Thermoluminescence of cement

Cement is found to be a thermoluminescent material. The glow curves of ordinary portland cement obtained from two different sources are found to be qualitatively similar. White cement (J K Brand) exhibits intense thermoluminescence (TL) compared to Birla white brand. The emission of J K white cement seems to be mainly due to Mn impurities which enters the product through limestone, the major ingredient in the preparation of cement. The possible use of TL as a spectroscopic technique to characterize cement is discussed.