The trial mobilised a team of around 100 people over a ten-day period at the group's plant in Le Teil, France. It allowed the production of 10,000tonnes of Aether clinker, confirming the feasibility of industrial-scale production using traditional raw materials. The launch of the first Aether products is planned for 2014.
The result of several years of research by Lafarge R&D teams, Aether is a new generation clinker, the basic component of cement. Aether cements are said to offer similar properties to ordinary Portland Cement and can be produced in traditional cement plants after minor process adjustments, for a lower overall environmental footprint.
Lafarge says Aether is a new chemical composition for clinker which should allow a 25-30% reduction in CO2 emissions, thanks to reduced limestone content in the raw mix; a lower temperature (~1,300°C) during the burning process, and easier grinding, using less energy.
The development project has received the support of the
“Lafarge has been working to reduce its CO2 emissions for over 20 years, using alternative fuels, cementitious additives and improving energy efficiency at its plants. Project Aether shows Lafarge's determination to go even further in reducing its CO2 emissions. This project will contribute to the group's objective to reduce these emissions by 33% per tonne of cement by 2020, as part of its Sustainability Ambitions 2020,” says the company.
