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Article

Use of Late-Barremian sands from Central Tunisia in white cement clinker

ALOUI Taher, CHAABANI Fredj, Hermassi Arwa, Jabli Ikram, Rhimi Lotfi, 2017

Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 10, 11, 1-18, Avril 2017

Résumé

The present work focuses on the ability of LateBarremian sands from Ouaddada Mountain (CentralTunisia), to produce high-quality white cement clinker. Results indicate that these sands are particularly characterized by their fineness of grains (mean grain-size 90–140 μm), high cleanness (sand equivalent 88–98%), extremely low coloring oxides and volatiles levels (less than 0.03 and 1.9% respectively) and high values of whiteness and lightness indices (more than 86 and 90% respectively). Studies based on Bogue calculation, X-ray diffraction (XRD), burnability of raw mixes, Point Counting and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS) methods, reveal that the LateBarremian sands from Ouaddada Mountain can be used in the production of white Portland clinker by mixing with 70.8–75.6% of local limestones and 3.5–24.8% by weight of common Mediterranean kaolins from Guadalajar province (Central Spain), Tamazert (North-East Algeria), Şile (NorthWest Turkey), Sebha (South-West Libya), and Abu Zanima  area (West-Central Sinai, Egypt). Synthesized clinkers are composed largely of alite (75–76.2%), belite (12.8–16.5%) and aluminate (7.4–8.9%) with subordinate quantities of ferrite (less than 1%), slightly harder to burn and seem to be much whiter than Mediterranean ones with a whiteness index β more than 86%