Investigation of the effect of polymer-based novel grinding aids on cement grinding efficiency

Grinding aids, primarily amine group chemicals, are used to reduce agglomeration and increase concrete strength in order to ensure an efficient comminution process in the modern cement industry. This paper aims to investigate polymer-based novel grinding aids on cement grinding efficiency. It is hereby conventional grinding aids such as triethanolamine, triisopropanolamine, and other polymer-based novel chemicals are examined to reveal their effects on cement grains in grinding process. The physical, chemical, and mechanical properties of the final product in concrete were also compared to each other within the study. The experimental results showed that using polymer-based grinding aids (A1–A2–A3) increased the fineness of the cement by up to 15%, the cement strength by up to 5% and reduced the water requirement by up to 8%. In the grinding process, the polymer-based grinding chemicals (A1–A2–A3) also reduced agglomeration and surface energies on cement grains. Furthermore, the energy consumption was reduced by 7%–9% while the grinding performance was increased by 30%–32%. The flocculation on the mill's internal walls was also observed, resulting in a decrease in ball surface area. Finally, these results suggest that polymer-based chemical additives may outperform conventional grinding chemicals in the cement comminution process.