REACTIVE ALUMINIA · POZZOLANS · PC
Technical and Scientific Consulting Services in the industrial manufacturing of more eco-efficient and less polluting cements and concretes.
Since 2017, SACAH SL has offered consulting services, advice, and scientific-technical support in the manufacture of calcined clays (CC) at appropriate temperatures and appropriate aerobic conditions in cement Plants.
To design and dose new Portland-based cements, with or without limestone filler and/or other SCMs, with the optimal amount of setting regulator (natural gypsum stone) for their construction use and with the pozzolanic activity, mechanical strength, volume stability, and durability required by current standards and regulations, which are more eco-efficient and environmentally friendly than current cements.
We offer our services in each of our clients’ OWN LABORATORY.
Which REDUCES COSTS and, therefore, the financial compensation for our technical and scientific advice.
Experience
More than a decade innovating in cement, reinventing its manufacturing and minimizing its contribution to Global Warming or Greenhouse Effect.
With our pioneering methodology you can perform better, safer, faster and more economical, the Quality Control of each batch of CC produced and its chemical verification, and the amortization of the economic investment to produce it (CAPEX, OPEX).
Industrial design
Project management
Engineering design
Research + Online
Technical support
Strategic planning
We are specialized in…
Chemical and physical characterization of active and non-active, natural and artificial mineral additions for manufacturing more eco-efficient and environmentally friendly cements than current ones, and their derived products: conventional and special concretes, mortars, gunites, pastes, grouts and premanufactured concrete elements
Chemical characterization (including pozzolanic and sulphatic), physical (including particle size distribution), and mechanical (Strength Activity Index) of:
Natural and artificial active mineral additions, especially pozzolans, above all, because their variability is considerably greater in all orders, as will be seen below, than ground granulated blast furnace slags or GGBFS (SCMs).
Non-active: siliceous (QF) and limestone filler (LF) type.
These SCMs must always have priority, supremacy and preponderance over the limestone filler especially and, above all, under penalty of a shorter expected useful life of their Portland-based cements.
SCMs: GGBFS and natural pozzolans, calcined or not, fly ash, calcined clays, calcined shales, silica fume, etc., (which should always have priority, supremacy and preponderance over non-active ones, especially limestone filler (LF) type above all) to replace PC in amounts according to their reactive alumina (Al2O3r– (%)) content or tetra- and/or penta-coordinated aluminium, in the case of pozzolans, in order to minimize the contribution of cement Plants to Global Warming.
However, in the case of siliceous filler (QF), whose nature and chemical character are completely opposite to that of limestone (LF), its optimal amount will determine and ensure the necessary acid><base–solid><liquid chemical reaction with the pure PC liquid phase ensuring the mechanical strength, volume stability, and durability necessary for its construction purpose.
To learn the reason for each optimal amount of siliceous filler (QF) required for each PC, but above all, to learn how it is determined in each case, don’t hesitate:
Durability of Portland cement concrete without and with mineral additions:
Active: natural pozzolans, fly ash, thermally activated clays calcined clays (CC), calcined shale, silica fume, etc., and GGBFSs.
Non-active: siliceous (FQ) and limestone (LF) fillers.
In front of sulphates and chlorides attack, separately and exclusively, or together in seawater, of CO2 from the air (carbonation) and aggregate><alkali reactivity (AAR).
Why choose us?
The team of professionals at SACAH S.L. combines innovative technical and scientific experience, specialized knowledge, and ongoing specific support in the cement Plant’s own LABORATORY, which REDUCES COSTS.
Technical specialization
Extensive experience and specialized knowledge allow us to offer detailed analysis and unique, specific solutions tailored to the available clay matrix (whose mineralogical composition and colour variability can be considerable from one quarry to another) for the new chemical challenges that the cement Plant will have to face in order to become more competitive in every sense, including the environmental aspect, above all and very especially.
Processes Optimization
We help to identify areas for improvement in the production process of new PC with CC and/or other SCMs, and in the formulation of their blends with or without the limestone filler (LF) of each cement Plant, the optimization of the rest of the raw materials and, particularly, the setting regulator: quantity of natural gypsum stone depending on the Al2O3r– content (%) of the CC produced in the cement Plant itself and the C3A content (%) of its PC manufactured as well, its ratio of possible mixtures for each construction use and the CP/GGBFS ratio blend (which begins to have autogenous pozzolanic characteristics in endogenous ones and guarantees greater replacement), or that of the PC/siliceous filler (QF) ratio (QS), and the reduction of other industrial waste (from paper mills origin and from other industries, mine tailings, etc.) and urban waste for its recovery as artificial pozzolan through its proper incineration also if necessary.
Quality Control
We develop and oversee new quality control programs to ensure and verify that the final product (produced CC and its Portland-based blended cements with and without limestone filler (LF) and/or other active mineral additions) meets the required standards for pozzolanic activity, mechanical strength, volume stability, and durability. To this end, we will provide rapid, cost-effective analytical methods to first guarantee the quality of each batch of calcined clay produced and then verify it to promptly determine the appropriate temperature and aerobic or anaerobic environment of the kiln and the transit speed of each matrix clay batch through it.
This speed translates into the accuracy of the calcination temperature and transit speed on the first attempt, as well as the more or less aerobic environment corresponding to the greater or lesser reddish colour of the matrix clay. Then, once the batch of CC produced has cooled, its quality must be determined using its Strength Activity Index at 28 days-age (IAR28d) at most, as this is the most decisive standardized and regulated parameter for its acceptance or rejection. In the latter case, it will have to be disposed of in a landfill.
In contrast, with the new wet chemical analysis method developed by Rafael Talero, which he designed and refined to determine the reactive alumina content (Al2O3r– (%)) of all natural and artificial pozzolans in general, and of the CC produced batch in particular, its acceptance or rejection can be determined in just 7 days. That is, three weeks earlier. And as many times as three weeks prior, it will be determined how many times a new batch of CC needs to be produced until the one with the highest Al2O3r– (%) content is achieved. This will undoubtedly translate into considerable savings in time and money, even if the correct result is finally obtained through trial and error, which is most likely. This will inevitably postpone the start date for amortizing the CAPEX required to implement its production at the cement Plant. And it will be postponed even further if the cement Plant is in a country with distinct seasons because, in such cases, it must be remembered that the clay calcination kiln loses heat through conduction, convection, and radiation, especially during its heating process.
It has been demonstrated that with our support you will save time and money.
Research and development
We collaborate in R&D projects to environmentally improve existing products, design and develop new CC type MCSs (with and without limestone filler as their raw material is clayey marl or clay only, respectively), pozzolans and/or calcined schists, based on their Al2O3r– (%) content, or innovative processes to produce them, and thus maintain the competitiveness of the Cement Plant by further minimizing its current contribution to Global Warming with CC.
Problem resolution
We offer our expertise to identify the root cause of variations in the quality of the CC produced in the cement Plant or problems with the optimal dosage of setting regulator (natural gypsum stone), rheological, setting and heat of hydration, mechanical strength, volume stability and/or durability of new Portland-based cements and concretes manufactured with said produced CC and propose effective measures to solve them.
Training and qualification
We can provide training and capacity building in matters related to the thermal activation of clays with and without significant contents of Fe2O3 (%), limestone and other mineral salts or oxides and their quality control and rapid verification of the acceptance or rejection of the batch produced, which contributes to the development of skills and increased operational efficiency of employees who will be involved in the design, manufacture and quality control and verification of the new cements and concretes mentioned above.
