The effect of combustion temperature on the characteristic of clinker

Abstract

Basalt is a raw material that can be used as an alternative material in the manufacture of cement clinker because has properties as a pozzolan and its reserves are quite large in Indonesia. The main component of basalts such as SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, CaO, and MgO. It can be used as material pozzolan for substitutions. The clinker cement was made with the composition such as lime, basalt, clay, silica and iron sand with a percentage weight of 71 %, 10 %, 9 %, 9 %, and 1 %, respectively. Then, the components are mixed with a ball mill for 6 h. Clinker was made from pellets with a diameter of 10-12 mm and burned in the muffle furnace with a variable temperature of 1000 °C, 1100 °C, and 1200 °C, for 2 h. The clinker was characterized by XRD and XRF. Based on the XRD analysis, the clinker has three (3) phase crystal formed, Larnite phase with Ca2(SiO4) compounds, Gehlenite with Ca2Al(AlSiO7) compounds, and Hematite with Fe2O3 compounds. The main component on the clinker based on the XRF analysis such as CaO = 55-60 %, SiO2 = 21-25 %, Al2O3= 7-8 %, and Fe2O3= 6-7 %. With these compositions, basalt mineral can be used as an alternative raw material for cement clinker to substitutions of lime mineral. The results of clinker formation have not formed Alite (C3S, Tricalcium Silicate), Belite (C2S, Dicalsium Silicate), and Aluminate (C3A, Tricalcium Aluminate). So, it needs temperatures above 1400 °C.