A method of preparing a cement hydration product nano-thin film, the method including: (1) preparing a cement hydration product; (2) preparing a water sacrificial layer film; (3) depositing the cement hydration product obtained in (1) on the surface of the water sacrificial layer film obtained in (2) to obtain a cement hydration product film; and (4) immersing the cement hydration product film in a saturated aqueous solution of calcium hydroxide to dissolve the water sacrificial layer film to obtain a nano-thin film of the cement hydration product.

A method of preparing a cement hydration product nano-thin film, the method including: (1) preparing a cement hydration product; (2) preparing a water sacrificial layer film; (3) depositing the cement hydration product obtained in (1) on the surface of the water sacrificial layer film obtained in (2) to obtain a cement hydration product film; and (4) immersing the cement hydration product film in a saturated aqueous solution of calcium hydroxide to dissolve the water sacrificial layer film to obtain a nano-thin film of the cement hydration product.

The present invention pertains to a process for producing captured carbon dioxide. Calcium carbonate may be reacted with sulfur dioxide to produce calcium sulfite and gaseous carbon dioxide. Calcium sulfite may be thermally decomposed to produce gaseous sulfur dioxide. The processes may be used in conjunction with combusting various fuels such as a carbonaceous fuel, or a sulfurous fuel, or a nitrogenous fuel, or a hydrogen fuel, or a combination thereof.

The present invention pertains to processes of, for example, preparing zinc oxide and other substances. In one embodiment an exemplary process pertains to reacting ammonium chloride with zinc oxide to form a zinc chloride, gaseous ammonia, and gaseous water vapor. The zinc chloride may be reacted with sulfuric acid to form a zinc sulfate and hydrochloric acid. The zinc sulfate may be decomposed to produce zinc oxide among other substances.

Aqueous cementitious slurries including predominantly Type I Portland cement containing an aluminate additive. The aluminate additive is an aluminate salt other than calcium aluminate or calcium sulfoaluminate, preferably sodium aluminate. Cementitious reactive powders of the slurry include the Type I Portland cement and 0.1-10 wt. % of the aluminate additive as an accelerator. The slurries may have a set time of about 10 minutes or less. Due to the short set time, the cementitious reactive powders may facilitate cement board fabrication by continuous manufacturing processes. Methods for making cement boards may include disposing the aqueous cementitious slurry including the cementitious reactive powders in a continuous layer, preferably upon a porous support, and setting the aqueous cementitious slurry with a set time of about 10 minutes or less.

A method for preparing low-background cement includes: uniformly mixing a seed crystal of cement, C.sub.4AF whiskers, and high-magnesium raw material to yield a first mixture, calcining the first mixture at 1400-1500 C., to yield a low-background clinker, the first mixture including 1.0-5.0 wt. % of the seed crystal of cement, 1.0-5.0 wt. % of the C.sub.4AF whiskers, and the balance is the high-magnesium raw material; and grinding a second mixture of the low-background clinker and gypsum, to yield low-background cement. The seed crystal of cement is a high-magnesium and low hydration heat clinker, has a specific activity of Ra-226 radioactive nuclides within 50 Bq/kg, and the MgO content of the clinker is between 4.0 wt. % and 5.0 wt. %, with 50 wt. % <C.sub.3S <55.0 wt. %; and the high-magnesium raw material has a MgO content between 2.5 wt. % and 3.0 wt. %.

A process for producing fly ash in a fluidized bed boiler includes combusting a fuel in a fluidized bed combustor in the presence of limestone particles, recovering fly ash, and recovering bottom ash. The fuel contains hydrocarbons and sulfur. A majority of the sulfur from the fuel is recovered from the bottom ash. The fly ash may contain less than 5% by weight of sulfur oxides. This may be achieved by using limestone particles having certain properties and/or narrowing an inlet from the boiler into a cyclone.

A raw meal for a cement clinker, a cement clinker made from that raw meal and a process for producing a cement clinker are provided. The clinker contains mainly the hydraulically activate alphaH-belite polymorph and calcium sulfoaluminate (ye'elimite or C.sub.4A.sub.3?), at the low firing temperature of 1050? C., using a combination of fluoride and boron oxide.

Spent Claus catalyst having a high alumina content is used as an ingredient in the manufacture of Portland cements in place of all or a portion of a conventional source of alumina. The spent Claus catalyst is preferably of a small particle size and can be ground to the desired fineness before mixing with the other ingredients that are heated in a conventional kiln to produce the cement composition. Finely ground spent Claus catalyst can also be used as an additive at levels of 0.1% to 2% by weight to increase the thickening time of shallow casing cement slurries.

A method for preparing low-background cement includes: uniformly mixing a seed crystal of cement, C.sub.4AF whiskers, and high-magnesium raw material to yield a first mixture, calcining the first mixture at 1400-1500? C., to yield a low-background clinker, the first mixture including 1.0-5.0 wt. % of the seed crystal of cement, 1.0-5.0 wt. % of the C.sub.4AF whiskers, and the balance is the high-magnesium raw material; and grinding a second mixture of the low-background clinker and gypsum, to yield low-background cement. The seed crystal of cement is a high-magnesium and low hydration heat clinker, has a specific activity of Ra-226 radioactive nuclides within 50 Bq/kg, and the MgO content of the clinker is between 4.0 wt. % and 5.0 wt. %, with 50 wt. %?C.sub.3S?55.0 wt. %; and the high-magnesium raw material has a MgO content between 2.5 wt. % and 3.0 wt. %.