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Batch-to-batch variability in the chemical and physical properties of the fly ash, slag and portland cement (binders) will be an ongoing concern over the many years that salt waste from Tank 50 will be processed into grout at the Saltstone Processing Facility. This batch-to-batch variability in the properties of the binder materials translates to variability in the fresh and cured properties of Saltstone. Therefore, it is important to quantify the batch-to-batch variability of the binder materials and the resultant variation in grout properties. This report is the starting point for that process by providing the baseline (reference point) binder properties to which future batches of binder materials can be compared. For this characterization effort, properties of fly ash, slag and portland cement were obtained and documented in this report. These properties included particle size distribution by laser light scattering and dry sieving, particle size and morphology by scanning electron microscopy, true, aerated and tapped densities, chemical composition, rheological properties of the water based slurries made from individual binder material, and volatility through thermogravimetric analysis and differential thermal analysis. The properties presented in this report also provide a baseline data set to assist in problem solving efforts when or if unanticipated and/or unwanted processing events occur at the Saltstone Processing Facility.

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