STRATEGIC ANALYSIS OF THE QUARRIES OF THE PROVINCE OF MATANZAS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF LOW-CARBON CEMENT (LC3) USING QGIS SOFTWARE

Abstract

Portland cement is one of the most widely used construction materials in modern life, although its production represents a high energy consumption, in addition to emitting large volumes of CO2 into the atmosphere. An environmental solution is the use of supplementary cementitious materials such as low carbon cement (LC3). Currently, the province of Matanzas does not have an updated information system that provides the exact location of the quarries and the materials that are exploited in them. The present investigation responds to the project of Construction Materials for the Matancero Territory, the objective is to strategically analyze the quarries of the province of Matanzas for the production of the LC3 using the QGIS software. A procedure consisting of 4 stages is proposed, where the object of study is characterized, a map is designed to locate the quarries of the province of Matanzas using the QGIS software and an analysis of the existing materials in the quarries located for the LC3 production. According to analyzes carried out on the quarries in the Matanzas territory, a total of 11 quarries with possible materials for the production of LC3 were located on a map of the province of Matanzas developed by the QGIS software, including: Laguna Loans, an abandoned deposit with a reserve where there may be kaolinitic clay; 9 limestone deposits, where only the Alacranes quarry is active and Canasí, an active deposit that exploits gypsum outside the limits of Matanzas.