Cement Plant Lafargeholcim

The project included the installation of a vertical roller mill (VRM) with a capacity of 450t per hour, increasing the annual cement production from 1.3 million to 3.6 million tons per year, becoming one of the most modern plants in the world. Some of the reasons to install this type of mill were to reduce the energy consumption, as well the level of dust and noise in the plant. The challenge was to get the most out of the mill, maintaining or increasing the quality of the cement.

With the SikaGrind® Range, Sika has an extensive line of products for the grinding in the cement production. For each process, the compatibility of our products is verified, making it possible to develop new products according to each specific requirement. Together with tests carried out in our laboratories and directly in the VRM, it is possible to determine the improvements in the production by including SikaGrind® VRM.

Through a long-term partnership, Sika developed and is supplying grinding aids to all the LH group’s plants in Brazil. The main products supplied are: SikaGrind®-362 (for production increasing) and SikaGrind®-210 BR (for increase of the initial strength).

Sika was present throughout the expansion phase of the Barroso plant, working on a new product adapted to the requirements of the VRM. During this period, the SikaGrind® VRM technology was developed. The final objective was to improve the strength of the cement, optimizing the granulometric curves and maintaining the characteristics according to the company’s control charts.

As a result of development, the SikaGrind®-750 VRM product has been supplied continuously. This product gives LafargeHolcim cements a resistance gain greater than 10% and increased the production up to 12%, apart from the reduction of the vibration in the mill.

SikaGrind® range

SikaGrind®-750 VRM
SikaGrind®-362
SikaGrind®-210 BR