Graphene in Clinker Greens Portland Cement

Graphene is light, super strong and can lessen the carbon footprint of cement. In this installment of Tech Trends, BCMI’s Craig Yeack discusses how one company—Graphene Ltd.—has developed a graphene-enhanced grinding agent for clinker. Cement clinker is a solid material that is formed by sintering (fusing together without melting to the point of liquefaction) limestone and a second material that contains clay as a source of aluminosilicate. Sintering is energy-intensive, making it responsible for much of portland cement’s heavy carbon footprint. Initial work by Graphene Ltd. has shown that adding a small amount of graphene via a grinding agent to clinker reduces the grinding time (energy) by approximately 15 percent and increases the compressive and tensile strength of the end product: concrete. Viable commercial applications are currently being trialed and, says Yeack, if graphene in portland cement proves to work as early research indicates, they nailed it. Tech Trends is a monthly column published in Concrete Products magazine. Read More.