Cement Quarry Research Articles

A Silurian (Homerian) pelmatozoan echinoderm fauna from west-central Ohio, USA

AbstractA diverse echinoderm fauna lived in reef and non-reef Silurian facies of the upper Midwestern USA. However, these faunas are dominantly preserved in dolostones with moldic preservation, and fossils from dolostone facies have not been documented to the extent of Silurian crinoids in nondolostone strata. Herein, an echinoderm fauna is described from the dolostones of the Cedarville Member of the Laurel Limestone (Wenlock, Homerian) from the Pepcon Cement Quarry in west-central Ohio. The described fauna contains blastoids, hemicosmitoids, and crinoids, including Troosticrinus subcylindricus (Hall and Whitfield, 1875); Caryocrinites sp. indet.; an unidentifiable diplobathrid camerate; Periechocrinus tennesseensis (Hall and Whitfield, 1875); Periechocrinus egani? (Miller, 1881); Stiptocrinus farringtoni (Slocom, 1908); Calliocrinus primibrachialis Busch, 1943; Calliocrinus poepplemani new species; Calliocrinus hadros new species; and Lecanocrinus sp. indet. Generic concepts for the Eucalyptocrinitidae are clarified; and, surprisingly, Eucalyptocrinites Goldfuss, 1831 is absent from this fauna. Additionally, lectotypes and paralectotypes are designated for Periechocrinus tennesseensis and Calliocrinus primibrachialis.UUID: http://zoobank.org/a8c8e7e3-9bc3-4078-83bd-5572816366e5

Comparative study of ordinary portland cement from different production (Al Fatiah and Al Huarry cement factories), NE Libya

This study will discuss the evaluation of clinkers and cement powdered chemistry during manufacturingprocess from Al Fatiah and Al Huarry Cement Factories then matching with British standard. The bulkgeochemical analysis has been carried out using X- ray fluorescence (XRF) and inductively coupledplasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) techniques. The chemical analyses data showed that the limestoneat the Al Fatiah Cement Quarry is classified as a high pure limestone and the limestone at the Al HuarryCement Quarry is a low pure limestone. The studied terra rossa samples showed a suitable compositionand could be a good source for SiO2 and Al2O3. The results of homogeneous samples of clinkers andcement powdered were compared to the British Standard.

Geochemical and mineralogical studies of the celestite bearing formations and associated sediments in Benghazi Formation, Ar Rajmah Group (Middle Miocene), Al Jabal Al Akhdar, NE Libya

The study area is located in the northeast of Libya, in the areas of Benghazi city and Ar Rajmah village. The purpose of this study is to find out geochemically and mineralogically the source of strontium element. Also the distribution of strontium in allochems, matrix and cement in the Benghazi Formation of the Ar Rajmah Group. Celestite grade 88.3 % (SrSO4) occurs only in the Benghazi Formation at Benghazi Cement Quarry as geodic nodules in the Middle Miocene rocks. Detailed mineralogical and chemical data have been collected on the celestite and associated sediments using XRF, XRD, EPMA, SEM and DSC techniques. Authigenic celestite and strontianite minerals occur both as a cement and as a replaced by other fracture filling minerals such as anhydrite. However, carbonate skeletal grains have quite high MgCO3 contents, reflecting sometimes the presence of dolomite and brucite minerals. The average Sr/Ca ratio of coralline algae is 0.65. Echinoderm fragments have the highest value 1.31 of Sr/Ca and containing 0.47 to 1.8 mole percent of MgCO3 in the Benghazi Formation. Echinoid spines contain higher strontium contents than other echinoderm fragments. Some bivalves are replaced totally by apatite and had a very high absolute concentration of strontium. The high strontium- low magnesium contents and vice versa are related to the diagenesis, mineralogical nature of the sediments and organic remains. Celestite occurs mainly in sedimentary beds of the Benghazi Formation, adjacent to the evaporitic environment (gypsum/anhydrite) and near sites of intense dolomitization

Optimizing Cement Quarry Dust Ratio in Concrete Asphalt Using for Industrial Purposes

Scarcity and the high cost of natural river sand due to government restrictions are the major problems for the construction industry. It was observed that cement quarry dust ratio is higher in quarry dust concrete mixes compared to conventional concrete mixes used for highway projects due to the effects influenced by shape, surface & content of micro fines of quarry dust. In this study, the cement quarry dust ratios were optimized to obtain the optimum strength, workability & to use quarry dust concrete using for industrial purposes. Workability, compressive strength tests were conducted on basic three quarry dust concrete grade mixes which vary quarry dust ratio percentage from 0.41 to 0.43 according to the British design approach. Workability of designed M20, M30 & M40 quarry dust concrete mixes has shown lower workability & compressive strengths on M20 0.41 and 0.42 grade quarry dust concrete mixes were higher compared to conventional concrete mixes. Cost analysis indicates that the percentage of cost reduction on optimized cement quarry dust ratio concrete mixes stands between 27% to 31% than conventional concrete mixes. It can be concluded that M20 – 0.41 and M20 – 0.42 QD concrete mixes can be used for industrial purposes as a replacement for conventional concrete mixes & using superplasticizer, M30 grade quarry dust concrete mixes and M40 – 0.41 quarry dust concrete mix can be used for industrial purposes with enhancing the workability and compressive strength than conventional concrete mixes. Further, it is concluded that optimized cement quarry dust ratio concrete mixes are cost effective compared to conventional concrete mixes.

Fragmentation Analysis of Blasted Rock using WipFrag Image Analysis Software

Blasting is an essential and the very first activity of hard rock mining. It is considered the cheapest source of energy for loosening/extracting hard rock. Improper planning and design can make basting a costly operation. Furthermore, as downstream processes are affected by properties of muckpile a blast should be designed properly to yield the desired muckpile and fragmentation. Among fragmentation and muckpile, fragmentation is the most important, and is the main parameter used to evaluate the efficiency of a blast. This paper analyzes the use of WipFrag software to evaluate the fragment size distribution of blasting with current blasting parameters of Cherat Cement quarry.

Evaluation of seismo-acoustic hazards from cement quarry blasts on the New Administrative Capital, Egypt

Cement industry is one of the strategic sectors in Egypt. In most cases, cement factories are using explosives to obtain the materials needed for the industry. Such activities pose threats to the surrounding environment. The threats are more serious when the quarries are located near to a strategic site. The New Administrative Capital (NAC) is one of the leading development projects in Egypt that happen to occur close to some cement quarries that use explosions to obtain the raw materials. Possible unfavorable effects are expected on the buildings and projects at NAC. To evaluate these effects and to propose measures to ensure the safety of NAC structures, the present work was carried out. Threats expected are due to both ground motion and air over pressure. The methodology adopted in the study was based on monitoring the explosions, ground motions, and air over pressure. The monitoring was conducted using temporary arrays that were deployed in the explosion day. The time period required is almost 2 years. Furthermore, the collected data were processed to reject low quality data. The processed data were modeled in terms of the international standards to determine the threshold level of hazards for both ground motion and air over pressure. The work is finally summarized in terms of model equations in terms of the scaled distances. The choice of the scaled distances was to simplify the model by eliminating the effect of the charge per delay parameter. The final results showed that keeping the charge weight per delay under 45 kg, threats at a distance of 7 km is vanished. The model showed also that the effect of air over pressure is higher with scaled distances than the ground motion. To the best of our knowledge, the present work is the first of its kind in Egypt. Also, it is recommended to study the frequency effect of both parameters and to account for the effects of the site on the ground motion.

Designing Raw Mix for Manufacturing Portland Cement using Euphrates Formation Marl Instead of Clays

Portland Cement is manufactured by adding 3% gypsum to clinker which is produced by grinding, pulverizing, mixing, and then burning a raw mix of silica, and calcium carbonate. Limestone is the main source of carbonates, while clay collected from arable land is the main source of silica. The marl in the Euphrates Formation was studied as an alternative to arable lands. Nine boreholes drilled and penetrated the marl layer in selected locations at the Kufa cement quarry. Forty-one samples of marl from boreholes and four samples of limestone from the closed area were collected. The chemical content of the major oxides and the hardness of the marl layer was very encouraging as a raw material for Portland Cement as they are SiO2 (17.60), CaO (37.89), MgO (1.94), Fe2O3 (2.47), Al2O3 (4.21), K2O (0.731), SO3 (0.35), and Na2O (0.062). The marl was used in designing a raw material mix suitable for rotary kiln feed and produced a clinker conforming to the approved specifications. The designing a raw mix consisting of 80.30% of marl with 19.70% of limestone. The investment of the marl layer can be used as an ideal alternative to the arable clay giving fit quality to the international specifications, reducing production costs during quarry operations, reducing the energy consumption and equipment wearing.

Coincident locations of rupture nucleation during the 2019 Le Teil earthquake, France and maximum stress change from local cement quarrying

Earthquake occurrence is ultimately controlled by tectonic stress load. Nevertheless, the 2019, Mw = 4.9, Le Teil earthquake in southern France occurred in an area where strain rates are relatively low. Human operations can produce increases in stress load and degradation of strength on nearby active faults, which raises the potential for failure. Here we present estimates of the rupture geometry and source directivity of the Le Teil earthquake based on differential synthetic aperture radar interferometry and seismic data. We find that almost two centuries of mass removal at a nearby cement quarry likely provided the required stress change to hasten the occurrence of the Le Teil earthquake by more than 18,000 years. We suggest that further mass removal in the area might lead to even stronger earthquakes, by activating deeper sectors of the same fault plane.

Geochemical suitability of Lower Eocene extra-siliceous limestone for cement making (Bizerte deposit-Extreme North of Tunisia)

The extra siliceous limestone sample of the Lower Eocene from the abandoned cement quarry part of the limestone deposit from the area of Bizerte (Extreme North East of Tunisia) has been investigated for its suitability for cement making. Petrological as well as X-ray diffraction pattern studies indicated that the limestone sample was crystalline and dominantly composed of calcite and quartz. They have variable silica and lime contents. Geochemical analysis results of 25 samples indicated that the limestone from the Bizerte deposit shows a wide range of variation in LOI (33–39 wt%), SiO2 (7–6 wt%), CaO (4–49 wt%) Al2O3 (2–4 wt%), and Fe2O3 (0.74–1.45 wt%). MgO, K2O, Na2O, and TiO2 are present in traces. CaO shows a strong positive correlation with LOI, whereas CaO and SiO2 show a negative correlation. The chemical composition of limestone confirms the mineralogical composition. The aim of this paper is to show the influence of high siliceous limestone component from Bizerte deposit on clinker parameters (silica modulus and lime saturation factor) in order to highlight their effect for the cement process making. In addition, to establish a predictionnal geochemical model in order to integrate and optimize this raw material estimated at 81,78,000 tons in cement manufacturing. The geochemical analysis by XRF of the limestone samples taken at different levels from the quarry proves their affluence in carbonate with a lime content of 46 wt% and the abundance of silica with a content of 12 wt%. Mineralogical analysis shows the predominance of calcite and quartz at the XRD diffraction patterns. The obtained results are used subsequently to establish geochemical maps of lime and silica allowing the orientation of the operational plan according to the geochemical quarry composition. The geochemical as well as mineralogical analyses show that the integration of the extra siliceous limestone in the raw powder composition permits the filling in of the defect of silica in limestone exploitation by preserving the quality of the produced cement in accordance with the Tunisian and European standard requirements. This study explains then the importance of geochemical assessment of limestone for cement manufacturing.

Incorporation rate of recycled aggregates in cement raw meals

Incorpoaration of recycled aggregates (RAs) into cement raw meals (CRMs) can be a complementary application for construction and demolition wastes (CDWs) preserving natural resources. However, the variability of CDW chemical composition and cement plant specifies require to adapt the incorporation rate on a case-by-case basis. This study presents a chemical and mineralogical characterization (X-Ray diffraction/fluorescence and thermal analyzes) of eight CDWs from different categories and origins. Laboratory clinkers syntheses show that these recycled materials affect slightly the raw meal burnability and the clinker composition mostly likely due to their mineralogical composition (quartz and feldspars contents). These results supplemented by literature review allow discussing the incorporation rates depending on three parameters: the RAs composition, the cement type and the cement quarry composition. This paper provides new insights concerning the use of recycled aggregates in cement raw meal, and shows that the maximum incorporation rate is mainly between 10-20% (50% of the 180 raw meal calculations), occasionally lower than 5% (13%) or higher than 30% (17%). Given the RAs incorporation effect (marl replacement, quartz proportion, etc.), it is even recommended to keep a rate below 10%.

Modeling and Optimization of Truck-Shovel Allocation to Mining Faces in Cement Quarry

Truck and shovel are the most common raw material transportation system used in the cement quarry operations. One of the major challenges associated with the cement quarry operations is the efficient allocation of truck and shovel to the mining faces. In order to minimize the truck and shovel operating cost, subject to quantity and quality constraints, the mixed integer linear programing (MILP) model for truck and shovel allocation to mining faces for cement quarry is presented. This model is implemented using the optimization IDE tool GUSEK (GLPK under SciTE Extended Kit) and the GLPK (GNU Linear Programming Kit) standalone solver. The MILP model is applied to an existing cement quarry operation, the Kohat cement quarry located at Kohat (Pakistan) as a case study. The analysis of the results of the relating case study reveals that significant gains are achievable through employing the MILP model. The results obtained not only show a significant cost reduction but also help in achieving a better coordination among the quarry and quality department.

Lithological classification of cement quarry using discriminant algorithms

As such in any industrial raw material site characterization study, making a lithological evaluation for cement raw materials includes a description of physical characteristics as well as grain size and chemical composition. For providing the cement components in accordance with the specifications required, making the classification of the cement raw material pit is needed. To make this identification in a spatial system at a quarry stage, the supervised pattern recognition analysis has been performed. By using four discriminant analysis algorithms, lithological classifications at three levels, which are with limestone, marly-limestone (calcareous marl) and marl, have been made based on the main chemical components such as calcium oxide (CaO), alumina (Al2O3), silica (SiO2), and iron (Fe2O3). The results show that discriminant algorithms can be used as strong classifiers in cement quarry identification. It has also recorded that the conditional and mixed classifiers perform better than the conventional discriminant algorithms.

Porifera (Calcarea: Lithonida) from the Lower Miocene Batesford Limestone, Victoria, Australia, including a new species Monoplectroninia malonei sp. nov.

An exceptional fauna of calcareous sponges (Porifera: Calcarea) from the lowest biofacies of the Batesford Limestone (Lower Miocene), exposed in the Australian Portland Cement Quarry, Fyansford, near Geelong, southern Victoria, is reviewed. Four species have been recognised from this biofacies by the authors: Tretocalia pezica Hinde, 1900, Bactronella australis Hinde, 1900, Plectroninia halli Hinde, 1900 and a new species, Monoplectroninia malonei sp. nov., described and named in this paper. The original descriptions of Hinde’s species have been expanded to include a more comprehensive description of ontogeny.

Stratigraphy and Microfacies Analyses of The Al Faidiyah and Benghazi Formations at Al Fatiah, Al Huarry and Al Abyar Quarries, NE Libya

Three quarries named Al Fatiah Cement, Al Huarry Cement, and Al Abyar are located in the northeastern part of Libya and consist of carbonate rocks of Miocene age. The main objectives of this study based on microfacies analyses are to construct the depositional environment with a comprehensive stratigraphical correlation of the study areas. The Al Fatiah Quarry has been divided into three microfacies which are operculinid packstone microfacies, algal packstone microfacies, and moluskan packstone grading to grainstone microfacies, one species of large benthic foraminifera is found to be abundant (Operculina complanata). Accordingly, the Al Faidiyah Formation was deposited in a continental shelf (outer to middle neritic zones) environment. Al Huarry Cement Quarry has been divided into five microfacies which are algal boundstone microfacies, amphisteginid - algae packstone microfacies, amphisteginid grainstone microfacies, algal - bryozan packstone microfacies and amphisteginiid - bryozoan - algal boundstone microfacies, one species of large benthic foraminifera is found to be abundant and well preserved (Amphestegina cf. lessonii). Accordingly, the Benghazi Formation was deposited in an inner self to open a marine shelf environment. On the other hand, the Al Abyar Quarry has been divided into two microfacies which are pelloidal packstone microfacies and miliolid wackestone–packstone microfacies, suggesting that the sedimentation was of low energy under very shallow marine to the restricted environment.

The stratigraphy of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation (Jurassic) at Westbury, Wiltshire, U.K.

The former Blue Circle Cement quarry at Westbury, Wiltshire exposed extensive sections in the lower part of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation, and a continuously cored borehole proved the lowest part of the formation and the underlying succession down to the top of the Oxford Clay Formation. The succession exposed in the quarry between 1979 and 2001 ranged from the Cymodoce to Eudoxus zones, and that in the borehole from the Baylei to Mutabilis zones. Taken together, the quarry and borehole proved the most complete section through the Kimmeridge Clay in a region where much of the formation has never been exposed. The lithological and palaeontological successions proved at Westbury are closely similar to those proved in continuously cored boreholes throughout the English outcrop and subcrop of the formation and can be matched in detail with that exposed in the type area on the Dorset coast. When the quarry was in work the sections yielded a profuse ammonite fauna that enabled the Cymodoce–Mutabilis and Mutabilis–Eudoxus zonal boundaries to be studied in detail. They also yielded a diverse bivalve and vertebrate fauna.

A Preliminary Documentation of the Coral Reefs from Libya

Corals studies in Libya are very limited, although they play an important role in the oil exploration as they form excellent reservoirs of coral reef buildups at some oil fields of Sirt Basin (e.g. Intisar “Idris” and Sahabi Fields). Both fields are produced from Paleocene coral reefs. Meanwhile, in Cyrenaica, corals are of less importance as they are not reported in subsurface tertiary rocks, which probably in the environmental settings of these sediments out of the core of reef as occurred in the surface. Meanwhile, corals are reported from older (Jurassic) subsurface successions as in Concession NC-152, but the cementation diagenesis leads to blocking and destroying the porosity. This study presents the first surface documentation work of eight scleractinian coral species from the exposed sediments in northern Libya, where sixtaxa is reported from Al Jabal al Akhdar region, these include a) an association of huge colonies of Caulastrea sp. and Stylophora sp., from the Middle Eocene Darnah Formation at West Darnah road cut section. Theco-existence of the fastCaulastrea sp. with the slow Stylophora sp. is due to the competition strategy; b) Antiguastrea sp. which is reported from the Oligocene Algal Limestone of Al Bayda Formation at Daryanah-Abyar Roadcut section; c) Cyphastrea sp. andAleveopora sp. from Oligo-Miocene Al Faidiyah Formation at Al Fatayah cement quarry and d) Tarbellastraea sp. From Middle Miocene Benghazi Formation at Benghazi Cement Quarry. In addition, two species Astraeaopora sp. and Actinacis paroraiare reported from the Upper Miocene sediments of formation “M” in As Sahabi area.

Analyzing non-stationarity in cement stone pit by median polish interpolation: a case study

The raw materials utilized in the manufacture of cement comprise mainly of lime, silica, alumina and iron oxide. Spatial evaluation of these main chemical constituents of cement has crucial importance for providing effective production. Because these components are composed of some raw materials such as limestone and marl, the spatial relationships in a calcareous marl stone pit was taken into consideration. In practice, spatial field data taken from a cement quarry may include some variations and trends. For modeling and removing spatial trend in a cement raw material quarry as well as providing unbiased estimates, median polish kriging was used. By using the variation of the data itself, some approximations and interpolations were carried out. It was recorded that the method obtained outlier-resistant estimation of spatial trend without needing an external exploratory variable. In addition, it provided very effective estimations and additional information for analyzing spatial non-stationary data.

Biomonitoring Study of Heavy Metals in Blood from a Cement Factory Based Community

Little is known about the effects of cement factory pollution, emissions, and kiln dust on contaminant exposure in human populations, including school environments, in close proximity to these point sources. In Ravena, New York, USA and vicinity, environmental pollution from a local cement plant is considered significant and substantial according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxic Release Inventory, published in 2006, 2007, and 2010. We hypothesized that cement factory based communities, such as the one in Ravena, NY, may be differentially exposed to heavy metals, including mercury, via dust, soil, and air in addition to any contributions from fish consumption, dental amalgams, smoking habits, and occupational exposures, etc. Here we report measurements of several heavy metals in blood (Pb, Cd, As, Hg, Se and Al) and, for comparative purposes, total mercury in hair from a local (six-mile radius) population of Caucasian adults and children. We also report and synthesize local atmospheric emissions inventory information and new indoor air data (NYSERDA, 2011) from the local school which is situated directly across the street (within 750 feet) from the cement factory and quarry. In addition, to our human and environmental heavy metal results we also discuss scientific outreach coordination, and public health action opportunities that will likely have wide applicability for other community and environmental health studies confronting similar pollution issues.

Regression-based algorithms for exploring the relationships in a cement raw material quarry

Using appropriate raw materials for cement is crucial for providing the required products. Monitoring relationships and analyzing distributions in a cement material quarry are important stages in the process. CaO, one of the substantial chemical components, is included in some raw materials such as limestone and marl; furthermore, appraising spatial assessment of this chemical component is also very critical. In this study, spatial evaluation and monitoring of CaO concentrations in a cement site are considered. For this purpose, two effective regression-based models were applied to a cement quarry located in Turkey. For the assessment, some spatial models were developed and performance comparisons were carried out. The results show that the regression-based spatial modelling is an efficient methodology and it can be employed to evaluate spatially varying relationships in a cement quarry.

A heuristic approach to long-range production planning of cement quarry operations

Cement manufacturing requires sustained supply of raw materials from limestone quarry. Raw materials inventory in limestone quarry is identified as a block model, usually, consisting of thousands of blocks. Each block consists of a distinct amount of chemical constituents which are vital for cement production. An individual block never satisfies the process quality constraints; therefore, the blending of various quarry blocks with expensive additives purchased from the market becomes a prerequisite. The objective of a quarry production scheduling model is to mine available blocks in a sequence such that cement plant quantity and quality requirements are satisfied. Achieving a solution to the problem, where each block is defined as an integer (0-1) variable, often within reasonable time, has been a challenge for the mining industry. In this article, the complex production scheduling problem is divided into two sub-problems, where quarry sequencing algorithm develops feasible quarry plans and mixed integer linear programming based blending formulation minimises cost by selecting a plan that requires least amount of additives from the market. The implementation of methodology on an existing operation ensures time as well as cost savings compared to the schedules produced manually.