28 Feb Opigeo industrial patent for the development of a material in symbiosis with the steel industry
Among the main results achieved by Opigeo during 2024 is the filing of a patent for the production of a low environmental impact and market-competitive cement. The invention concerns a composition for a hydraulic binder made from steel slag derived from secondary steel metallurgy processes, specifically white steel slag.
The most common hydraulic binder is Portland cement, whose production presents several disadvantages. The main drawback lies in the fact that this manufacturing process, besides requiring significant energy consumption (both for the two grinding phases and the firing phase), also generates a high amount of greenhouse gases—particularly carbon dioxide—during the firing phase through the fuel burner.
It is now well established that Portland cement production is one of the main global sources of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly carbon dioxide. Most of the CO2 emissions come from clinker production (an essential component for hydraulic cement binders), both due to the calcination of limestone and the combustion of fossil fuels. It is estimated that producing one ton of clinker generates approximately 862 kg of carbon dioxide (CO2).
At the same time, the industry faces a growing need to find ways to reuse inert waste materials from iron and steel production processes, such as blast furnace or steel slag. These by-products are produced in large quantities, and most of them are either disposed of in landfills or used as fillers for construction materials. However, they represent a potential resource that remains largely underutilized.
To address at least part of the problem of greenhouse gas emissions in Portland cement production and find an alternative use for these slags, OPIGEO has patented a composition for hydraulic binders based on slag, positioning itself in the industrial sector of raw material production for civil engineering. The industrial production site is currently under construction and is expected to be operational by the end of 2025.
