Report #3: Industrial trial of calcination and grinding LC3 cement.

Implementation: (it depends on the activities) Characterization of the industrial sample: 4-6 week.

Description: Accompanying the client in the realization of an industrial calcination and grinding trial, that will avail bulky amounts of product to be use for purposes such as standardization or marketing with clients.

1. Accompanying the geology team at sampling of an industrial sample of the average material at the clay deposit, which should be representative of the entire deposit. Sample size oscillates between 1-1000 t, depending on the client’s interest and the industrial facilities available.

2. Characterization of the industrial sample, using a protocol like the one described in section 2

a.  Chemical and mineralogical composition.

b.   Determining kaolinite content through the combination of thermal analysis and X ray diffraction.

c.   Lab calcination at 800ºC, with quality of calcination controlled using TG.

d.   Clay reactivity in cementitious systems of the kind LC3

3. Realization of an industrial trial in any of the following facilities:

a.  Ecosolutions’ Pilot Plant at Santa Clara, with calcination capacity of 150 kg/h under strictly controlled conditions, including color control of the resulting product. In this case the sample size oscillates between 400-800 kg, depending on the client’s interests.

b.   Existing clinker or lime kilns, depending on the clients’ possibilities for the calcination of the material under the designated conditions (gas temperature between 800-900ºC, minimum residence time 40 min)

c.   Other facilities available for the client, where a calcination trial can be carried out. For example, an intermittent brick kiln with temperature control would eventually do.

4. Evaluation of quality of calcination and reactivity of the calcined material, using the same protocols described in section 2.

a.   Quality of calcination

b.   Reactivity of the calcined clay in LC3 cementitious systems

5. To guarantee conditions for the realization of an industrial grinding trial (ball mills or similar), which enable grinding the material to fineness equivalent to 3% retention at the 90 µm sieve. These could be:

a. Ecosolutions’ Pilot Plant at Santa Clara, with grinding capacity 100 kg/h in an open circuit ball mill with air extraction of the product.

b. Any other grinding system that guarantees the demanded conditions.

6. Realization of an industrial trial in any of the following facilities:

a. Mineral addition “LC2”, which consists of 60% calcined clay, 35% limestone and 5% gypsum. LC2 has a long shelf life, and can be blended with CEM I 42,5 or CEM I 52,5 in different proportions to produce diverse LC3 formulations.

b. LC3 cement properly, according to the formulation demanded by the client (clinker content)

c. Both products will be produced in two batches: (i) calcined clay with color control (black), and (ii) calcined clay without color control (red)

7. Assessment of quality of grinding and the properties of the ground product using international standards of the interest of the client.

a. Cement fineness, according to the requested standard.

b.Compressive strength in standard mortars, according to EN-197

Number of samples covered in this study:

1 sample (although there can be replications)

 Expected results:

Simulation of the industrial processing of raw materials subject of study, with the possibility of obtaining real productive parameters and a sample of some of the potential products to produce..