Akij cement, a sister concern of Akij Group, produces fly ash-free cement in an eco-friendly factory using vertical roller mill (VRM) technology.
The cement is made of two basic raw materials clinker and gypsum while blast furnace slag, lime stone and fly ash are used in cement as additives.
According the company data, Akij Portland Composite Cement is made of 72-79% clinker, 13-23%blast furnace slag and 0-5% gypsum.
The company authorities said it does not use fly ash in their cement ingredients.
“Fly ash-free Akij Composite Portland Cement is an environment-friendly product as manufacturing of such type of cement can substantially reduce additional load on environment,” said Payar Ahmed Tushar, senior manager, brand and trade marketing of Akij Cement.
He told the journalists visiting the factory in Narayanganj recently that this kind of cement cuts 40% carbon emission, saves approximately 45% natural lime stone, lower energy consumption by 45% and reduces health hazards.
Commenting on the VRM technology, he said it consumesrelatively less power andhas ability to combine grinding, drying and separation.
Tushar added the VRM has the ability to manage larger variations in mass flow which is 30-100% of mill capacity, which is “environment friendly and ensures better quality.
“In Bangladesh, Akij is the first company which introducesthe VRM technology.”
Akij Cement started its production in 2002, while it introduced the VRM technology in 2009 to produce cement in an environment-friendly way.
“Akij cement maintains the best quality in every stage of production.That’s why tests conducted by the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) has found the strength of our cement,” Tushar stated.
The country’s cement sector has a production capacity of 2.9m tonnes of cement per day. But it produces only 1.3-1.4m tonnesof cement due to low demand and economic slowdown.
“The country’s cement sector is producing almost half of the total capacity because of economic downturn which has slashed the demand,” said Aniket Selim, general manager of Akij Cement.
“Of total 74 factories in the country, only 42 are in operation.”
He added Akij Cement produces 7,600 bags of cement per day.
About fly ash-free cement, Selim said this type of cement can resist salinity or sulphate attack which happens in a form of concrete deterioration.
Sulphate attack occurs when concrete comes in contact with water.
The fly ash-free cement reduces the formation of ettringite and permeability and resists steel corrosion, cracking in concrete and dampness, said the general manager of Akij Cement.
The concrete gains sulphate resistance when 18-25% blast furnace slag is mixed with clinker, according to the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) C1012 test.
