Computer simulation for optimizing mining waste recycling in cement raw meals

Cement production offers the opportunity to recycle and valorize certain mining wastes, containing the main cement oxides. This study presents a Python program for finding the optimum composition of a limestone-clay cementitious mixture in which we recycle mining waste (LCy%Wx%) to produce a Portland clinker as close as possible to a clinker taken as a reference (RR). The aim of this Python program is to determine the percentages of limestone, clay and waste in the LCW, by equating eleven of its characteristics to those of the reference raw meal; these characteristics encompass the four oxide compositions (CaO, SiO2, Fe2O3, Al2O3), three moduli (LSF, SR, AF) and the proportions of the clinker's four main phases. This program allows the user to select limestone-clay-waste raw materials and a target reference with its eleven parameters. The script execution generates eleven solutions, stored in files as numerical tables and graphs. These results facilitate the selection of optimum percentages of cementitious raw materials. Ultimately, this recycling process offers both economic and ecological benefits.