Reduced Carbonation, Sulfate and Chloride Ingress Due to the Substitution of Cement by 10% Non-Precalcined Bentonite

Abstract

The Portland cement industry is presently deemed to account for around 7.4% of the carbon dioxide emitted annually worldwide. Clinker production is being reduced worldwide in response to the need to drastically lower greenhouse gas emissions. The trend began in the nineteen seventies with the advent of mineral additions to replace clinker. Blast furnace slag and fly ash, industrial by-products that were being stockpiled in waste heaps at the time, have not commonly been included in cements. Supply of these additions is no longer guaranteed, however, due to restrained activity in the source industries for the same reasons as in clinker production. The search is consequently on for other additions that may lower pollutant gas emissions without altering cement performance. In this study, bentonite, a very common clay, was used as such an addition directly, with no need for precalcination, a still novel approach that has been scantly explored to date for reinforced structural concrete with structural applications. The results of the mechanical strength and chemical resistance (to sulfates, carbonation and chlorides) tests conducted are promising. The carbonation findings proved to be of particular interest, for that is the area where cement with mineral additions tends to be least effective. In the bentonite-bearing material analysed here, however, carbonation resistance was found to be as low as or lower than that observed in plain Portland cement.

Special Issue: Supplementary Cementitious Materials in Concrete, Part I

“…properties of modified cement matrix composites reinforced with fibers [14,[18][19][20]; • application of new types of supplementary cementitious materials [13,16,[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]; • characterization of various types of modified cement based materials [18,21,23,[25][26][27][28][29][30][31].…”

“…The issues of the original research papers and stat-of-the art reviews published in this Special Issue of Materials, and coming from over 45 international universities and scientific centres, can be divided as follows: permeability and diffusivity, which are directly related to the quality of concrete and to the durability in various aggressive environments [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]; properties of modified cement matrix composites reinforced with fibers [ 14 , 18 , 19 , 20 ]; application of new types of supplementary cementitious materials [ 13 , 16 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ]; characterization of various types of modified cement based materials [ 18 , 21 , 23 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ]. …”

“…permeability and diffusivity, which are directly related to the quality of concrete and to the durability in various aggressive environments [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ];…”

“…application of new types of supplementary cementitious materials [ 13 , 16 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ];…”

“…In the study presented by Andrade et al [ 13 ] a common clay–bentonite was used as concrete additive. The Authors not only analysed the influence of such clay on the mechanical properties of concrete, but also its chemical resistance to sulphates, carbonation and chlorides.…”