High-performance and low-cost electrochemical reactor for limestone decarbonation applied to clinker production – A validation at laboratory scale
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Date
2024
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Abstract
Limestone decarbonation to obtain CaO (calcium oxide) and produce cement is an industrial activity with enormous CO2 emissions, due to the intrinsic calcination reaction of CaCO3 (calcium carbonate), in addition to the use of fossil fuels. One of the most recent ideas to reduce CO2 emissions in this process has been the electrochemical decarbonation of limestone where Ca(OH)2 (calcium hydroxide) is obtained as an intermediate product that is then used as CaO precursor in clinker synthesis. This study shows the design of a low-cost electrochemical reactor and the optimization of the parameters to produce Ca(OH)2 with high purity and yield from the decarbonation processes of pure CaCO3 and limestone used in the cement industry. In addition, the remaining limestone sludge and electrolytic solutions were analyzed, and it was found that the sludge can be used as a correction material in clinker preparation, and it is also possible to reuse the electrolytic solution twice. Finally, the main finding is the proposal of a new clinker synthesis, which results in a cement with comparable characteristics to those of ordinary Portland cement, using Ca(OH)2 obtained from the electrochemical decarbonation of CaCO3, achieving a reduction in CO2 emissions of approximately 90% compared to the conventional method.
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Keywords
Calcium hydroxide, Clinker, Electrochemical reactor, Limestone