Industrial process

To produce conventional cement, massive rock is extracted from quarries. Once extracted, these rocks are crushed, transported and stored in pre-homogenization halls.

The mixture of crushed rocks is dried and ground to obtain the “raw” material. This is then pre-calcined at 800°C before being fired under a flame at 2,000°C.

. This process is energy intensive due to the high temperature to be maintained in the oven 24/7.

Firing is the site of chemical chain reactions, mainly aimed at transforming molecules into oxides to form clinker. Thus, limestone (CaCO₃) breaks down into CaO and CO₂, thus inducing a significant emission of CO₂. This clinker is then cooled, then ground with additions to produce cement..

No clinker, no firing, cold activated to cut CO₂ emissions by 5.

Hoffmann Green cements activated in a cold process are made from co-products from industry, such as blast furnace slag, clay sludge and gypsum. Activators and superactivators are added in very precise doses during the manufacturing process, making it possible to produce Hoffmann Green 0% clinker decarbonated cements, without firing and with no impact on natural resources.

Our 4.0 production units are in line with our principle of minimising environmental impact. Through the logic of the circular economy and recycling, they produce no waste and use renewable energy to power our sites.

Hoffmann Green is at the origin of a double technological breakthrough. On the one hand, by removing clinker from our cements, we are eliminating the main source of CO₂ emissions from traditional cement production. On the other hand, by replacing the firing stage with a cold manufacturing process, the energy required to produce our cements is drastically lower than that needed to produce traditional cements.

The manufacturing process for Hoffmann Green cements is based on the systematic use of abundant coproducts as a substitute for natural resources. This innovation makes it possible to produce a decarbonated 0% clinker cement with low energy consumption, while preserving natural resources, in particular without resorting to quarrying. Thanks to the absence of a firing process, the carbon footprint of Hoffmann Green cements is significantly reduced compared to that of traditional cement.

Admixture and mixing take place at the heart of our industrial process. This is followed by the packaging of our cements (big bag, bulk or sacks), then dispatch to the worksite areas according to an optimised transport scheme (see diagram above).

Against a backdrop of climate emergency and energy price inflation, Hoffmann Green is actively participating in the energy transition by producing a clean cement that consumes 10 to 15 times less energy than Portland cement, thanks to its 4.0 production site powered by a fleet of solar trackers and, soon, two additional sites.

Cement that supplies three main markets

Far from the image of traditional cement plants, Hoffmann Green’s industrial layout means that its plants have no kilns or chimneys and are located as close as possible to urban areas where major works are being carried out.

Hoffmann Green cements thus cater for the three main cement markets:

• Prefabricated concrete: prefabrication of concrete products outside their final location and assembly/delivery on site.
• Ready-to-use concrete (RTC): concrete prepared in factories in concrete plants and then transported to the place of use in mixer trucks.
• Cement bags: marketed to professionals and the general public, our bags will soon be distributed through 5,500 distribution points in France.