Over 35 % of the CO2 associated with cement production comes from operational energy. The cement industry needs alternative fuels to meet its net zero emissions target. This study investigated the influence of hydrogen mixed with biofuels, herein designated net zero fuel as an alternative to coal, on the clinker quality and performance of cement produced in an industrial cement plant. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and nuclear magnetic resonance were coupled to study the clinker mineralogy and polymorphs. Hydration and microstructure development in plain and slag blended cements based on the clinker were compared to commercial cement equivalent. The results revealed a lower alite/belite ratio, but a significant proportion of the belite was of the α′H-C2S polymorph. These reacted faster and compensated for the alite/belite ratio. Gel and micro-capillary pores were densified, which reduced total porosity and attained comparable strength to the reference plain and blended cement. This study demonstrates that the investigated net zero fuel-produced clinker meets compositional and strength requirements for plain and blended cement, providing a feasible pathway for the cement industry to lower its operational carbon significantly.

中文翻译：

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混合氢和生物燃料水泥熟料：特性、微观结构和性能


与水泥生产相关的 CO2 中，超过 35% 来自运营能源。水泥行业需要替代燃料来实现其净零排放目标。本研究调查了氢气与生物燃料混合（此处称为净零燃料作为煤炭的替代品）对工业水泥厂生产的水泥的熟料质量和性能的影响。将扫描电子显微镜、X 射线衍射和核磁共振耦合以研究熟料矿物学和多晶型物。将基于熟料的普通水泥和矿渣混合水泥中的水化和微观结构发展与商业水泥当量进行了比较。结果显示较低的 alite/belite 比率，但很大一部分 belite 是 α'H-C2S 多晶型物。这些反应更快，并补偿了 alite/belite 比率。凝胶和微毛细管孔隙致密化，从而降低了总孔隙率，并获得了与参考普通和混合水泥相当的强度。本研究表明，所研究的净零燃料生产熟料满足普通水泥和混合水泥的成分和强度要求，为水泥行业显著降低运营碳提供了可行的途径。