ABSTRACT
In less than two centuries the global cement industry has undergone phenomenal growth to reach a production level of over 4 billion tons per year. It has positioned itself as an inexpensive, reliable, durable, and almost indispensable basic material of building construction. Combined with water and mineral aggregates it forms concrete, mortar, and other cement-based products, which, taken together, turn out to be the second-most consumed substance in the world after water. At the same time it is also evident that the growth of the cement production base is strongly dependent on the growth of the construction industry that provides the built environment to mankind for working, living, and leisure.
