Some cement plants add water to the material during grinding, then blend and store it as a slurry.
To save energy, modern cement plants preheat the materials in a preheater tower before they enter the kiln. From the preheater, the material now enters the kiln at the upper or feed end. They emerge from the lower end of the kiln as a new substance, red-hot particles called clinker. It's now considered portland cement. From the grinding mills, the cement is conveyed to silos where it awaits shipment.