How the cemet is made
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The production of cement is made on a large scale, thus requiring various up-stream controls so as to avoid expensive down – stream interventions in the production process. Process technology and high automation make meticulous monitoring of each production step easier (24/7), from the mining activity of raw materials in the quarry, to the finished product shipment. Controls, which are more than 20 at the end of each process, are carried out both internally and by external certification bodies.
Raw materials minig
The principal raw materials used by Colacem are marl, limestone, clay, gypsum and pozzolana, which are extracted from quarries and mines. In order to reduce the consumption of natural raw materials, in accordance with the best available techniques (BAT) of the sector, non-hazardous waste deriving from other activities is also used. Such waste, is recovered and used in place of the aforementioned natural resources.
Crushing and homogenization
Materials extracted in the quarry are not immediately suitable for use. They undergo careful crushing in order to obtain a homogeneous material.
Drying and grinding
The crushed material passes through special equipment that analyzes its quality, next it is dried after being finely ground inside a mill and then transformed into a very fine powder, called meal. The meal is stored in specific silos where it continues its homogenization process.
Firing
The meal, after passing through a pre-heating tower at about 900°C, it is then transferred into a kiln, where it reaches a temperature of 1450° C, and is transformed into clinker. The clinker is submitted to a cooling process and then stored in very large silos.
Dosing and grinding of clinker and other components
The clinker is then finely ground, with gypsum and other components (such as limestone, pozzolana, fly ash, slag, etc.), in order to obtain various types of cement suitable for different kinds of usage, which are stored in suitable silos.
Finished product delivery
Each type of cement, once removed from the silos, is ready to be sold in bulk or to be packaged into sacks.