1. Mastertitelformat bearbeiten
Research and Technological Development in the Cement and Concrete Industry
Mastertitelformat bearbeiten
Dr. Wolfgang Dienemann, HeidelbergCement Technology Center
Master-Untertitelformat bearbeiten
Sustainable Development: a Challenge for European Research
Parallel Session 7
Brussels, 26 May, 2009

2. The Cement and Concrete Industry
History
Cement like material already used by Romans (Opus Caementitum)
Development of hydraulic lime („Roman Cement“) late 18th / early 19th century
1843 – W. Aspdin develops Portland Cement
Since 1850s rapid industrial development
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Research and Technological Development in the Cement and Concrete Industry – W. Dienemann

3. The Cement and Concrete Industry
Facts and Figures
Concrete is the world‘s most versatile, durable and reliable construction material
In the same time concrete is a very economical product
Around 2,9 billion tonnes of cement in 2007
Equals 7 billion m3 of
concrete per year
Next to water concrete is
the most used material
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Research and Technological Development in the Cement and Concrete Industry – W. Dienemann

4. The Cement and Concrete Industry
Rising demand
Volumes are expected to more than double in the next decades
Infrastructure development in developing countries
China and India with high growth rates
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Research and Technological Development in the Cement and Concrete Industry – W. Dienemann

5. The Cement and Concrete Industry
Cement manufacturing releases ~800 kg CO2 per ton of cement
Around 60% results from chemical reaction of limestone
~40% burning of fuels,  5% electrical energy
Globally 5-7% of manmade CO2 emission
 Key industry challenge
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Research and Technological Development in the Cement and Concrete Industry – W. Dienemann

6. Technical Developments – Process Optimization
Optimizing Energy Efficiency
Energy accounts for ~40% of production costs
Optimization of burning process
Efficiency of preheater
Efficiency of cooler
Waste heat power
generation
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Research and Technological Development in the Cement and Concrete Industry – W. Dienemann

7. Technical Developments – Process Optimization
Valorization of Waste as Alternative Fuel
The clinker burning process is ideally suited to use alternative fuels
Minimized emissions due to long residence time and high gas temperatures
No residues as ash is incorporated in clinker
Overall reduction
of CO2 emissions
and fossil fuel
consumption
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Research and Technological Development in the Cement and Concrete Industry – W. Dienemann

8. Technical Developments – Process Optimization
Valorization of Waste as Alternative Fuel
Significant progress has been made in replacing fossil fuels
Individual plants already use  90%
alternative fuels
Burning technology optimized
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Research and Technological Development in the Cement and Concrete Industry – W. Dienemann

9. Technical Developments – Process Optimization
Replacement of clinker
Clinker manufacturing accounts for 90% of fuel and energy consumption and CO2 emissions
Can partly be substituted by latent hydraulic or pozzolanic materials
Blastfurnace slag from steel industry
Fly ash from coal fired power plants
Natural and artificial pozzolans
Wide range of composite cements covered by EN standards
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Research and Technological Development in the Cement and Concrete Industry – W. Dienemann

10. Technical Developments – Process Optimization
Conclusions
Three main pathways successfully applied in cement industry
Enabled through RTD and innovations in engineering technology and material science
Optimization of concrete recipes and manufacturing technology further reduced embodied energy
European companies clearly at the forefront of this development
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Research and Technological Development in the Cement and Concrete Industry – W. Dienemann

11. Sustainability – Challenges and Opportunities
Reducing the Environmental Footprint
High pressure to further reduce CO2-emission significantly (Emission Trading) requires additional improvements and radical changes
Reduction of emission limits require further technological developments in process and filter technologies
Rising prices for electricity and fossil fuels demand further process optimization
Potential through incremental development limited due to high level of optimization already achieved
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Research and Technological Development in the Cement and Concrete Industry – W. Dienemann

12. Sustainability – Challenges and Opportunities
Adaptation to Climate Change
Optimized use of concrete‘s inherent thermal mass enables design of energy efficient buildings
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Research and Technological Development in the Cement and Concrete Industry – W. Dienemann

13. Sustainability – Challenges and Opportunities
Adaptation to Climate Change
Durable and safe construction needed also in case of extrem events to protect humans and economic values
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Research and Technological Development in the Cement and Concrete Industry – W. Dienemann

14. Sustainability – Challenges and Opportunities
Adaptation to climate change
Optimized cements and concretes required to better exploit alternative energy sources
Low-heat concrete for
hydro dams
UHPC for
offshore foundations
Special well cement
for deep drillings
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Research and Technological Development in the Cement and Concrete Industry – W. Dienemann

15. Sustainability – Challenges and Opportunities
Barriers to Change
Construction industry very conservative in general
High safety requirements for buildings and infrastructure, guaranteed longterm performance
High degree of regulation through Eurocodes, standards, etc
New products and applications must be scientifically sound and technically proven
This requires substantial investments in research and development
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Research and Technological Development in the Cement and Concrete Industry – W. Dienemann

16. New Approaches – How can R&D help?
Increasing Biodiversity
Quarries are ideally suited to even increase biodiversity through dynamic and rare habitats
Rocks, steep faces
Wetland
Grasland
Standing water
R&D needed to develop biodiversity indicators and management plans
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Research and Technological Development in the Cement and Concrete Industry – W. Dienemann

17. New Approaches – How can R&D help?
Increase use of Alternative Fuels even further
Valorization of waste only realistic possibility to reduce fossil fuel consumption (plus CO2-savings)
Assimilating more and new types of fuels requires RTD in
Burner technology (including O2-enrichment)
Control of manufacturing process
Impact on product quality
Environmental performance (e.g. leaching)
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Research and Technological Development in the Cement and Concrete Industry – W. Dienemann

18. New Approaches – How can R&D help?
Further reduce Clinker Content
Increasing the ratio of cementitious materials beyond today‘s values still is the most promising route short- and midterm.
Extending the use of conventional and new cementitious materials requires a better understanding of fundamental mechanisms that control performance:
Structural / mechanical behaviour
Corrosion resistance
Durability
Environmental performance (e.g. leaching)
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Research and Technological Development in the Cement and Concrete Industry – W. Dienemann

19. New Approaches – How can R&D help?
Developing new low-CO2 materials
For radical changes new materials are needed that have lower inherent CO2 content, i.e. less Calcium, e.g.:
Supersulfated cements, based on slag
Alkali-activated alumosilicates („geopolymers“)
New, low Ca clinker, Belite, Ca-Sulfoaluminate
MgO-based systems …
Significant R&D activities required to understand their reaction mechanism and predict their performance
Beton-prüfung
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Research and Technological Development in the Cement and Concrete Industry – W. Dienemann

20. New Approaches – How can R&D help?
Knowledge based Development and Innovation
R&D in cement and concrete technology has been very fragmental, incremental and often trial-and-error based.
Needs to be converted into knowledge based approach:
Develop fundamental understanding of reaction mechanisms
Develop and employ appropriate analytical tools
Develop models to predict field performance
Validate models vs field conditions
Holistic approaches needed to create confidence in new materials and overcome barriers in standardization; shorten time to market.
Cradle-to-Cradle concept might lead to new, creative approaches to develop positive footprint.
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Research and Technological Development in the Cement and Concrete Industry – W. Dienemann

21. Research and Technological Development in the Cement and Concrete Industry
Conclusion
Significant improvements have been made to reduce environmental footprint of cement and concrete industry
Potential of current optimization pathes almost exploited
Substantial RTD investments needed to further improve sustainability of the industry.
In applied research, product development, innovation
In basic research / fundamental understanding
Potential to develop a positive footprint
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Research and Technological Development in the Cement and Concrete Industry – W. Dienemann

22. for better building Slide 22 - 26.05.2009
Research and Technological Development in the Cement and Concrete Industry – W. Dienemann

23. The Cement and Concrete Industry
Cement and Concrete manufacturing
Sand
Clay
Gypsum
Gravel
Lime
Kiln
Clinker
Mill
Cement
Mixer
Iron
Additions
Admixtures
Water
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Research and Technological Development in the Cement and Concrete Industry – W. Dienemann

24. Technical Developments – Process Optimization
Replacement of clinker
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Research and Technological Development in the Cement and Concrete Industry – W. Dienemann

25. New Approaches – How can R&D help?
Cradle-to-Cradle Concept for Building Materials
Ensure optimal recycability of concrete
Positive list of concrete constituents
Develop new recycling technologies
Valorization of wastes and by-products from other industries
Turn the footprint positive / Eco-Effectiveness
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Research and Technological Development in the Cement and Concrete Industry – W. Dienemann

26. New Approaches – How can R&D help?
Cradle-to-Cradle Products
Develop products with positive environmental contribution
Air-cleaning concrete
Fine dust reducing concrete
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Research and Technological Development in the Cement and Concrete Industry – W. Dienemann