Hydration Characteristics and Microstructure of Alkali-Activated Slag Concrete: A Review

Alkali-activated slag concrete (AASC) is a new green building material. The amount of CO_(2) produced by AASC is 1/5th of that produced by ordinary Portland cement concrete (OPCC). In addition, AASC promotes the reuse of slag and other wastes and saves resources. Furthermore, the scope of use of slag has been expanded. The progress of the research on the hydration characteristics, microstructure, interfacial transition zone, and pore structure of AASC based on the relevant literatures was analyzed and summarized in this study. The influences of the slag composition, the type and dosage of the alkali activator, and the curing conditions on the hydration characteristics and the microstructure of the AASC were discussed. Relatively few research results on the microstructure of AASC are available, and the relevant conclusions are not completely consistent. Moreover, there are many constraints on the development of AASC (e.g., complex composition of raw materials of slag, large shrinkage deformation, and low fluidity). Therefore, further research is required.

On the Preparation of Low-Temperature-Rise and Low-Shrinkage Concrete Based on Phosphorus Slag

The effects of different contents of a MgO expansive agent and phosphorus slag on the mechanical properties,shrinkage behavior,and the heat of hydration of concrete were studied.The slump flow,setting time,dry shrinkage,and hydration heat were used as sensitive parameters to assess the response of the considered specimens.As shown by the results,in general,with an increase in the phosphorus slag content,the hydration heat of concrete decreases for all ages,but the early strength displays a downward trend and the dry shrinkage rate increases.The 90-d strength and dry shrinkage of concrete could be improved with a phosphorus residue content between 0%-20%,with the best performances in terms of mechanical properties and shrinkage characteristics being achieved for a content of 20 kg/m^(3).On the basis of these results,it can be concluded that appropriate amounts of phosphorus slag and MgO expansive agent can be used to improve the compressive strength of concrete in the later stage by reducing the hydration heat and dry shrinkage rate,respectively.

A machine learning model to predict unconfined compressive strength of alkali-activated slag-based cemented paste backfill

The unconfined compressive strength(UCS)of alkali-activated slag(AAS)-based cemented paste backfill(CPB)is influenced by multiple design parameters.However,the experimental methods are limited to understanding the relationships between a single design parameter and the UCS,independently of each other.Although machine learning(ML)methods have proven efficient in understanding relationships between multiple parameters and the UCS of ordinary Portland cement(OPC)-based CPB,there is a lack of ML research on AAS-based CPB.In this study,two ensemble ML methods,comprising gradient boosting regression(GBR)and random forest(RF),were built on a dataset collected from literature alongside two other single ML methods,support vector regression(SVR)and artificial neural network(ANN).The results revealed that the ensemble learning methods outperformed the single learning methods in predicting the UCS of AAS-based CPB.Relative importance analysis based on the bestperforming model(GBR)indicated that curing time and water-to-binder ratio were the most critical input parameters in the model.Finally,the GBR model with the highest accuracy was proposed for the UCS predictions of AAS-based CPB.

Efficient Use of Steel Slag in Alkali-Activated Blast Furnace Slag Based Geopolymer

Energy shortage and the emission of greenhouse gases have become a global problem of urgent concern.Therefore,there is an urgent need to develop a low carbon building material.Geopolymers have become a hot topic due to their environmental sustainability and the feasibility of immobilizing industrial waste.In this paper,steel slag(SS)fines were investigated as auxiliary materials of blast furnace slag(BFS)based geopolymer.The hydration heat properties,flowability,compressive strength,sorptivity coefficient,X-ray diffraction(XRD),and scanning electron microscopy(SEM)of the geopolymer pastes were determined.The results showed that the incorporation of SS weakened the reactivity of the BFS-based geopolymer paste and improved the flow values of the paste.The compressive strength of the geopolymer with 20%SS content reached 117 MPa at 28 d.The geopolymer specimens with high compressive strength showed a low sorptivity coefficient.The microscopic results showed that the addition of the appropriate amount of SS reduced the cracks,improved the density of the geopolymer,and produced a geopolymer composite with excellent mechanical properties.

Clayey soil stabilization using alkali-activated volcanic ash and slag

Lime and Portland cement are the most widely used binders in soil stabilization projects.However,due to the high carbon emission in cement production,research on soil stabilization by the use of more environmentally-friendly binders with lower carbon footprint has attracted much attention in recent years.This research investigated the potential of using alkali-activated ground granulated blast furnace slag(GGBS)and volcanic ash(VA)as green binders in clayey soil stabilization projects,which has not been studied before.The effects of different combinations of VA with GGBS,various liquid/solid ratios,different curing conditions,and different curing periods(i.e.7 d,28 d and 90 d)were investigated.Compressive strength and durability of specimens against wet-dry and freeze-thaw cycles were then studied through the use of mechanical and microstructural tests.The results demonstrated that the coexistence of GGBS and VA in geopolymerization process was more effective due to the synergic formation of N-A-S-H and C-(A)-S-H gels.Moreover,although VA needs heat curing to become activated and develop strength,its partial replacement with GGBS made the binder suitable for application at ambient temperature and resulted in a remarkably superior resistance against wet-dry and freeze-thaw cycles.The carbon embodied of the mixtures was also evaluated,and the results confirmed the low carbon footprints of the alkali-activated mixtures.Finally,it was concluded that the alkali-activated GGBS/VA could be promisingly used in clayey soil stabilization projects instead of conventional binders.

Pitting corrosion resistance of a novel duplex alloy steel in alkali-activated slag extract in the presence of chloride ions

In this study, two types of reinforcing steels(conventional low-carbon steel and a novel duplex alloy steel with Cr and Mo) were exposed to chloride-contaminated extract solutions(ordinary Portland cement(OPC) extract and alkali-activated slag(AAS) extract) to investigate their pitting corrosion resistance. The results confirm that the pitting corrosion resistance of the alloy steel is much higher than that of the low-carbon steel in both extract solutions with various Na Cl concentrations. Moreover, for each type of steel, the AAS extract contributes to a higher pitting corrosion resistance compared with the OPC extract in the presence of chloride ions, likely because of the formation of flocculent precipitates on the steel surface.

Damage process and performance of PVA fiber-reinforced alkali-activated slag mortar plate under bending

The effects of unoiled polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)fiber with four different volume fractions of 0%,1.0%,1.5%and 2.0%on the bending properties of alkali-activated slag(AAS)mortar plates were studied.Meanwhile,the acoustic emission(AE)technique and a high-speed camera were utilized to detect the crack development over the complete damage process,and the scanning electronic microscopy(SEM)was used to observe the fiber-matrix interface.Test results show that PVA fibers play a significant role in the toughness improvement of AAS plates.However,the enhancing effect of PVA fibers on the bending behaviour of AAS plates at 120 d is not as remarkable as at early ages.It is observed that the failure process of the PVA fiber-reinforced alkali-activated slag plate can be divided into three stages:elastic stage,main crack formation stage and post-peak load stage.Observations on the fracture surface of specimens indicate that the deterioration process of specimens under bending changed from fiber pull-out at 3 and 28 d to fiber fracture at 120 d.

Tests on Alkali-Activated Slag Foamed Concrete with Various Water-Binder Ratios and Substitution Levels of Fly Ash

To provide basic data for the reasonable mixing design of the alkali-activated (AA) foamed concrete as a thermal insulation material for a floor heating system, 9 concrete mixes with a targeted dry density less than 400 kg/m3 were tested. Ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) as a source material was activated by the following two types of alkali activators: 10% Ca(OH)2 and 4% Mg(NO3)2, and 2.5% Ca(OH)2 and 6.5% Na2SiO3. The main test parameters were water-to-binder (W/B) ratio and the substitution level (RFA) of fly ash (FA) for GGBS. Test results revealed that the dry density of AA GGBS foamed concrete was independent of the W/B ratio an RFA, whereas the compressive strength increased with the decrease in W/B ratio and with the increase in RFA up to 15%, beyond which it decreased. With the increase in the W/B ratio, the amount of macro capillaries and artificial air pores increased, which resulted in the decrease of compressive strength. The magnitude of the environmental loads of the AA GGBS foamed concrete is independent of the W/B ratio and RFA. The largest reduction percentage was found in the photochemical oxidation potential, being more than 99%. The reduction percentage was 87% - 93% for the global warming potential, 81% - 84% for abiotic depletion, 79% - 84% for acidification potential, 77% - 85% for eutrophication potential, and 73% - 83% for human toxicity potential. Ultimately, this study proved that the developed AA GGBS foamed concrete has a considerable promise as a sustainable construction material for nonstructural element.

Effect of magnesia on properties and microstructure of alkali-activated slag cement

The effect of magnesia bumt at 800-950℃ on the properties, especially the shrinkage, of alkali-activated slag cement （AASC.） was experimentally studied. Experimental results show that, although adding 4%-8% lightly-burnt magnesia may shorten the setting time and slightly reduce the compressive strength of AASC, it c, an remarkably reduce the shrinkage of AASC. The results also show that the setting time of AASC with a certain amount of magnesia increases with the buming temperature, and that the flexural and compressive strengths of AASC decrease with the increase of the additive amount of magnesia. Generally, the adverse effect of magnesia decreases with the increase of the burning temperature：, and the shrinkage-reducing effect of magnesia increases with the additive amount of magnesia. X-ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） analyses show that some magnesia particles in the hardened AASC paste at a 28-d age remained unhydrated, and that the compactness decreased a little as magnesia was added. We can also conclude that magnesia bumt at 850-950℃ can be used to reduce the shrinkage of AASC only when its additive amount does not exceed 8%; otherwise, the setting time may be too short, and the flexural and compressive strengths may severely decrease.

The Interaction Effects of the Parameters on Optimization Design in Paper Production Waste Usage on Alkali-Activated Slag with Taguchi Method

The paper investigates the second-order interactions of parameters in an alkali-activated mixture of paper production waste(PPW)and blast furnace slag(BFS)in Taguchi method.The PPW including lime mud(LM)and paper sludge(PS).This paper provides the experimental models to assess the compressive and flexural strength of them at 7-day and 28-day.The results have shown that the second-order interactions between PPW and alkali-activated activator exists in each experimental model,and the significant interactions affect the selection of optimal compositions.Compared with the interactions between the PPW themselves,the interactions between PPW and alkali-activated parameters are the main significant factors affecting its physical properties.In each experimental model,the maximum compressive strength was 47.41 MPa in 7-day and 65.64 MPa in 28-day.Compared with the confirmatory experiments,the deviation of prediction calculated by experimental models was 3.08%and 0.56%,respectively.The maximum flexural strength was 5.74 MPa in 7-day and 5.96 MPa in 28-day;compared with the confirmatory experiments,the deviation of prediction calculated by experimental models was 5.40%and 0.17%.Considering the influence of circular materials,30%of PPW should be a suitable ratio to replace BFS as the raw material of alkali-activated slag(AAS).

Characteristics of Phosphorus Adsorption with Boiler Slag and Process Optimization

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of phosphorus adsorption on boiler slag and optimize the adsorption process. [Method] Boiler slag was used as an adsorbent in the single-grade adsorption process to dispose the rural domestic sewage. During the course, phosphorus adsorption kinetics and thermodynamics, adsorption operating curve and the minimum boiler slag dosage were analyzed and calculated. [Result] Langmuir adsorption isotherm could be applied to describe the absorption of phosphorus with boiler slag, and the absorption kinetics was confirmed with the pseudo second-order equation. The maximum absorption quantity and the initial absorption rate increased with the rise of temperature, reaching up to 0.159 1 mg/g and 0.169 8 mg/(g·min) respectively at 40 ℃. Thermodynamic variables ΔG0<0 and ΔH0>0 indicated that the entire process was a spontaneous endothermic reaction, and high temperature would facilitate the reaction of absorption. In the single grade adsorption, the minimum adsorbent dosage decreased as the temperature rose; at 40 ℃ the optimum mass ratio of boiler slag to wastewater was 3.31 kg/m3. [Conclusion] The adsorption process with boiler slag as adsorbent is an economical and effective approach for treating rural domestic sewage.

Hydration Kinetics of Phosphorus Slag-cement Paste

Hydration characteristics of Portland cement paste with phosphorus slag powder incorporated and hydration kinetics was investigated with SEM, X-ray diffraction, DTA-TG and calorimeter Ⅱ80. Results showed that phosphorus slag powder could reduce total amount of hydration products yet had little influence on the type of hydration products. The total amount of heat of hydration was decreased by 49.11% and the final setting was postponed by 2.28 h when phosphorus slag powder substituted 35% Portland cement by mass. The accelerating stage of this composite paste was controlled by catalysis, decreasing stage controlled by both catalysis and diffusion while stabilizing stage by diffusion alone. Hydration resistance and activation energy were reduced and hydration speed was accelerated.

Development of Cementitious Materials Utilizing Alkali-activated Yellow River Silt

The possibility of preparing cementitious materials by the alkali-activated method using Yellow River sediment(The second largest river in China)as raw material and the modification effect on different slag addition were investigated.Sodium silicate and calcium hydroxide were used as the activator,and the specimens were prepared by the press molding method.The hydration process,hydration products,pore characteristics,and mechanical properties were investigated using SEM/EDS,FTIR,TG/DTG,XRD,MIP,and uniaxial compressive strength experiments,respectively.The results showed that the compressive strength of the modified yellow river silt-based cementitious material was significantly increased when the water glass dosage was 12 wt%(Ms=1.8)and the slag dosage was 40%,and its 90-day maximum compressive strength could reach 53 MPa.

PHOSPHORUS REMOVAL USING STEEL SLAG

Steel slag is a byproduct produced in large amounts in the steel-making process. It is an important resource that can be effectively utilized. An experiment was described in which steel slag was tested as an adsorbent for the removal of phosphorus from waste water. Phosphorus removal depended on the amount of steel slag added, the pH value, the contact time, and the initial concentration. Under laboratory conditions when the added slag was 7.5g/L, the contact time 2h, and the pH value was equivalent to 6.5, over 99% of the phosphorus was removed; the experimental data on steel slag adsorption of phosphorus in the water fitted the Freundlich isotherm model. Steel slag was found to be very effective in adsorbing phosphorus.

Effect of Fe_2O_3 on the crystallization behavior of glass-ceramics produced from naturally cooled yellow phosphorus furnace slag

CaO–Al2O3–SiO2(CAS) glass-ceramics were prepared via a melting method using naturally cooled yellow phosphorus furnace slag as the main raw material. The effects of the addition of Fe2O3on the crystallization behavior and properties of the prepared glass-ceramics were studied by differential thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. The crystallization activation energy was calculated using the modified Johnson–Mehl–Avrami equation. The results show that the intrinsic nucleating agent in the yellow phosphorus furnace slag could effectively promote the crystallization of CAS. The crystallization activation energy first increased and then decreased with increasing amount of added Fe2O3. At 4wt% of added Fe2O3, the crystallization activation energy reached a maximum of 676.374 kJ·mol−1. The type of the main crystalline phase did not change with the amount of added Fe2O3. The primary and secondary crystalline phases were identified as wollastonite (CaSiO3) and hedenbergite (CaFe(Si2O6)), respectively. © 2017, University of Science and Technology Beijing and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Distribution of Phosphorus between CaO-CaF2 Slag and Fe-C-P Melt

The equilibrium distribution ratio of phosphorus between CaO-CaF2 molten slag and Fe-C-P melt at 1450 ℃ was measured.The phosphate capacity of slag and the activity coefficient of phosphorus oxide were calculated.

Physico-chemical Characteristics of Wet-milled Ultrafine-granulated Phosphorus Slag as a Supplementary Cementitious Material

The phosphorus slag（PS） can be used as a supplementary cementitious material due to its potential hydrating activity. However, its usage has been limited by its adverse effects, including prolonged setting and lowered early-stage strength. In this study, we achieved ultrafine granulation of PS using wetmilling（reducing d50 to as low as 2.02 μm） in order to increase its activity, and examined the physico-chemical properties of the resulting materials, including particle-size distribution, slurry pH, zeta potential, and activity index, as well as how their replacement level and granularity affect the setting time and mechanical performance of PS-cement mixture systems. The results suggested that as the granularity increases, there are significant boosts in the uniformity of particle sizes, slurry pH, and activity index, and the effects on cement paste, including setting times, and early-and late-stage strengths, are significantly mitigated. When d（50）=2.02 μm, the slurry becomes strongly alkaline（pH=12.16） compared to the initial d（50）=20.75 μm（pH=9.49）, and the activity is increased by 73%; when used at 40% replacement, the PS-cement mixture system can reach a 28 d compressive strength of 93.2 MPa, 36% higher than that of the pure cement control group.

Thermodynamic Behavior of Manganese and Phosphorus between Liquid Iron and CaO-MgO-SiO_2-Al_2O_3-Fe_tO-MnO-P_2O_5 Slags

The thermodynamic behavior of manganese and phosphorus between liquid iron and CaO-MgO-SiO2-Al2O3-FetO-MnO-P2O5 ladle slag system was addressed by investigating the thermodynamic equilibria between liquid iron containing Mn and P and the ladle slag at 1873 K. The Mn distribution ratio L-Mn increases with increasing FetO content and decreasing the basicity ((%CaO + %MgO)/(%SiO2 + %Al2O3 + %P2O5)) in slag, while the P distribution ratio Lp seems to be increased as FetO content and the basicity increases. The values of L-Mn and L-p decrease by the addition of Al2O3 into slag. The expression of the dependence of L-Mn and L-p on the basicity and FetO content in slag was obtained.

The study of microstructure and phosphorus distribution in converter slag

An efficient slagging is a key process to improve the dephosphorization ability in converter operation. The microstructure analyses can provide the information of phosphorus distribution in various mineral phases to feature completely the dephosphorization process.Two kinds of converter slags were investigated in this study, including conventional slag with high basicity and dephosphorization slag with low basicity.The characteristics of high basicity converter slag have been reported widely.However,the investigations on the low basicity slag properties for dephosphorization in converter are less discussed in steelmaking slag system.This study focused on the microstructure and phosphorus-containing phases in converter slag.The slag composition and mineral phase were examined by the usual XRF chemical analysis and EPMA,XRD studies.The results indicated that the phosphorus-containing phase in high basicity slag was the dicalcium silicate(2CaO·SiO_2 or C_2S) phase,while phosphorus in low basicity slag was incorporated in CaFeSiO_4 structure.

Design and experiment on concentration of phosphorus in factory converter slags

The phosphorus-concentrating phase in the converter slags was designed and simulated by synthetic converter slag.The distribution of phosphorus in factory converter slags was also analyzed by scanning electron microscope(SEM) and X-ray diffraction(XRD).Then factory converter slags were modified by addition of SiO_2 and heated to 1540℃and then cooled to room temperature.The results showed that the phosphorus in the factory converter slags was mostly distributed in two phases:dicalcium silicate (C_2S) and tricalcium silicate(C_3S) by formation of solid solution,and with a little in matrix.Whereas,in the synthetic slags with the basicity close to 3,phosphorus was almost concentrated in phase of C_2S(Pconcentrating phase) in which the contents of P_2O_5 reach to 7.74%.This lays a good foundation for grinding and separation of P- concentrating phase.