Clay calcination (moisture content, temperature, residence time)

• Firing temperature 850-

950 oC

• Residence time in
burning zone around 20-25
min depending on clay
humidity, clay type &
quality
 Calcination process of the Clay

Two stage process:

1. Removal of absorbed water (first shaft)

2. Removal of chemically bound water(second

shaft)
 Calcination of the Clay
The clay feed from different sources comprised different
percentages of kaolinite content which is responsible for
sufficient pozzolanic reactivity, while in natural deposition, clay
also contains other clay minerals (i.e., montmorillonite and
illite) as impurities, which could act as a diluent. Whereas
thermal activation of several clay minerals are known to cause
partial or complete breakdown of the crystal lattice structure,
resulting in the formation of high reactivity anhydrous solid,
Studies reveal that among different clays, kaolinite clays with a
1:1 layered structure of alumina and silica bonded with
hydrogen and Vanderwall forces tend to offer a more porous
structure, leading to serving as an effective filler and potentially
easing the reaction and resulting in a denser and stronger
cement. Besides, the hydroxyl group tends to enhance the
chemical bonding with cement components, i.e., Ca2+, which
aids in water retention for better hydration and improves
adhesion with aggregates .Whereas illite and montmorillonite
clays have a 2:1 structure and exhibit limited reactivity owing to
the aluminum groups trapped between silicate layers, making
them less likely to react with the alkaline environment created
by the cement .Further, different studies reported that the
dehydroxylation of clay feed with low-grade kaolinite content of
approximately 40 % at a low calcination temperature of around
700-850 °C is sufficient to induce comparable strength
compared to OPC .However, higher calcination temperatures
beyond 900 °C adversely affect the pozzolanic reactivity
attributed to sintering and recrystallization into cristobalite ,
spinel, and mullite .
 Reactivity of the Calcined Clay

•Phase composition of the raw material: The kaolinite content is the most important
factor for the reactivity potential of the clays.
•Calcination parameters: The furnace type due to different dispersion, the grain-size
distribution prior to calcination due to different effectiveness of calcination progress
depending on the surface-to-volume ratio, the calcination temperature due to the
influence on the structural changes of the clay minerals, and the retention time are
decisive for reactivity development. However, for the different types of clay-mineral
phases, the parameters have different optima. In addition, for the same clay-mineral
phase, the optima depend on their actual composition and crystallinity.
•Composition of the calcined material: The particle-size distribution/specific surface
area prior to application are important as the surface area determines the reaction
kinetics. The phase composition of the raw material and the calcination parameters
determine the phase composition of the calcined material. Here, the reactivity of the
amorphous phase is strongly dependent on the phase composition of the raw
material.
 LC3 Production
•LC3 stands for Limestone
Calcined Clay Cement. It is a
ternary blend of clinker, calcined
clay, crushed limestone and
gypsum. A nominal blend uses
50% clinker, 15% non-cement
grade limestone (high silica or
high MgO content), 30% calcined
clay (non-ceramic grade) and 5%
gypsum.
•Calcined clay is calcined or baked
between 700-800°C and ground
with clinker, gypsum and raw
limestone. The LC3 technology
promises a sustainable growth of
economics around the world by
reducing up to 40% CO2
emissions compared to Ordinary
Portland Cement (OPC) at lower
investment and production costs.
 Chemistry of LC3
LC3 can achieve equivalent strength to OPC at 7 days with a clinker
content of only 50% if the kaolinite content of the calcined clay used is
above about 40%. The high reactivity of metakaolin contributes
to achieve a dense microstructure in LC3 systems at early ages,
making LC3 particularly resistant to chloride ingress . A major factor
contributing to this good performance is the higher amounts of CO3-
AFm1 phases, which will be referred as carbo-aluminate phases. These
carbo-aluminate phases are hemicarboaluminate (C4Ac0.5H12, Hc) and
monocarboaluminate (C4AcH11, Mc), which are formed in LC3 systems
due to the reaction between metakaolin and limestone.
In addition to the normal reactions of pure Portland cement, three
main reactions occur in LC3 systems: First is the classic pozzolanic
reaction, where metakaolin (AS2) can react with portlandite (CH)
produced during cement hydration to form C–A–S–H, thus
contributing to strength by space filling . Second, the alumina inthe C3A
can react with limestone and portlandite, to form monocarboaluminate
and hemicarboaluminate instead of monosulphoaluminate (C4A$H12) as
AFm phases, which leaves more sulfates available to form ettringite.
Third, In LC3 systems, higher amounts of Hc and Mc are observed
compared to systems without metakaolin addition. This is due to the
reaction of aluminates from metakaolin with calcium carbonate from
limestone, leading to the formation of additional hemicarboaluminate.
Reasons for adopting LC3
Advantages of LC3