Kaolin miner Minerals Corporation Ltd has begun commercial production of a new cement binder product that it says will slash the amount of carbon emitted in the cement making process. Minerals Corporation said its KAOCEM product had been independently certified to reduce carbon emissions by 80 per cent. It said cement was the world's third largest polluter of carbon emissions, after power generation and vehicles, producing about two billion tonnes of carbon emissions each year. "This breakthrough is arguably the most significant environmental advance ever in cement making," Minerals Corporation said. "This environmentally friendly `green' cement is based on the inert mineral kaolin which is activated using an Australian invention. "Conventional cement uses a limestone base." The company said rival technologies applied overseas claimed five per cent to 20 per cent reductions in carbon emissions, mainly based on diluting the cement with reactive materials. "This is the first time that a new technology has been able to either fully replace conventional cement ... or as a blend to suit particular end use applications," Minerals Corporation said. The company said the product, which is being manufactured by its subsidiary Australian China Clays Ltd, also had "important technical advantages in weight savings, strength and shrinkage etcetera".
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