Mariano Marcos State University

College of Engineering
Department of Chemical Engineering
Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering

The Cement Industry

Jerome D. Baptista
Engr. Eric Halabaso
February 11, 2016

I.

Introduction
Cement is a binder substance that sets and hardens and can
bind other materials together. The word cement can be traced
back to the Roman term opus caementicium, used to describe
mansory resembling modern concrete that was made from crush
rock with burnt lime as binder. The volcanic ash and pulverized brick
supplement that were added to the burnt lime, to obtain hydraulic
binder, were later referred to as cementum, cimentum, cament and
cement.
Cement is a crystalline compound of calcium silicates and
other calcium compounds having hydraulic properties (Macfadyen,
2006).
Cement is span over 5,000 years, from the time of the
Egyptian pyramids
to present day decorative concrete
developments. Cement has been used for many amazing things
throughout history, including architecture, infrastructure, buildings,
highways, pavements, and houses.
Cement is commonly used to refer to powdered materials
which developed strong adhesive qualities when combined with
water. These materials are properly known as hydraulic cement.
Gypsum plaster, common lime, hydraulic limes, natural pozzolana
and Portland cement are the more common hydraulic cements, with
the Portland cement where being the most important in
constructions.
About ninety nine percent of all cement used today is
Portland cement. The name Portland cement is not a brand name.
This name was given to the cement by Joseph Aspdin of Leeds,
England who obtained a patent for his product in 1824.
Chemical composition of cement:

Lime
Silica
Alumina
Iron Oxide
Gypsum

63%
22%
06%
03%
01 to 04%

A. Background
In 3000BC- Egyptian Pyramids

The Egyptian were using early forms of concrete over 5000

years ago to build the pyramids. They mixed mud and straw to form
bricks and used gypsum and lime to make mortars.
300BC-476AD Roman Architecture
The ancient Romans used a material that is remarkable
close to modern cement to build many of their architectural
marvels, such as the Colosseum and the Pantheon. The Romans also
used animal products in their cement as an early admixtures.
Middle Ages
The knowledge of opus caementitium was lost with the fall
of the Roman Empire
For the construction of masonry buildings, builders chiefly used airhardening lime mortars such as loam-lime-sand mortar or loam-lime
mortar.
17th Century
In 1648, brisk trade in tuff rock from the Eifel began
between Germany and Holland. The Dutch ground the porous
volcanic rock and named it trass. The material was used to make
mortar that could harden underwater. Dutch trass was also a
sought-after commodity.
18th Century
J. Smeaton constructed the Eddystone Lighthouse at
Plymouth using a binder called marly lime (Roman Cement).
19th Century
Joseph Aspdin patented an artificial cement made by the
calcination of an argillaceous limestone.
He called this portland because concrete made from it resembled
a famous building stone obtained from the Isle of Portland near
England
20th Century
Selected raw-material mixtures and special grinding allow
the production of cements with various properties, such as fast or
slow setting, high strength, and sulphate resistance. Selfcompacting concrete can be made using cement with appropriate
additives for vibration and de-aeration
B. Limitation
This document and report will focus on the manufacturing
process of cement. The method use in the processing is based on the
Holcim Philippines Inc process. The raw material use are limestone and
gypsum.
II.

Manufacturing Process
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Holcim Philippines Inc.

Started on 1974
The 14th country that was established by the Holcim Global
Network.
The company was borne out of a merger of three established
cement companies Hi Cement Corporation, Davao Union
Cement Corporation and Bacnotan Cement Corporation in
January 2000. It also acquired majority ownership of a fourth
cement company, Alsons Cement Corporation, in October
2002
Has 4 working plants located in:
La Union
Bulacan

Lugait
Davao
Each plant is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and
the latest emissions monitoring system, operating under strict
global standards for safety, efficiency, and quality.
A. Raw Materials
Limestone Calcium sulphate (CaSO4) or (Gypsum)- At the final stage of
manufacturing , gypsum is added to increase the setting of cement.
PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAM

Quarrying

Crushing/Trans

PreBlending

Clinker
Cooling

Clinker
Burning

Raw- Milling&
Blending

Cement
Grinding

Cement
Milling

Cement
Storage

Packaging/Distri
bution
B. Processing
Raw Material Extraction
Quarrying of limestone and shale is accomplished by using a
explosive to blast the rocks from the ground. After blasting, huge
power shovels are used to load and dump trucks or small railroad
cars for transportation of the cement plant, which usually nearby.
The ocean floor are dredged to obtain the shells, while clay and
marl are dug out at the ground with power shovels. All of the raw
materials are transported in the plant.
Raw Material Preparation
After the raw materials have been transported to the plant the
limestone and shale which have been blasted out of the quarry
must be crushing into smaller pieces. The pieces are then dumped
into primary crusher which reduce them in the size of a softball. The
pieces are then carried by conveyors to the secondary crushers
which crush the rocks into fragments usually no larger than 3.18
inch across.
Blending after the rock is crushed, plant chemist analyzed
the rock and raw materials to determine the mineral content. The
chemist also determine the proportion of material in order to obtain
uniform cement product. The various materials are then mixed in
proper proportion and prepared for the grinding.
Clinker Production
Burning the blended materials is the key in the process of
making cement. The dry mixed is fed in to the kiln, which is the one
of the largest pieces of moving machinery in the industry. It is
generally twelve feet or more in diameter and 500 feet or more in
length, made of steel and lined with firebrick. It resolves on large
roller bearings and is gradually slanted with the intake and higher
than the output end.

As the kiln resolves, the material are roll and slide downward
for approximately 4 hours. In the burning zone, where the heat can
reach 3,000 degrees Farenheit, the materials become incandescent
and change in colour from purple to violet to orange. Here the gases
are driven from the raw materials, which actually change the
property of the materials. What emerges is CLINCKER which is
round, marble size, glass hard ball which are harder than the
quarried rock. Then the clinker is fed into a cooler where it is cooled
for storage.

Cement Production
The cooled clinker is mixed with a small amount of gypsum,
which will help regulate the setting time when the cement is mixed
with other materials and becomes concrete. Primary grinders leaves
the clinker, ground to the fineness of sand, and the secondary
grinders leave the clinker ground to the fineness of flour, which is
the final product ready for marketing.
Packaging and Delivery
The final product are shipped either in bulk (ships, barges,
tanker trucks, railroad cars and etc.) or in strong paper bags which are
filled with machines.
C. Equipment Used
Kiln

Conveyor, Milling Machine, Drilling Machine

D. Quality Control
Quality control in manufacturing of cement process include:
Careful analysis of the chemical composition of the raw
materials.
Fine grinding and mixing to produce homogenous mixture.
High temperature (greater than 1400 degrees Celcius) to melt
the raw materials and to form clinker compounds.
Quality testing of clinker
Physical and Chemical testing of the cement in on site
laboratories.
III.
Health, Safety and Environment
A. Human Safety and Health
Cements health hazards can include
Skin contact
Cement burns
Inhalation of dust
Manual handling
B. Environment Impact
This include airborne pollution in the form of dust, gases,
noises and vibration when operating machinery and blasting
in Quarries.
Fuels
Heavy metals

IV.

Industry and Market Profile

A. Economics of Production
1. Global Market
7

Cement Industry in the world (2014) top producers

China
54%
India
17%
US
11%
Japan
5%
Others
13%
B. Future Market Outlook
The technavio research analysts estimate the global
cement industry to grow at steady of more than 9% by 2020.
The purchasing capacity of people in emerging markets, such
as china and india has been increasing considerably over the
last couple of years. This increase in the purchasing capacity
of the populace coupled with a in the urban population has
led to the augemented demand for a number of residential
projects worldwide. This increase in the number of residencial
construction projects will drive the global construction
industry, which in turn will spur the demand for cement during
the forecast period. In 2018, it was estimated that China
manufactured will still dominating the top producer of cement
about 1.235 billion tonnes of cement, which was the 64 % of
the total world cement production.
C. Local Companies

CEMEX PHILIPPINES GROUP OF COMPANIES

CEMEX is the only eco-labeled cement company in the

Philippines
Apo Cement Corporation is located in Naga, Cebu
Solid Cement Corporation is located in Barangay San Jose,
Antipolo City.

LAFARGE ASSOCIATED COMPANIES

Also known as Republic Cement Corporation
Norzagaray, Batangas, Bulacan, Teresa, Iligan

V. Research and Development

Future cements
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In the literature, quite a few reports are given with respect to new types of
cements on a research scale. Celitement, for example, is based on calcium
silicate hybrid phases. Production is foreseen by hydro-thermal synthesis and
by reactive milling of lime in a silicon component. The Ca/Si ratio is lower
than OPC clinker, consequently CO2 emissions and energy requirements
might be lower. However, it is currently much too early to give any estimation
about the future potential of this binder with respect to durability, production
cost or even the technical potential for relevant substitution of current
cements.
Novacem has reported a cement based on magnesium oxide and hydrated
magnesium carbonates. According to Novacem, the raw material is based on
magnesium silicates which are digested and subsequently carbonated at
elevated temperature and pressure. While magnesia-based cements have
been known for a long time, it is an open question whether in the end
Novacem will provide sufficient durability to substitute relevant amounts of
today's cement. Novacem indicates that significant research has to be done,
but has made significant progress to date.

VI. References
www.chapter1introudtiontocementindustry.com
www.lafarge-na.com/wps/portals/na/en2-2-1manufacturingprocess.com
www.localindustriesofcementinphillipines.com
www.ielts-mentor.com/writing-sample/academic-writing-task/1/1039
www.stageandequipmentusedinthecementmakingprocess.com

Question and answer:

1. Is a binder substance that sets and hardens and can bind other materials
together.
Ans. Cement
2. Constructed the Eddystone Lighthouse at Plymouth using a binder called
marly lime (Roman Cement).
Ans. J. Smeaton
3-4. Local companies
Ans. Cemex phil. group of company, Lafarge associated companies, Holcim
phil. inc. cement
5-8 Equipment used
Ans. Kiln, Conveyor, Milling machine, Drilling Machine
9. Top global producer of cement.
Ans. China
10-11. Based on the report, what is the 2 main raw material used in the
production of cement.
Ans. Limestone, Gypsum
12. It is the heart of the production of cement.
Ans. Clinker process
13. In clinker process, what temperature needed to operate the process.

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Ans.1450 1550 degrees celcius

14-15. Health hazards in the production of cement.
Ans. Skin contact, Cement burns, Inhalation of dust, Manual handling

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