Articles on the cement industry from Global Cement

The Kingdom of Morocco is a Constitutional Monarchy located in the extreme north west of Africa and to the south of the Iberian Peninsula across the Strait of Gibraltar. Next to the vital trade routes that pass through the Strait from the Mediterranean and further afield, Morocco has developed a mixed economy based on exports to its EU neighbours. Its location, along with a relatively stable political situation, has ensured steady economic growth. The country ranks in the top quarter of African nations in terms of GDP/capita.

White cement is a value-added product that can be used instead of grey cement for its heat-reflecting properties and superior aesthetic appearance. Here Global Cement reviews the global white cement industry and its developments during 2014.

The cement industry has long been dependent on the use of fossil fuels, although a recent trend in replacing fossil fuels with alternative fuels has arisen.^{1, 2} However, when unconverted or partly converted alternative fuels are admitted directly in the rotary kiln inlet, the volatiles released from the fuels may react with sulphates present in the hot meal to form SO₂. Here Maria del Mar Cortada Mut and associates describe pilot and industrial scale experiments focusing on the factors that affect SO₂ release in the cement kiln inlet.

Egmont Ottermann won the best presentation award at the 2014 Global CemFuels Conference for his talk on using social networking to share knowledge about alternative fuels implementation in the cement industry. As Ottermann explains, he created the 'AFR, Emissions and Pyro-Processing in Cement' group on LinkedIn, a professional social media network, to effectively share information. Following his presentation Global Cement spoke to Ottermann, the Group Energy Manager for South Africa's PPC.

The Indian cement industry faces many unique challenges and opportunities in 2014 and beyond. Here we ask Alok Sanghi, the director of the independent Sanghi Cement, one of the world's largest single-stream cement operators, about his experiences and perspectives on producing cement in one of the world's largest cement markets.