IIT Delhi Researchers and Kenya's Meru University of S&T Collaborate For Cement Technology
To cater to the demand for knowledge and information in African countries, a Limestone Calcined Clay Cement (LC3) -Technology Resource Centre (TRC) Africa Project has been set up under the mentorship of IIT Delhi at Kenya’s Meru University of Science and Technology.
Researchers at IIT Delhi have been playing a leading role in bringing Limestone Calcined Clay Cement (LC3), a more sustainable cement with higher performance, to the market in India and internationally. The project was jointly inaugurated by IIT Delhi’s Prof. Shashank Bishnoi and Prof. Karen Scrivener, EPFL, Switzerland, on February 14, 2024.
The LC3-TRC Africa will help in the sustainable development of Africa and build capacity in the area of cement research there. The facility will strive to enhance the adoption of LC3 technology within the construction sector across Sub-Saharan Africa by fostering collaboration among industry holders, innovators, and policymakers. It will also offer consulting services and support for LC3 usage.
Prof Shashank Bishnoi said that LC3 promises to make cement more affordable for development in Africa by making the global cement industry grow sustainably. Researchers at IIT Delhi, led by Prof. Shashank Bishnoi from the Civil Engineering Department, contributed the largest volume of research that has brought cement from the laboratory to the market.
Limestone Calcined Clay Cement (LC3) -Technology
LC3 is a family of composite cement containing clinker, calcined clay, and limestone that was developed at EPFL, Switzerland, in collaboration with UCLV Cuba.
In India, research on LC3 started in 2012, and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) published the standard for LC3 (IS18189) in June 2023 to make the technology ready to be used by the cement industry in the country. BIS allows the production of LC3 with 50% clinker, the remaining being calcined clay (usually around 30%) and crushed limestone (usually around 15%).
Because the LC3 technology reduces CO2 emissions by more than 40% when compared to regular Portland cement, it can lead to cheaper production costs and sustainable growth for economies all over the world. Strong and long-lasting, LC3 can be applied similarly to other cements.
Advantages of LC3 Technology
Due to the lower clinker content, the LC3 technology has the following advantages over Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and Portland Pozzolanic Cement (PPC):
- Improved resource efficiency
- Lower CO2 emission per tonne of cement produced
- Reduced production cost without compromising the performance of the cement
- Easy processing and supported by existing production facilities hence low capital investment costs
- Almost double the cement output per tonne of clinker
- Enhanced durability of building materials and concrete produced using LC3
