International Cement Review articles tagged under : Tech Forum
Financial ratio analysis
Cement producers should use financial ratio analysis to compare their performance with others around the world. However, this must be combined with peer group analysis to account for differing operational circumstances. Figure 1: EBITDA profit margin Financial ratio analysis is used to assess the condition and performance of cement companies based on the performance published in t...
Fly ash and pozzolanas
The drive for alternative raw materials has put the spotlight on fly ash and pozzolanas. However, their use in cement has been around for some time. This month Arthur Harrisson looks at their origin and performance i...
Process, mineralogy and cement quality
This month Arthur Harrisson looks at the relationship between temperature differences in the clinker manufacturing process, the composition of clinker produced and the quality of the final cement. Figure 1: va...
Determining the cost
In this month’s Technical Forum, Dr Michael Clark considers how to reduce electricity costs by looking at how much is consumed and ways to lower the price of energy. While this is less of an issue in countries with l...
The last iceman in west Africa
Dr Michael Clark takes a look at the history of the cement industries in Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Togo, which have each seen an influx of new capacity surplus to demand. Regarding the strategy behind the comp...
The dangers of debt
In this month’s Technical Forum, Dr Michael Clark considers how the history of the Kenyan cement industry can serve as a case study for some of the dos and don’ts of the sector. Going forward, impaired sales performa...
Preparing for a financial crisis
Dr Michael Clark looks at how the global health emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic is expected develop into a financial crisis, and the potential impacts of this for the cement industry. By looking back over the past...
Cement plant and company readiness for the COVID-19 pandemic
The cement industry must now prepare for the global COVID-19 pandemic As this extraordinary Technical Forum is being written, the world is reeling from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Italy, Spain and ...
Magnesia in clinker
Magnesia is often present in clinker as periclase, which is formed of free MgO. However, periclase does not always provide a welcome part of the clinker’s composition and can lead to significant volume expansion of t...
Progress in quantification of clinker phases
The quantification of clinker phases is not always straightforward and often raises a number of questions. However, there has recently been significant progress in this area, as outlined below. Figure 1: share...
New opportunities for Europe
Dr Michael Clark looks at how the EU ETS is expected to change the face of European clinker manufacture. With the price of carbon credits rising, it could become more economically viable to import clinker and grind i...
Construction and demolition waste as clinker raw material
The concept of the circular economy encourages the reuse of waste products as raw materials in the production of cement. Arthur Harrisson looks at the use of construction and demolition waste as a raw material for cl...
New supplementary cementitious materials
The search for new supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) is ongoing. A recent review of existing SCMs and the potential for new ones caught the eye of Arthur Harrisson and provided further potential for investi...
Belite in Portland clinker
While belite is often represented as a pure dicalcium silicate, in practice the phase contains a range of impurities. Arthur Harrisson highlights the differences in belite composition and examines the causes of such ...
Solar to the rescue
Dr Clark looks at how concentrated solar energy could help the cement industry move closer to carbon neutrality. Furthermore, the latest solar technology could make other carbon-reduction strategies more viable. ...
Using plant cost profiles
As in January 2018, Dr Michael Clark has once more spent most of the last month developing manufacturing cost profiles for cement factories in different geographies across the globe. This time, Dr Clark considers how...