Enhanced stabilization of highly expansive clays by mixing cement and silica fume

Performance of Portland cement pastes containing nano-silica and different types of silica

Rapid growth in industrial development has raised the concern of proper disposal of the by-products generated in industries. Many of them may cause serious pollution to the air, land, and water if dumped in open landfills. Agricultural and municipal wastes also cause environmental issues if not managed properly. Besides, minimizing the carbon footprint has become a priority in every industry to slow down global warming and climate change effects. The use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) obtained from agricultural, industrial, municipal, and natural sources can decrease a significant amount of fossil fuel burning by reducing cement production and contribute to proper waste management. Also, SCMs can enhance desirable material properties like flowability, strength, and durability. Such materials may play a big role to meet the need of modern time for resilient construction. The effective application of SCMs in cement-based materials requires a clear understanding of their physical and chemical characteristics. Researchers studied how the flowability, strength, and durability properties of structural mortar change with the replacement of cement with different SCMs. Various experiments were conducted to examine the behavior of structural mortar in extreme conditions (e.g., high temperature). Many scholars have attempted to improve its performance with various treatment techniques. This article is an attempt to bring all the major findings of the recent relevant studies together, identify research gaps in the current state of knowledge on the utilization of SCMs in structural mortar, and give several recommendations for further study. The available results from recent studies have been reviewed, analyzed, and summarized in this article. A collection of the updated experimental findings will encourage and ease the use of various by-products and wastes as SCMs in structural mortar for sustainable construction.

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/9/3888/pdf

Utilization of By-Products and Wastes as Supplementary Cementitious Materials in Structural Mortar for Sustainable Construction

Utilization of alkali-activated slag based composite in deepwater oil well cementing

Novel selection of environment-friendly cementitious materials for winter construction: Alkali-activated slag/Portland cement

Hydration of the silica fume-Portland cement binary system at lower temperature

By analyzing the mechanical properties, composition of hydrates, content of Ca(OH)2 and microstructure of the complex binder of silica fume-Portland cement, which cured at constant low temperatures(+5-−10 °C), the effect of different low temperatures on hydration performance of the complex binder at the age of 3, 7 days and 14 days was researched. Experimental results show that hydration processes of the complex binder can be restricted by low temperature. Reducing the curing temperature could cause compressive strength and flexural strength of the complex binder to decrease significantly. The gradient difference between strength diminishes, content of Ca(OH)2 in hydrates reduces, and compactness of the microstructure weakens. Therefore mixing with silica fume can modify various performance indicators of the complex blinder, but reducing the curing temperature restricts the pozzolanic activity of silicon fume.

Yao Li

Papers

Hydration of the silica fume-Portland cement binary system at lower temperature

Effect of low temperature on hydration performance of the complex binder of silica fume-portland cement