Thermal durability of OPC pastes admixed with nano iron oxide

Nanotechnology helps in producing materials with prospective properties, for each field of science (physics, chemistry, bio-science as well as construction materials). Nanoparticles belong to the materials in the field of civil engineering which have a high surface area to provide high chemical reactivity. Some researchers have employed nanoparticles into cementitious materials based on ordinary Portland cement to modify the properties of this system. They have important advantages for the hydration and microstructure of cement paste to increase the rate of hydration and the amount of formed CSH gel. The aim of this work is to investigate the influence of NF on the fire resistance of OPC pastes. The NF was synthesized by thermal decomposition of basic ferric acetate fired at 275, 600 and 800 °C. The crystal size of the prepared NF as previously determined was 14.6, 16.98 and 18.68 nm, respectively. OPC admixed with 1 wt% NF prepared at 275 °C gives the higher fire resistance than those admixed with 2 or 3 wt%. It shows the higher bulk density, compressive strength and lower porosity up to 450 °C than the blank OPC. As the firing temperature of NF increases the fire resistance diminishes

Hydration and characteristics of metakaolin pozzolanic cement pastes

The industrial area produces lots of solid waste materials with CO2 emission. One of the most effective ways to solve these problems is the utilization of these waste materials. The production process of cements from its raw materials produces a lot of CO2. The most effective way to decrease CO2 emission of cement industry is the substitution of a proportion of cement with supplementary cementing materials. Cement blended with metakaolin (MK) is also required as a countermeasure to reduce the amount of CO2 generation. Metakaolin (MK), Al2Si2O7, is a highly amorphous dehydration product of kaolinite, Al2(OH)4Si2O5. The aim of our research was to investigate the effect of up to 20 wt% substitutions of OPC by MK on the hydration characteristics of MK-blended cement pastes. The physico-chemical properties of the hardened cement pastes were studied up to 90 days of hydration. The hydration products of some selected samples were investigated using XRD, DTA and DTG techniques. The results indicated that substitution of up to 20 wt% OPC by MK as pozzolanic materials resulted in an increase in the standard water of consistency, acceleration of the initial setting times, high compressive strength values at earlier ages and improvement of the mechanical and durability properties. Keywords: Supplementary cementing materials, Cement hydration, OPC, Metakaoli

Incorporation of cement bypass flue dust in fly ash and blast furnace slag-based geopolymer

This work utilizes cement kiln dust in fly ash and blast furnace slag-based geopolymer. Geopolymer cement was produced using different compositions of ground, granulated blast furnace slag with fly ash and cement bypass flue dust. Crystalline sodium metasilicate pentahydrate was used as an activator at 10, 15 and 20% (by weight) of the geopolymer source materials. The geopolymer is formed in the solid state like ordinary Portland cement. The mechanical and chemical properties of the geopolymeric materials were examined. Measuring of mechanical properties by compressive strength of the hardened geopolymer pastes at different curing ages; microstructure was evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM); thermal properties were estimated by thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) and derivative thermogravimetric analysis (DTG). The results indicate that the compressive strength of the geopolymer pastes is increased with higher Na2SiO3.5H2O content. The geopolymeric properties were enhanced by higher pH, which helps in the dissolution of geopolymer source materials during geopolymerization. SEM showed that mixes containing 15 and 20% sodium metasilicate had more compact and dense structures. On the other hand, GGBFS mix (G-20) exhibits more hydration and geopolymeric products during TGA/DTG compared with other mixes which contain FA with/without GGBFS. Keywords: Cement bypass flue dust, Geopolymer, Ground granulated blast furnace, Fly as

Repurposing carbonate-based waste for producing an innovative binder: optimization and characterization

This study reports the full recycling of dolomite waste (DW) in the fabrication of a novel cementitious material through a facile and eco-efficient method. The proposed technique includes mixing different alkali-activators (i.e., NaOH and Na2SiO3) with DW powder, followed by curing at room temperature. Based on the alkali-activator type, sodium oxide concentration, and curing time, the formulated mixtures yield a wide range of compressive strengths. When DW powder is mixed with different contents of NaOH (2.5, 5, and 7.5 wt.% Na2O), the resulting hardened materials exhibited modest compressive strengths (less than 11 MPa) due to the formation of the gaylussite Na2CO3·CaCO3·5H2O phase. Concerning the other chemical activator (Na2SiO3), a significant improvement in the compressive strengths of the resulted hardened materials was detected. This was ascribed to the formation of calcium silicate hydrate, with a high binding capacity, through the exchange reaction between Na2SiO3 and CaCO3 inside DW. The sample activated with Na2SiO3 (silica modulus of 1.5) equivalent to Na2O of 7.5 wt.% offered the highest 90-day compressive strength (34 MPa). At silica modulus lower or higher than 1.5, a noticeable decrease in the performance of the hardened materials was observed, which could be attributed to the alter in binding phase composition. Overall, the present work presented a new approach in utilizing the available and low cost carbonate-based wastes as main precursors in the family of promising alkali-activated materials