Building of the Al-containing Secondary Raw Materials Registry for the Production of Low CO2 Mineral Binders in South-Eastern European Region

The bottleneck in the process for increasing production of low CO2 mineral binders, based on BCSA (belite sulfoaluminate) clinkers, is the availability of Al-rich raw materials. For that purpose, a new registry of Al-containing secondary mineral residues (industrial and mine waste) has been developed and is presented in this paper. The methodology of creating the registry consists of three main steps: Gathering ideas, consolidation of ideas, and implementation. In order to achieve this, the following methodology was adopted: Analysis of similar registries by potential end-users and seeking potential solutions and tools to be used, and conducting 3 rounds of stakeholder consultations via workshops in order to determine crucial parameters and features the registry needs to contain. The key discussion points were about which data the registry needs to contain, who shall be the potential users, and what are the stakeholder's expectations from the registry's portal. Potential individual registry variables were identified as being relevant/irrelevant or available/unavailable, and potential solutions for the registry's sustainability were explored. Each Al-rich waste/residue data entry is divided into 10 slots, describing legal status, location, quantities, chemical (REE included), mineralogical, physical and radiological properties, life-cycle assessment, additional data, and data relevancy. The registry will act as a matchmaking tool between producers/holders of Al-rich secondary raw materials and potential producers of cement clinkers.

Automated summary

The bottleneck in the research lies in the availability of Al-rich raw materials, which are essential for producing low CO2 mineral binders. A new registry has been developed to collect Al-containing secondary mineral residues, supporting the production of low CO2 mineral binders. By gathering ideas, consolidating thoughts, and implementing the methodology, key parameters and features of the registry have been identified to act as a matchmaking tool between producers/holders of Al-rich secondary raw materials and potential producers of cement clinkers.