Abstract
Chemical characterization of Portland limestone cement products collected across the nine existing cement manufacturing plants in Nigeria was conducted using Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (EDXRF) with the aim of determining conformity with global and local standards and investigating likely variation in quality resulting from differences in the sources of major raw materials, especially limestone used in production. The cement samples are composed essentially of CaO, SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, MgO, Na2O, K2O and SO3 while P2O5, MnO and TiO2 were present in trace amount. In addition to oxide compositions, the mineralogical components: Alite (C3S), Belite (C2S), Celite (C3A), and Ferrite (C4AF), and other cement quality control variables such as Lime Saturation Factor, Silica Modulus and Alumina Modulus of all the nine cement samples analyzed in this study are in agreement with the specifications for Portland limestone cement published by the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), and the British Standards Institution (BSI). The nine cement products also have their compositions in close proportion indicating none of the products is superior in quality irrespective of manufacturer or production site, a common misconception in the Nigerian cement market.
Highlights
Cement is a material that solidifies on addition of water and exposure to air to produce a mass that is water-resistant
Aside from the nine samples composing of similar oxides, careful investigation reveals that the components are in close proportion across the samples
4.01) and these compositions except for cement produced at Gboko and Sagamu plants are within specifications sets by Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and passed other international standards such as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), and the British Standards Institution (BSI)
Summary
Cement is a material that solidifies on addition of water and exposure to air to produce a mass that is water-resistant. The uniformity of quality of the products from the various local cement brands has been a major question agitating the minds of the teeming consumers who use cements for various purposes, ranging from small scale building constructions to the gigantic road and bridges construction Impurities, and some of these impurities, especially in form of chemical compounds and mixtures eventually find their way into the cement production process and alongside other substances form major or trace components of the final product This implies that even products made by the same manufacturer may likely exhibit some differences since their production plants are located in parts of the country. This study characterizes available cement products from Nigeria’s manufacturing plants for their chemical and mineralogical composition with the aim of comparing with local and international standards and investigating extent of variability if it exists
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