Cement
Cement is a powdery substance made with calcined lime and clay. It is mixed with water to form mortar or mixed with sand, gravel, and water to make concrete, one of the world’s most versatile building materials.
Type
Other Industrial Material
Description
Cement is a powdery substance made with calcined lime and clay. It is mixed with water to form mortar or mixed with sand, gravel, and water to make concrete, one of the world’s most versatile building materials.
Relation to Mining
Cement manufacture requires an abundant, accessible supply of high calcium limestone or similar rocks. Usually cement-making plants are located near population centers that consume the finished product, and raw material supplies of limestone and clay. About two-thirds of the states in the United States make cement. These states produce about 90 million tons of cements each year; that’s more than 850 pounds of cement for every person living in the United States. In 2013, Texas, California, Missouri, Florida, and Michigan were, in descending order, the five leading cement-producing States and accounted for 47% U.S. production.
Uses
About 75% of all the cement produced is used to make ready-mix concrete, which is used to make buildings, bridges, sidewalks, walls, and all sorts of constructed structures. The rest is used to make building materials such as concrete blocks, pipes, and pre-cast slabs, in road building and repairs, and other assorted uses.
