For many years now the idea of including alkalis in a Portland cement matrix has been regarded as a daft or inexcusably erroneous proposition: despite its absurdity, that opinion has been widely accepted as a basic premise by the scientific and technical community working in the area of the chemistry of cement. In 1957 Glukhovsky proposed a working hypothesis in which he established a close relationship between alkalis and cementitious materials. That hypothesis has become consolidated and has served as a basis for developing a new type of binders, initially called "alkaline cements". The present paper reviews the most significant theoretical interpretations of the role played by alkalis in the formation of the "stony" structure of cement. It ends with a broad overview of the versatility of this type of materials for industrial applications and a discussion of the possibility of building on the existing legislation to meet the need for the future regulation of alkaline cement and concrete manufacture. RESUMEN: Activación alcalina: Revisión y nuevas perspectivas de análisis.Hace algunos años, la sola idea de la presencia de álcalis en una matriz de cemento Portland se consideraba casi como una aberración, o como un error imperdonable; convirtiéndose en un postulado básico (absurdo) ampliamente aceptado por la comunidad científica y técnica vinculada a la química de los cementos. En 1957 Glukhovsky propuso una hipótesis en la que se establecía una estrecha relación entre los álcalis y los materiales cementantes. Hoy día nadie duda de que dicha hipótesis ha servido de base para el desarrollo de una nueva clase de materiales cementantes: "cementos alcalinos". En el presente trabajo se hace una revisión sobre los aspectos teóricos más relevantes del papel de los álcalis en la formación de estos conglomerantes. También se da una visión genérica de su versatilidad, desarrollo industrial y estado de la normativa actual para regular en el futuro la fabricación de cementos y hormigones alcalinos.

A study examining the complex hydration chemistry of a hybrid alkaline cement containing a high content of coal bottom ash (BA) (>70%) and a low content of portland cement clinker in the presence of an alkaline activator is presented. The use of a water reducing additive was found to significantly delay the overall hydration process, allowing an opportunity to more clearly distinguish the hydration reactions that take place. The results presented showed that both the cement clinker phases and the ash glassy phases are highly reactive for the first 3 d of hydration. In situ formed reaction products portlandite and gypsum were shown to be metastable and had disappeared within 3 d of hydration. Ettringite stability was limited in the hybrid system but unlike gypsum and portlandite, remained detectable for the first 3 d of hydration at least. SEM‐EDX and subtracted Fourier transform infrared evidence suggest the development of three different gel bond environments, tentatively attributed to C–(A)–S–H, C–A–S–H, and (N,C)–A–S–H type gels.

This review undertakes rigorous analysis of much of the copious literature available to the scientific community on the use of alkali-activated binders (AABs) in construction. The authors’ main intention is to categorically refute arguments of that part of the scientific community underestimating or even dismissing the actual potential of AABs as alternatives to Portland cement (PC). The main premise invoked in support of those arguments is a presumed lack of material resources for precursors that would make AAB industrial-scale production unfeasible anywhere on the planet (a substantial number of scientific papers show that the raw materials required for AAB manufacture are in abundance worldwide). The review also analyses the role of alkaline activators in the chemistry of AABs; it is important to clarify and highlight that alkaline activators are not, by any means, confined to the two synthetic products (caustic soda and waterglass) mostly employed by researchers; other sustainable and efficient products are widely available. Finally, the review deals with the versatility of AAB production processes. The technologies required for the large scale manufacturing of AABs are mostly already in place in PC factories; actually no huge investment is required to transform a PC plant in a AAB factory; and quality and compositional uniformity of Alkaline Cements (binders produced through an industrial process) would be guaranteed. The last conclusions extracted from this review-paper are related with: i) the low carbon footprint of one-part AABs and ii) the urgent need of exploring standardization formulas allowing the commercial development of (sustainable) binders different from PC.

In this study fly ash contents of up to 50% were used to produce binders with mechanical strength greater than or equal to type CEM I 42.5R cement (reference). The specific aim pursued in this research was to determine whether the procedure used to add the chemical activator (in solid or liquid form) can affect strength development in the cement or the nature of the reaction products formed. Two experimental procedures were deployed: (a) the chemical activator was dissolved in the mixing water; (b) the chemical activator was ground, as a solid, into the fly ash. The solid-state method induced slightly higher mechanical strength than when the activator was dissolved in hydration water. The way the chemical activator was added affected not only early age reaction kinetics, but also the nature and composition of the reaction products, the liquid state favoring the formation of phases AFt and AFm. K E Y W O R D Salkali activator, calorimetric, cement, fly ash, mechanical strength

This paper is wholly committed to resource efficiency through the valorization of waste from other industries, and more specifically fly ash as a raw material to produce concrete-like geopolymers. In particular, this study aimed to determine the effect of the physical and chemical characteristics of recycled coal fly ash used to manufacture alkaline cement on reaction kinetics and product microstructure and performance. The ash was mixed with 8 M NaOH and cured for 20 h at 85 • C and RH > 90% to form a compact paste, after which mechanical strength was determined and the reaction rate was calculated using isothermal conduction calorimetry. The findings showed that vitreous content (SiO 2 /Al 2 O 3 ), reactive and (especially) fineness play a very important role in both the development of cement mechanical strength and the composition and structure of the reaction products formed.