FAQ

General Information

What is the difference between cement and concrete?

Cement is just one of the materials used in making concrete.  Concrete includes cement, aggregates, sand, and water.  Cement, when combined with water, acts as a ‘binder’ that holds the other materials together.

Does C.S.P.P. produce cement or concrete?  

Comus actually produces neither cement nor concrete.  C.S.P.P. produces a pozzolan material that is used as an admixture in cement.  Pozzolans are added to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) to make Portland Pozzolan Cement (PPC) at up to 40%. 

How does CSPP activate the pozzolan for use in cement without burning fossil fuels?

CSPP uses the patented process known as The Hill Process to ‘cold’ activate the pozzolan.  See The Hill Process

Who regulates the standards for pozzolans used in cement? 

The standards for qualification as a pozzolanic material are regulated by ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials).  ASTM C618 is the regulation that establishes the chemical make-up necessary to qualify as a pozzolan. See Summary.

Does the pozzolan produced by C.S.P.P. meet ASTM standards?

Yes, the three materials produced at the Woodsboro quarry meet the chemical standards established by ASTM C618 for pozzolans.  See the testing results documents under the Science tab on the website.

How does Pozzolan Portland Concrete (PPC) compare to Ordinary Portland Concrete (OPC)?

PPC is a much better product than OPC.  Less expensive to manufacture, easier to finish, more durable, less permeable, more resistant to adverse chemical reaction with aggregates, etc.  See web page, Solutions Tab for more quality characteristics. 

How does PPC perform in extreme weather conditions?  

Chemistry offers the solution for extreme weather circumstances for PPC like it does for OPC -numerous chemicals can be added to the mix-design.  Calcium chloride is one such chemical when set time is affected by cold weather.      

Does PPC ‘behave’ like OPC when brought to the job site by a ready-mix truck?    

 The job-site consistency of PPC is based on the same physics / chemistry as OPC.  Because conditions vary, adherence to the mix-design at the batch plant is essential to handle all job-site conditions.

What is the life expectancy of PPC compared to OPC?

History has shown that PPC far outlasts OPC.  The Pantheon in Rome and the Roman Coliseum are extreme examples of the longevity of PPC.  Engineers speculate that the concrete dams built in America in the early 1900s will endure for 1000s of years, including the Hoover and Glen Canyon Dams.  

How much pozzolan is available to process at the Woodsboro Quarry?        

Since the start of the quarry, the engineer of record has been Aken’s Engineering. Using the Maryland Natural Resource Geology Map, along with Lehigh Cement boring records, CSPP reserves are estimated at estimated reserves upwards of +1 billion tons available to process. 

Glossary of terms

1) Pozzolan:  A pozzolan is a siliceous or siliceous and aluminous material that, in itself, possesses little or no cementitious value but which will, in finely divided form and in the presence of water, react chemically with calcium hydroxide at ordinary temperature to form compounds possessing cementitious properties.

  • Raw Pozzolan: An inactive mineral Pozzolan 

  • Active Pozzolan: A Pozzolan which has 85% or greater reactivity.

  • Inactive Pozzolan: A Pozzolan which has less than 85% reactivity.

  • Calcined Pozzolan: A Pozzolan which has been artificially heated in a Calciner (kiln).

  • Artificial Pozzolan: A Pozzolan that has been heated in a Calciner (kiln). 

  • Volcanic Pozzolan: A Pozzolan that has passed through a volcano.

  • Natural Pozzolan: A Pozzolan that is not Man-made.

2) Mineral: a solid inorganic substance of natural occurrence.

3) Sedimentary Deposit: erosion detritus deposited naturally by the action of water in oceans and lakes. This will appear as layered clays, silts, and sands which transition after significant time to stone such as shale, slate, siltstone, or sandstone. 

4) Portland Cement:  a manmade cementitious material made by heating limestone in the presence of a high silica mineral yielding mostly tricalcium silicate.

5) Pozzolan Portland Cement:  a manmade cementitious material made by blending 60% Portland Cement with 40% active Pozzolan.

6.  L.O.I. / Loss On Ignition   -the loss of chemical residues due to evaporation or combustion during high heat processing (calcining).  This “loss” of chemicals must be contained in pollution control devices according to prescribed EPA standards.