Low Carbon Cement LC3 in Cuba: Ways to Achieve a Sustainable Growth of Cement Production in Emerging Economies

Through a collaborative work established between CIDEM and the Laboratory of Construction Materials at EPFL, a new cementitious system based on a synergetic combination of calcined clay and limestone as Portland's clinker replacement was developed. The novelty of the system was that despite the low clinker content (50%) the resulting cement reached similar performance to pure Portland cement. The Cuban cement industry has collaborated with the introduction and take up of LC3 since early 2011, and it has gathered experiences, which could be useful for other cement makers around the globe. This paper discusses the roadmap followed by the technical team to introduce LC3 as a mainstream product. The main areas of engagement were: (i) identification of reserves of suitable clay for the production of LC3, (ii) Realization of industrial trials for the manufacture of LC3, (iii) assessment of economic and environmental feasibility of the production, and (iv) formulation of new standards which cover the formulation of the new cement as well as its application in concrete. Results of the work of the multi-disciplinary team dealing with the introduction of LC3 shall be presented, including the formulation of the material with local raw materials, considerations about the process, and performance and durability of concrete.