PROCESS & TECHNOLOGY
In 1824, Joseph Aspdin mixed powdered limestone and clay with water and molded the mixture into slabs. These were then burned until carbon dioxide was liberated. He then ground the slabs into a fine powder. This cement when used gave a color and strength similar to the stones from the island of Portland, hence the term Portland Cement.
TOPCEM cement is manufactured using very high-quality raw materials native to Meghalaya – a state endowed with the richest of minerals. The required raw material is extracted from superior grade limestone rocks by mechanical pulverization. It then goes through a milling process where the raw material is ground into fine particles. At this stage, additional minerals are added to ensure the integrity of chemical composition and enhance the desired properties of cement.
Milling produces a very fine powder which is known as raw meal in industrial jargon. The raw meal is preheated and then it’s fed to the kiln for further processing. The kiln is at the heart of the manufacturing process. Once inside the kiln, the raw meal is heated to around 1500 degrees C. At this temperature, chemical reactions take place to form cement clinker, which contains hydraulic calcium silicates. Clinker is mixed with gypsum and the mixture is then ground to produce a fine powder that is commonly known as cement.
At Topcem we have a state-of-the-art plant that houses a double string pre-heater unit along with a single kiln to produce 1 MTPA of clinker. World-class, advanced dry process rotary kiln technology with twin multistage pre-heaters is used and the entire process is automated through a DCS control system for the production of top-quality cement in an environmentally conscious manner. By using superior technology and energy-efficient equipment we intend to reduce the carbon footprint of our products for a greener, cleaner and safer world.
No product ever leaves our facilities without passing a series of stringent quality assurance tests. This is done so that every bag of cement is defect-free and meets the high-quality standards of Topcem Cement.