Vietnam’s cement and clinker industry is a significant contributor to the country’s economy, characterized by rapid growth and expanding production capacity. Vietnam is among the world’s largest cement producers and exporters, with a majority of its output sold to international markets such as China, Bangladesh, and the Philippines. Domestic demand is driven by infrastructure projects and urbanization. In this article, we will learn more about the Vietnamese cement and clinker industry.
What is Cement, Clinker And Difference Between Them
Clinker
Clinker is a nodular material formed during the kiln stage of cement production and serves as the binding agent in various cement products. These lumps or nodules typically range in size from 3 to 25 mm and are dark grey in color. Clinker is produced by heating finely ground limestone and clay, going through the kiln at temperatures between 1400°C and 1500°C. It can be stored for extended periods in dry conditions without losing its quality.
Clinker is a nodular material formed during the kiln stage of cement production
Cement
Cement is a construction material that acts as a binder, setting and hardening to adhere to other materials and hold them together. Cement is commonly used in building concrete, mortar, and other structures, cement provides strength, durability, and water resistance in infrastructure. It is an essential component in construction projects worldwide.
Cement
Difference between Cement vs Clinker
Cement is essential in construction for creating concrete and mortar, binding building materials, and reinforcing infrastructure. It is also utilized for waterproofing, sealing gaps, and creating decorative designs. And clinker is used to produce cement.
Clinker and cement differ in appearance. Clinkers are small, granular nodules with a diameter of 3-25 mm, while cement is a fine, powdery material, with each pound containing around 150 billion tiny particles.
How to produce Clinker and Cement
Producing cement involves several key steps:
1. Raw Material Extraction: The primary materials, typically limestone and clay, are extracted from quarries.
2. Proportioning and Grinding: The raw materials are carefully proportioned, ground, and mixed to create a homogenous blend.
3. Feeding into the Kiln: The mixture is fed into a kiln, where it is heated to temperatures of about 1,400 to 1,500 °C.
4. Calcination: During this high-temperature process, the materials undergo chemical changes, forming clinker.
5. Cooling: The clinker is then cooled, often using air or water, to prepare it for grinding.
6. Grinding and Mixing with Gypsum: The cooled clinker is finely ground with a small amount of gypsum to control the setting time.
7. Packaging and Distribution: Finally, the finished cement is packaged for distribution and sale.
This process can vary slightly depending on the type of cement being produced, but these are the fundamental steps involved.
Clinker and Cement Production. Source: chemicalengineeringworld.com
Vietnam Cement And Clinker Industry
Vietnam’s cement industry is one of the oldest, established in 1900 when the French introduced the technology in Hai Phong province, which remains the hub of the country’s cement sector. According to the Ministry of Construction and the Vietnam Cement Association, as of 2024, Vietnam has approximately 92 cement production lines, with a total designed capacity of over 122 million tons per year.
Data from the General Department of Customs shows that in the first quarter of 2024, Vietnam exported over 8.03 million tons of cement and clinker, generating nearly 304.1 million USD, reflecting a 2.3% rise in volume. In March 2024 alone, exports of these products increased by 39.5% in volume and 42.2% in value. Key importers of Vietnam’s cement and clinker include the Philippines, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and China.
Vietnam Common Cement
Portland Cement (PC)
Portland cement is a hydraulic binder produced by grinding Portland cement clinker with a required amount of gypsum. During this process, up to 5% limestone additives and up to 1% organic technological additives can be incorporated.
Portland cement comes in grades PC 40 and PC 50, in which:
– PC stands for ordinary Portland cement.
– The numbers 40 and 50 refer to the minimum compressive strength (in MPa) of standard mortar samples after 28 days of curing, as specified in TCVN 6016:2011 (ISO 679:2009).
One of common Portland cement types is white cement or also called White Portland cement (PCW). It is produced from white clay and limestone as the main raw materials. Iron oxides, coloring oxides, and manganese oxides are almost completely removed. This is a crucial factor in giving white cement its characteristic white color, as iron oxides usually create a gray or brown color in regular cement. White cement is commonly used in mortar making and the production of decorative tiles, etc.
Portland Cement Blend
Portland Cement Blended is a hydraulic binder made by finely grinding a mixture of Portland cement clinker, the required amount of gypsum, and mineral additives. Technological additives (if necessary) can be incorporated during the grinding process or by blending finely ground mineral additives with Portland cement.
The content of technological additives in cement is not greater than 1%.
The total amount of mineral additives (excluding gypsum) in Portland Cement Blended, calculated by the mass of cement, is not greater than 40%, of which the filler additive is not more than 20 %.
Portland Cement Blended comes in three grades: PCB30, PCB40, and PCB50, where:
– PCB stands for Portland Cement Blended.
– The numbers 30, 40, and 50 represent the minimum compressive strength of a standard mortar sample after 28 days of curing, according to TCVN 6016:1995 (ISO 679:1989). For example, PCB 40 achieves a compressive strength of 18 N/mm² (MPa) after 3 days and ≥40 N/mm² (MPa) after 28 days.
PCB 40 is ideal for structural applications like foundations, columns, roofs, beams, and large concrete structures due to its high compressive strength, flexural strength, and chemical resistance.
PCB 30 is recommended for general construction and plastering purposes.
Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) conforming to ASTM C150 Type 1 can be found in Vietnam
Several types in different standards can be offered from Vietnam:
1. American standard ASTM
– Ordinary (Type I) / Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) conforming to ASTM C150 Type 1
– Modified (Type II)
– High-early-strength (Type III)
– Low-heat (Type IV)
– Sulfate-resistant (Type V)
2. European standard EN 197-1, EN 197-5:
– CEM I 32.5N, 32.5R, 42.5N, 42.5R, 52.5N, 52.5R
– CEM II 32.5N, 32.5R, 42.5N, 42.5R, 52.5N, 52.5R
– CEM III 32.5N, 32.5R, 42.5N, 42.5R, 52.5N, 52.5R
Vietnam Clinker
Sulfate Resistant Clinker:
Typically composed of 76% Alite, 5% Belite, 2% Tricalcium Aluminate, 16% Tetracalcium Aluminoferrite, and 1% free Calcium Oxide. Its production has decreased in recent years as sulfate resistance can be achieved using Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GBFS) in cement manufacturing.
Clinker is one of materials to produce cement
Low Heat Clinker:
Contains around 29% Alite, 54% Belite, 2% Tricalcium Aluminate, and 15% Tetracalcium Aluminoferrite, with minimal free lime. This type of clinker is no longer produced, as cement made from standard clinker mixed with Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS) offers excellent low-heat properties.
White Clinker:
Consists of 76% Alite, 15% Belite, 7% Tricalcium Aluminate, and no Tetracalcium Aluminoferrite, with 2% free lime, though the composition can vary significantly. White clinker is used to make white cement, commonly applied for aesthetic purposes in construction.
White Clinker
Low-Alkali Clinker:
Characterized by a total alkali content of less than 0.6%, making it suitable for the production of low-alkali cement types I, II, and V. It helps prevent alkali-silica reactions in concrete and is mainly used in moisture-resistant structures like airports, runways, and dams.
A technical specification of Vietnam clinker for reference:
| Indicators | |
|---|---|
| SiO2 | 20.0 - 23.0 % |
| Al2O3 | Max 6.0 % |
| Fe2O3 | Max 4.0 % |
| CaO | Min 65 % |
| MgO | Max 3.75 % |
| SO3 | Max 1.0 % |
| Loss of ignition (LOI) | Max 1.0 % |
| Insoluble Residue (IR) | Max 0.5 % |
| Free lime (F-CaO) | Max 1.5 % |
| Equivalen alkalies | Max 0.65 % |
| C3S | Min 57 % |
| C2S | Max 25 % |
| C3A | Max 12 % |
| C4AF | Max 12 % |
| Lime saturation factor (LSF) | Min 92 % |
| Moisture | Max 1.0 % |
| Size 5.0 - 25.0 mm | Min 40 % |
There are many types of clinker in Vietnam that can be applied for various uses, corresponding to the types of cement. If you are looking for the clinker type that is suitable to produce Ordinary Portland Cement conforming to ASTM C150 Type 1, please feel free to contact us.
Common supplementary cementitious materials in Vietnam
Granulated Blast Furnace Slag – GBFS
Blast furnace slag is a slag produced during the pig iron smelting process and is rapidly cooled to form glassy-phase granules. The slag mainly consists of calcium silicates, aluminates, and some other oxides such as MgO and TiO₂.
Granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) can be ground together with clinker to produce Portland blast furnace slag cement or blended Portland cement, or it can be ground separately into a fine powder to be added to concrete and mortar before mixing. There are generally two types: granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS).
Granulated blast furnace slag has the following advantages:
- Improves the workability (flowability) of the concrete mixture.
- Reduces bleeding when the slag is ground finer than cement, and conversely may increase bleeding if it is coarser.
- Reduces the heat of hydration, thereby decreasing the risk of thermal cracking in mass concrete.
- Increases density and compactness, thus reducing water absorption and permeability.
- Enhances durability in water, sulfate-containing water, and seawater.
- Reduces alkali expansion caused by alkali–reactive aggregates.
Fly ash
Fly ash is an industrial by-product in the form of fine particles obtained from the combustion of coal in boilers of thermal power plants, in rotary kilns of cement plants, and in blast furnaces of metallurgical plants.
Fly ash is an artificial pozzolan containing silicon oxides, aluminum oxide, calcium oxide, magnesium oxide, and sulfur oxides. In addition, it may contain a certain amount of unburnt carbon, which is required not to exceed 6% by weight of the fly ash.
Fly ash used as a concrete admixture is now quite commonly applied, enhancing the strength of concrete.
Fly ash has some benefits for concrete production as following:
- Reduces the heat of hydration, making it suitable for mass concrete.
- Reduces the required mixing water or improves workability.
- Reduces segregation and bleeding.
- Has the ability to mitigate alkali–silica reaction.
- Reduces water permeability and enhances durability in water and aggressive (corrosive) aqueous environments.
Viego Global – Your trusted sourcing partner in Vietnam
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