La "Nuova Cementeria di Scala di Giocca"
La Nuova Cementeria di Scala di Giocca, built in 1956, was born to answer the growing demand for hydraulic ligaments during the great season of public works that affected Sardinia during those years. The Cementerie Society of Sardinia decided to create a productive pole with an annual capacity of about 1,200,000 quintals.
The choice of location in the Scala di Giocca plain was strategic: the proximity to the quarry of the massif of Canechervu guaranteed the immediate availability of raw material, while the proximity to the railway station Scala di Giocca, on the Chilvani-Sassari line, and to the State Road 131 facilitated the distribution of cement. The new plant helped to bridge supply difficulties in northern Sardinia, particularly in the city of Sassari.
The rise and decline of the cement mill
The initiative was enthusiastically welcomed by the population and led to numerous recruitments, temporarily alleviating the problem of unemployment. Many emigrants returned hoping for stable employment, but their expectations were soon disappointed.
Since the 1970s, the first difficulties for the cement industry began, with the prospect of closure of the plant. One of the main problems was industrial water supply, which compromised production. In the 1980s, the cement factory entered a phase of restructuring, culminating in the final cessation of production. Today, only the commercial sector remains operational.
The plant and the production cycle
The cement plant design was developed according to the most advanced technical knowledge of the time, both for plants and machines, and for environmental working conditions.
The area occupied by the plant extends for 80.000 square meters, including railway and road connections. The houses of the employees, with their relevance, cover 6,000 square meters.
The production cycle was based on the humid process, divided into several stages:
- Rock extraction with compressed air drills.
- Crushing in two stages, with screening for granulometric selection.
- Transport of materials by means of tipping tapes and vehicles.
- Grinding in rotating tubular mills with large amounts of water.
- Mixing in tanks to obtain the correct chemical composition.
- Cooking in the rotary furnace for clinker production.
- Clinker grinding to prepare different types of cement.
- Storage in silos and start to the filling and loading department.
To manage this complex process, the cement plant included:
- General shed of 120 meters for the storage of materials.
- Grinding, cooking and preparation of the mixture.
- Rotating oven and combustion plant.
- Chemical laboratory and mechanical workshop.
- Loading facilities on railway and vehicles.
An industrial heritage to be converted
Today, those who travel the State Road 131 in the territory of Muros cannot ignore the three imposing chimneys that interrupt the natural profile of the mass of Canechervu. These cement giants are a warning of the industrial transformation of Sardinia and raise questions on the requalification of the enormous waste production heritage.
The possibility of conversion ranges from new production destinations to tourist-receiving solutions, so that this historic place can find a new function in the modern context.