thyssenkrupp Polysius wins Schwenk Zement activated clay project

Schwenk Zement GmbH & Co KG has commissioned thyssenkrupp Polysius to build a demonstration plant in Alllmendingen for the production of activated clay without calcination.

After the planned commissioning in 2025, the CO₂ emissions resulting from the production of cement containing clay will be significantly reduced. The new plant is based on an all-electric clay activation process jointly developed by thyssenkrupp Polysius and Schwenk Zement without calcination and without fuels.

Luc Rudowski, head of innovation at thyssenkrupp Polysius, said: "The composite cement to be produced with the newly developed meca-clay only emits around 350kg of CO₂ per tonne of cement. Compared to average conventional cement production, the CO₂ footprint can be reduced by around 42 per cent."

For years, cement manufacturers have been trying to reduce the clinker factor by adding supplementary cementitious materials. Based on the joint research results in the production of activated clays and the excellent performance achieved in both cement mortar and concrete formulations, Schwenk Zement and thyssenkrupp Polysius are convinced of the superiority of the new process over conventional clay calcination process.