The drive to lower the carbon footprint of cement has led to the development of alternative cement clinkers to replace Portland cement clinker. Arthur Harrisson examines the potential of carbon reduction in four alternative clinker types, as proposed by Gartner and Sui.
Some years ago in ICR the possibilities for using alternatives to Portland cement clinker were discussed.1 The particular cements examined were calcium aluminate cement (CAC), calcium sulphoaluminate cement (CSA) and supersulphated cement. Although these types are generally accepted (or have been accepted in the past) in the market, other proposals for different clinkers that will produce a lower carbon footprint are frequently put forward. While some of these will disappear after a while, others may in time prove to have some staying power.
