A process for treating the dust catch from a cement manufacturing operation for producing cement clinker. The process includes blending the dust catch from a cement manufacturing operation with appropriate additives to produce a feed material. The blended feed material is pelletized and then supplied to a rotary kiln where it is burned at reducing conditions to produce cement clinker. The product discharged from the kiln is cooled and the exhaust gases from the kiln are quenched and the particulates collected. The process can be used to produce an alkali rich product from the exhaust system.