You are on page 1of 4

Lafarge - Transcript of: Cement manufacturing process

http://www.lafarge.com/SWF/animation-ciment-script-VA.html

LAFARGE Cement manufacturing process


[ZOOM 1] Extraction of raw materials [Text] The raw materials required to manufacture cement are limestone and clay. Rocks extracted from the quarry are routed to the nearby cement plant on a conveyor belt. Each quarry is subject to a rehabilitation plan adapted to its situation, including promotion of local biodiversity (animal and plant species), creation of a touristic and environmental park, residential or agricultural redevelopment, etc. [Safety] Did you know? The use of mobile equipment (fork-lifts, trucks, mechanical loaders, power shovels, etc.) is a major part of cement plant operations. The Group has established precise recommendations to achieve and maintain a zero-accident rate. These include compulsory traffic plans, defining the operations and movements of all types of mobile equipment throughout the site (quarry, warehouses, internal rooms, etc.). [Slideshow] Quarry being mined: Whitehall cement plant in the United States. Quarry being mined: Cairo cement plant in Egypt. Quarry being mined: Saint-Pierre-La-Cour cement plant in France. Quarry being mined: limestone rock in Ndola in Zambia. Routing of raw materials: conveyor belt at the Otavalo cement plant in Ecuador. Routing of raw materials: conveyor belts at the Chilanga II cement plant in Zambia. Working at height: maintenance work on the conveyor belt using a mobile platform at the Arcos cement plant in Brazil. Environment: field being farmed near the Bouskoura cement plant in Morocco. Rehabilitation: employees working in the Kujawy limestone quarry in Poland. Rehabilitation: soil reclamation at the Kasese quarry in Uganda. Rehabilitated quarry: Haller Park, a nature and tourist park in Mombasa, Kenya, is an exemplary project for preservation of an ecosystem. Rehabilitated quarry: lake at the Bouskoura site in Morocco. [ZOOM 2] Grinding and storage of raw materials [Text] The minerals from the quarry are routed to the grinding plant where they undergo initial milling before being reduced to a fine powder. The raw materials (80% limestone and 20% clay) are then stored in the pre-homogenization pile. This mixture is called the raw mix. A proportion of extracted rock can be replaced by other materials (slag, fly ash, pozzolan, etc.) with a chemical composition similar to that of limestone and clay. Using these alternatives helps preserve natural resources.

1 of 4

8/18/2013 9:27 PM

Lafarge - Transcript of: Cement manufacturing process

http://www.lafarge.com/SWF/animation-ciment-script-VA.html

[Safety] Did you know? Storing materials on the ground is intrinsically unstable. No pedestrian access is permitted to the piles of materials. Pedestrians are restricted and must not come within a minimum safe distance of the piles and the mobile equipment. Operators and truck drivers are also obliged to stay in their cabs during loading work. [Slideshow] Routing of raw materials: conveyor belts at the Bouskoura cement plant in Morocco. Routing of raw materials: conveyor belts at the Otavalo cement plant in Ecuador. Raw materials: samples. Storage area for raw materials: Otavalo cement plant in Ecuador. Storage area for raw materials: Richmond cement plant in Canada. Pre-homogenization pile: unloading of raw materials, Saint-Pierre-La-Cour cement plant in France. Pre-homogenization pile: Villaluenga cement plant, near Toledo in Spain. Pre-homogenization pile: Karsdorf cement plant in Germany. Grinding plant: grinder at the Otavalo cement plant in Ecuador. Grinding plant: construction of a grinder in Mejia, in India. Grinding plant: sample of raw mix, Stoney Creek cement plant in the United States. Working at height: maintenance work on the grinder at the Saint-Pierre-La-Cour cement plant in France. [ZOOM 3] The firing of raw materials [Text] The raw mix is fed into a preheating tower at 800C before returning to the vertical rotary kiln where it is heated to a temperature of 1450C. Combustion causes a chemical reaction called decarbonation which released the CO2 contained in the limestone. The fired materials take the form of hard granules called clinker. By its very nature cement production has a large environmental footprint. That is why, with WWF, Lafarge has committed to reducing its global CO2 emissions. Alternative fuels are increasingly being used to heat the kiln, for instance. These fuels, comprising waste or residues from industrial or agricultural activities, vary depending on local resources: used tires, palm kernel shells, bio-fuels, etc. [Safety] Did you know? The wearing of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is compulsory in all areas of the site, apart from the control room. This equipment includes a hard hat, a high-visibility vest, protective goggles and reinforced boots. The wearing of a safety harness, an anti-dust mask and gloves is also required for some jobs. [Slideshow] Rotary kiln and preheating tower: Medgidia cement plant in Romania. Rotary kiln: Cauldon cement plant in the United Kingdom. Kiln: Internal inspection of the kiln at the Westbury Works cement plant in the United Kingdom. Kiln: flame inside the kiln at the Bouskoura plant in Morocco.

2 of 4

8/18/2013 9:27 PM

Lafarge - Transcript of: Cement manufacturing process

http://www.lafarge.com/SWF/animation-ciment-script-VA.html

Kiln control room: Seattle cement plant in the United States. Working at height: work at the top of the kiln at the Medgidia cement plant in Romania. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Richmond cement plant in Canada. Clinker cooler: Chilanga cement plant in Zambia. Wind farm: Tetouan cement plant in Morocco. Example of an alternative fuel: palm kernel shells in Malaysia. Example of an alternative fuel: storage area for used tires in Brazil. Example of an alternative fuel: farming of plants for biofuel production, near Mombasa in Kenya. [ZOOM 4] Storage and grinding of cement [Text] Following re-cooling, the clinker is stored in silos, then transformed into cement according to production requirements. During the final manufacturing stage, gypsum is added to the clinker, in a proportion of 3-5%, and the mixture finely ground. Various substitute materials, such as fly ash (residue from thermal power plant activity) and slag (from blast furnaces), can also be used in the composition of cement. Their use has the dual advantage of reducing the quantity of clinker required (and so CO2 emissions linked to the manufacturing process) and creating a wider range of cements, with qualities corresponding to customers specific needs. [Safety] Did you know? All repair work carried out on machines is subject to a decommissioning procedure. Firstly, proper preparations must be made for the repair work, identifying those responsible for the operation. Then, to isolate power, the LOTOTO sequence must be followed, which breaks down as LO (lock out) physically locking away the controls using a padlock, TO (tag out) labeling with information about who has placed the padlock, when and why and TO (try out) testing to ensure that the power supply has been properly shut off without risk of reconnection. The machines can now be inspected without danger! [Slideshow] Conveyor belt: transport of clinker to the silo at a cement plant in Latin America. Clinker silo: Cairo cement plant in Egypt. Clinker silo: Cantagalo cement plant in Brazil. Clinker silo and kiln: M'sila cement plant in Algeria. Clinker silo: Phuoc Khanh cement plant in Vietnam. Cement grinder: Maintenance work at the Richmond cement plant in Canada. LOTOTO (lock out, tag out, try out): decommissioning procedure and power isolation unit, Arcos cement plant in Brazil. LOTOTO: lock-out mechanism to secure work on equipment at the Bouskoura cement plant in Morocco. LOTOTO: maintenance work on a machine following shut down at the Cauldon cement plant in the United Kingdom. Clinker: sample observed under an optical microscope. Example of a substitute material: fly ash being added to the clinker, Cape Town cement plant in South Africa. Low-CO2 cement: image of the molecular structure. [ZOOM 5] Packaging and shipment [Text]

3 of 4

8/18/2013 9:27 PM

Lafarge - Transcript of: Cement manufacturing process

http://www.lafarge.com/SWF/animation-ciment-script-VA.html

The cement is stored in silos before being delivered in bulk using tanker trucks or packaged into 25-35kg bags and stacked on pallets. Various means of transport may be used according to the local infrastructure and topography. The use of transportation methods with a low carbon footprint (in particular river or rail) is given preference wherever possible. Since the market for construction materials is a local market, transportation distances are relatively short. [Safety] Did you know? Road transport is among the activities with the highest accident rate. But the majority of these accidents can be avoided by following simple rules. Numerous awareness-raising campaigns and training courses are carried out in every plant aimed at employees and subcontractors, in order to improve driving safety. [Slideshow] Packaging: packing of the finished product at the Saint-Pierre-La-Cour cement plant in France. Packaging: packing of the finished product at the Nairobi cement plant in Kenya. Storage warehouse: distribution center in the suburbs of Quito in Ecuador. Storage warehouse: bags of cement on pallets at the Le Teil cement plant in France. Storage warehouse: pallets being loaded onto a truck at the Cairo cement plant in Egypt. Road transport: a truck loaded with bags of cement driving down a shopping street in Lagos, Nigeria. Road transport: a tanker truck for bulk transportation and a truck with a double platform for loading bags, near the Cairo cement plant in Egypt. Rail transport: railroads near the Saint-Constant cement plant in Canada. River transport: barge on the river, near the Sugar Creek cement plant in the United States. Maritime transport: cargo of cement off the coast of Greece. Maritime transport: loading of a cargo at the Halkis cement plant in Greece. An unusual form of transport: bags of cement being carried on the backs of camels near Agadez, a city in northern Niger on where the Sahara meets the Sahel. Learn more about Lafarge

4 of 4

8/18/2013 9:27 PM

You might also like