Feasibility study on the use of cellular concrete as alternative raw material for Portland clinker production

•Cellular concrete could be used as raw material for Portland clinker production.•Using cellular concrete as raw material will not have major beneficial advantages.•The poor grindability of the cellular concrete will act as a serious restriction.•This study reveals restrictions generalizable for other alternative raw materials. This paper aims to investigate the use of cellular concrete as an alternative raw material (ARM) for Portland clinker kilns. The possibility to generate a raw material with a stable compositional variation was investigated as well as simulations were carried out to maximise their use in clinker kilns. Based on these simulations, experimental clinkers were produced with dosages that were esteemed as realistic. Because of the presence of important levels of quartz sand in the cellular concrete materials, the energy necessary to grind the alternative raw material in comparison with comparable classic raw materials was investigated as well as the influence of the final particle size distribution of the Cold Clinker Meal (CCM) on the mineralogical composition of the final clinkers. It will be demonstrated that cellular concrete materials can be used as ARM for clinker production although there are some important restrictions that will limit the practical implementation. This investigation will also provide some interesting knowledge on the use of other recycled concrete materials as alternative raw material for Portland clinker production.