Methods and composition are provided for deriving cement and/or supplementary cementitious materials, such as pozzolans, from one or more non-limestone materials, such as one or more non-limestone rocks and/or minerals. The non-limestone materials, e.g., non-limestone rocks and/or minerals, are processed in a manner that a desired product, e.g., cement and/or supplementary cementitious material, is produced.

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.

A method of carbonating cement powder and use thereof. An amount of water is supplied to an initial cementitious powder to create a moistened cementitious powder. Carbon dioxide is supplied to the moistened cementitious powder, while mechanically stirring the moistened cementitious powder, to cause a reaction of the carbon dioxide with the moistened cementitious powder to produce a carbonated cementitious material. The carbonated cementitious material is dried and ground to produce a carbonated cementitious powder. The carbonated cementitious powder may be combined with ordinary cement and various ingredients or additives, such as retarders, accelerators and extenders for use in well cementing applications. Methods for cementing casing, liners and remedial operations such as plugging back, and squeeze cementing are also provided. Methods for producing a low alkaline cement suitable for high CO.sub.2 gas wells are also provided. Methods to achieve a stable retarded cement used in higher temperatures are provided.

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.

Methods and composition are provided for deriving cement and/or supplementary cementitious materials, such as pozzolans, from one or more non-limestone materials, such as one or more non-limestone rocks and/or minerals. The non-limestone materials, e.g., non-limestone rocks and/or minerals, are processed in a manner that a desired product, e.g., cement and/or supplementary cementitious material, is produced.

The invention comprises a method of making a hydraulic cement clinker. The method comprises delivering a natural calcium-iron-aluminosilicate mineral from one or more of hyaloclastite, lava, scoria, volcanic glass, volcanic ash, or any other mineral of a basaltic or intermediate basaltic chemical composition and blending it in ground form with limestone, calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide. The blended mixture is calcined in a portland cement clinker kiln at an elevated temperature and for a time sufficient to form a hydraulic cement clinker.

A method for industrial refining of coal ash created in power plants and carbonaceous ashes produced in other combustion processes by separating coal from said ashes and returning it to use and by recovering a substantially coal-free ash fraction obtained in the refining. In the method, coal ash and at least one ash fraction created by gasification technique in combustion plants are carefully proportioned in relation to one another and formed into a slurry mixture by means of an efficient dispersion technique, the slurry being then led to a flotation step, where a fraction rich in coal and a siliceous fraction poor in coal and a fraction dissolving in the process water are separated by flotation. The coal ash is arranged to have the highest proportion in the mixture to be taken to flotation, the ashes from combustion plants being dosed into said mixture in an amount that does not cause the maximum amounts of harmful substances to be exceeded in the qualities of the carbonaceous product and the silicate product poor in coal to be obtained.

Methods and composition are provided for deriving cement and/or supplementary cementitious materials, such as pozzolans, from one or more non-limestone materials, such as one or more non-limestone rocks and/or minerals. The non-limestone materials, e.g., non-limestone rocks and/or minerals, are processed in a manner that a desired product, e.g., cement and/or supplementary cementitious material, is produced.