Cement Production and Quality Control

Common materials used to manufacture cement include limestone, shells, and chalk or marl combined with shale, clay, slate, blast furnace slag, silica sand, and iron ore.

The identity and quality of the ingredients used must be clearly established in order to deliver the optimal product. Since so many different raw materials are used, a truly universal analysis technique is required.

FT-IR spectroscopy analyzes solids and liquids, whether organic or inorganic. It is easy to use and is generally non-destructive. Especially if organic additives are added, or for production of functional building materials, FT-IR is the ideal tool.

The modern cement industry strongly relies on state-of-the-art analytical tools for process and quality control to ensure a smooth and cost-efficient production. Here, X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) technologies for quantitative elemental and phase analysis, respectively, play a key role.

XRF and XRD are used in all production steps, from the verification of raw materials like gypsum and limestone, to intermediate materials like hot-meal and clinker, and to final quality control of the finished cement product.

Cement producers are seeking new ways to substantially reduce carbon emissions by using secondary fuels as energy source and through substitution of clinker by e.g. calcined clays, slags and fly ash. XRF and XRD are key technologies facilitating this transformation.

Bruker offers a complete portfolio of XRF spectrometers and XRD diffractometers to meet the challenging analytical requirements in the cement industry, including compliance with ASTM C114 and ISO 29581-2 / DIN EN 196-2.