Cement Additives &

Optimization of Composite Cements

Willi Suter
(CTS-MT)
 Cement Additives

You are faced with one / or several of the following points:

1. You have never evaluated cement admixture applications

within the last years.
2. Bottlenecks in cement grinding capacity, unfavorable
electricity tariffs.
3. Evaluation of clinker factor reduction (utilization of cheaper
materials).
4. High specific grinding energy consumption (e.g. more than 45
kWh/t).
5. Keeping of cement properties at e.g. lower lime saturation of
the clinker
(changes in raw material sources, clinker burning problems).
6. Solving of “pack set” problems, problems with cement
handling.
7. Cement setting problems.
8. Production of special cements/binders (masonry cement, road
binder, …).
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 Cement Additives

Purpose of Cement Additive Applications:

To improve the manufacture

or the properties of cement.

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 Chemical Additives for Cement Production

Cement additives are

classified in two main
groups:
§ Grinding aids
§ Quality improver

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 Cement Additives in the Holcim Group

Application of cement additives

in Holcim plants (source ATR 2001):

80 Plants used cement additives

No
38% 49 Plants did not use cement
Yes
additives
62%
Purpose: (including multiple using)
Grinding aid: 73 Plants
Quality improver: 9 Plants
Others: 12 Plants

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 Definitions / Standards

Depending on national standards and industrial

applications, cement admixtures are classified as:
Cement additives by EN 197-1
Processing additions by ASTM C 465
Functional additions by ASTM C 688

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 European Standard - EN 197-1

§ Cement additives are mostly added during the

cement grinding process in quantities of less than
1% by weight of cement (except for pigments).
Organic additives on a dry basis should not exceed
0.5% by mass.

Mineral additions are interground or blended as:

§ Main constituents > 5%
⇒ G.B.F.S., Fly ash, limestone, silica fume, ...
§ Minor additional constituents ≤ 5%

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 ASTM Standards

ASTM standards use the term additions in place of the

European Standard definition additives!
An addition is a material that is interground or blended
in limited amounts into a hydraulic cement during
manufacturing either as processing addition to aid in
manufacturing and handling the cement or as functional
addition to modify the use properties of the finished
product.

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 Cement Additives - Overview

Cement Purpose Dosage

Additive
Grinding Aid - Reduction of specific 100 – 300 g/ton
(Processing addition) energy consumption
- Improvement of mill
out-put
- Reduction of pack set
Quality Improver - As grinding aid and to 300 – 5 000 g/ton
(Fuctional addition) improve strength
- Clinker factor reduction
- Water reduction
Others - Air entrainment 100 – 2 000 g/ton
(Functional additions) - Retardation
- Water retention

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 Effects of Grinding Aids

Main effects of grinding aids in

vertical roller mills:
- stabilization of the grinding
bed (release of entrapped air)
- deagglomeration of the powder

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 “Pack Set”-Compaction Behavior of
Powders

Test method by
CTS / MPT Load [ N ]
Cement powder
is tested with Torque
the Jenike shear
cell.
Air bearing
Measurement:
Torque as
function of
shear rate and Sample Shear cell
load
Rotating table
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 Sorbtion and Adherence - Ethylene Glycol
2.0 3.0
1.8
Adsorbed Mass Glycole

Adherence in the Cement

2.5
1.6

Powder [p/cm2]
1.4
[mg/m2]

2.0
1.2
1.0 1.5
0.8
1.0
0.6
0.4
0.5
0.2
0.0 0.0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
Relative Vapour Pressure of Ethylene Glycol [-] 12
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 Flow Test of Cement – Sieve & Shock Table

Test result: Passing of cement

through the sieves.
The amine-based admixture improved
the cement flowability significantly.

Screen Grid
Width
Grinding Aid E. R. 0.25 mm 0.50 mm

Without GA 0% 9% 29%

Amine based 12% 19% 46%

Glycol based 11% 9% 31%

E. R. = Reduction in spec. energy

demand at 4000 cm2/ g
(Blaine)
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Method on ICM at HolSpace ICM-00385
 Benefits of Quality Improvers (QI)
CEM II / B-S
45.0
Clinker : 61.5 %
- 10% - 17%
40.0 Gypsum : 5.0 %
Grinding Energy [kWh/t]

G.B.F.S. : 33.5 %
35.0
No QI
30.0
With QI
25.0
Conclusion:
20.0 The grinding energy
reduction with a quality
15.0 improver is significant,
10.0 in particular when
3500 Blaine 10% R-45 micron
determined on sieve
residues.
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 Quality Improver (CBA®) versus Grinding Aid (TC 64)

Cement Strength Development (Blaine 3200 cm2/g)

60
50
Strength 40
EN - 196
30
[MPa]
20
10
0
2 d 7d 28 d
Grinding Aid 28.2 40.1 48.8
Quality 30.5 46.1 56.8
Improver

Significant strength improvement by QI compared to GA

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 Cement Types at Eclépens

OPC - Ordinary Portland Cement

Until 1995
• 90.0 % Clinker
mineral
• 3.0 % Filler (limestone / kiln dust)
additions were
• 7.0 % Gypsum
not possible.
CEM II/A-L Limestone Cement
Since 1995 new • 78.0 % Clinker
standards allow • 16.0 % Limestone
blended cement • 6.0 % Gypsum
production.
Objectives:
Cost reduction by replacing clinker with limestone
Similar early strength of CEM II/A-L compared to OPC

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 Industrially produced CEM II/A-L compared to OPC

60
50
Strength 40
EN - 196 30
[MPa] 20
10
0
2d 7d 28 d
OPC - CEM I 23.5 40.8 52.7
CEM II/A-L 22.1 38.1 46.7
[CBA1122 = 0.04%]

Conclusion:
Similar early strength of CEM II / A-L compared to OPC is
achieved with CBA 1122 and adjustment of cement fineness.
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 Economic Aspects

Production at constant 2-day strength

With grinding aid TC 64: 100.0 t/h
With quality improver CBA 1122: 140.0 t/h
Increase of mill capacity 40.0 t/h

Savings: Grinding energy 15.9 kWh/t - 1.67 CHF/t

Grinding aid TC 64 0.25 kg/t - 0.20 CHF/t
Costs: Quality improver CBA 1122 400 g/t + 0.52 CHF/t

Annual cost savings (substitution of 164,000 t OPC by CEM II/ A-L)

Energy cost : 221’000 CHF / year
Clinker reduction: 540’000 CHF / year
Total: 761’000 CHF/ year

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 The application of cement additives

§ … improves the flowability of cements (easier packaging,

unloading, transport in tubes and pack-set reduction)

§ … improves grinding capacity in times of shortages

§ … reduces the specific grinding energy consumption

§ … allows optimized application of additional mineral cement

constituents (e.g. obtain improved strength at low
fineness)
§ … permits production of special cements (e.g. masonry
cement)

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