Hans-Jürgen Scholz, Founder and CEO, AdoCem® Products, explores activating performance enhancers as a strategic lever that goes far beyond grinding efficiency and redefining cement economics through smart, application-driven GreenTech chemistry.
Activating performance enhancers are now enabling clinker reduction, strength optimisation, and carbon savings without heavy capital investment. In this interview, Hans-Jürgen Scholz, Founder & CEO, AdoCem® Products, explains how application-driven GreenTech chemistry is redefining cement economics beyond grinding efficiency.
How do activating performance enhancers change the economics of cement manufacturing beyond traditional grinding aids?
Traditional aids were about mill throughput; AdoCem®’s performance enhancers are about Total Cost Optimisation. While traditional aids reduce energy per ton, our activating range chemically intervenes in the hydration process. By enhancing early and late-age strength, we allow producers to significantly increase the “filler-to-clinker” ratio.
The economic shift is profound: you aren’t just saving pennies on electricity; you are saving dollars by replacing expensive clinker with cost-effective mineral components.
In your experience, how significantly can cement additives reduce clinker factor while protecting strength and quality consistency?
Clinker is the most expensive and carbon-intensive ingredient in cement. At AdoCem®, we have demonstrated that advanced additives can facilitate a 5 per cent to 10 per cent reduction in clinker factor without compromising the 28-day MPa requirements. We achieve “consistency” through specialised chemical stabilisers that buffer the variability of fly ash and slag, ensuring the final product meets BIS standards regardless of raw material fluctuations.
How should cement producers evaluate additive economics across power savings, composition costs, and CO2 reduction?
We encourage our partners to use the AdoCem® Triple-Bottom-Line Matrix:
- Operational Alpha: Immediate power savings (kWh/t) and increased mill productivity.
- Compositional Alpha: The direct savings from clinker substitution.
- Regulatory Alpha: The long-term value of reduced CO2 footprints, which will soon dictate market access and “Green” pricing premiums.
Why is application knowledge as critical as chemistry in delivering measurable economic benefits?
Chemistry is only 50 per cent of the solution. The remaining 50 per cent is Application Engineering. Every mill has a unique thermal and mechanical profile. At AdoCem®, we don’t just “ship drums”; our technical teams conduct on-site audits to calibrate dosing systems and analyse particle size distribution (PSD). Without this application expertise, the best chemistry in the world remains an underutilised asset.
How do performance enhancers help cement plants remain competitive while meeting tightening sustainability targets?
The competitive landscape in India is shifting toward “Low-Carbon” leadership. Performance enhancers are the most cost-effective way to achieve this. Rather than heavy CAPEX investments in new kilns, plants can use AdoCem®’s Green-series additives to lower their carbon intensity immediately, allowing them to remain profitable while adhering to tightening ESG mandates.
Are Indian cement producers fully leveraging additives to optimise total production costs, or is potential still untapped?
The potential is largely untapped, particularly in the mid-tier segment. Many still view additives as a commodity “grinding aid” rather than a “performance engine.” There is significant room to leverage specialised chemicals for high-performance blended cements (PPC/PSC) that can compete with OPC in the infrastructure segment.
How do advanced additives influence the long-term economics of blended cements and alternative material usage?
As high-grade fly ash becomes scarce, the industry must turn to “challenging” materials like calcined clay or low-grade slag. Advanced additives act as the chemical bridge, neutralising the negative effects of these materials. AdoCem®’s R&D focuses on making these alternative materials economically viable, securing the supply chain for the next decade.
How will GreenTech-driven additive innovation redefine cement economics in a net-zero future?
The future is “Smart Chemistry.” We are moving toward bio-based molecules and AI-integrated dosing. In a net-zero future, AdoCem® envisions additives that adapt in real-time to clinker mineralogy, making zero-waste, ultra-low clinker cement the global economic standard.
– Kanika Mathur