically investigate the contribution of calcined clays to the prevention of ASR.

This research project serves to analyse the effects of various factors (especially chemistry and mineralogy of the raw clay, calcination temperature) on the effective alkali content of cements with calcined clays,

In this research project, IR spectroscopy in combination with mathematical tools (chemometrics) is going to be evaluated as an analytical method for the characterisation of silica based materials, primarily X-ray amorphous materials, with regard to the reliable determination of the composition of material mixtures with X-ray amorphous materials (e.g. ternary cements with calcined clay and/or recycled concrete fines). In a next step, the findings on the analytical method and evaluation routines developed for cement are going to be evaluated with regard to their transferability to siliceous aggregates for estimating its alkali sensitivity.

With us, you can expand your knowledge around the production of cement and lime, as well as in the area of concrete technology. As a competent partner, we have been offering our customers individual qualification solutions since 2010. In addition to German-language online courses, we also offer English- and Russian-language courses and other services.

With the decarbonisation of cement production and the expected reduction in blastfurnace slag and fly ash quantities unburned limestone, calcined clays and recycled fines will gain in importance as cement main constituents. The focus will be on new, clinker-efficient cement types such as CEM II/C and CEM VI or similar cements, whose performance allows a wide range of applications in practice. As participant in this seminar, you will receive an overview of the current state of development and standardisation of new cements. You will gain knowledge of possibilities and limits for their practical implementation.

In this training you will become familiar with all relevant aspects concerning the use of alternative fuels in cement plants. Starting with the main political drivers such as the circular economy and the European waste fuel strategy, you will get a detailed insight into the current state-of-the-art-situation with regard to the use of alternative fuels in the EU. In this context, pre-treatment and suitable quality control of alternative fuels will be also explained and presented to you. You will focus on all the relevant aspects of the use of alternative fuels in the burning process (e.g. drivers and barriers of their use, available process technology and latest developments) and discuss them in the sessions. You will acquire knowledge about technical feasibility and optimisation potential, and have the possibility to discuss case studies.

The 9ᵗʰ International VDZ Congress took place in Düsseldorf on 6 – 8 November 2024. The VDZ Congress is the international scientific forum for the cement industry and its suppliers. Delegates from all over the world discuss the latest developments concerning the transformation of the industry on its way towards climate neutrality.