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.

Fundamental Study on Alkali-Activated Slag System with Sodium Carbonate or Calcium Hydroxide

Cement as a building material, has high fluidity, compressive strength, and durability, but carbon dioxide emissions during cement production are a major problem. As one of the countermeasures, alkali-activated cement using blast furnace slag powder with alkaline stimulants is considered to be a very promising solution for reducing carbon dioxide emissions, but there is a lack of information about the fundamental properties of alkali-activated materials. This study presents an experimental investigation of the fundamental properties of an alkali-activated slag system with sodium carbonate (NC) and calcium hydroxide (CH). The effects of calcium sulfo-aluminate (CSA) and shrinkage reducing agent (SRA) on the properties of blast furnace slag (BFS) based alkali-activated mixture were also investigated. In the experiments, fundamental characteristics including compressive strength, drying shrinkage, and water penetration tests of mortar were evaluated. Porosity, pH, and ignition loss were measured to verify the effectiveness of the materials. The experimental investigation revealed that the compressive strength was increased with the increasing replacement rates of NC in the BFS mortar, and in the case of water to BFS ratio of 0.45 with sodium carbonation addition contents 10 wt.%, the compressive strength for 28 days of curing reaches more than 50 MPa. Low water to BFS ratio and higher addition ratio of NC had a positive effect on the compressive strength development of mortar. Incorporating NC into BFS would affect the decrease in porosity and increase in ignition loss, leading to higher compressive strength. There was a negligible change to the compressive strength, porosity, pH, and ignition loss of BFS samples made with CH, thus, the addition rates of CH to BFS have no or little significant effect on the fundamental properties of alkali-activated cement. From the results of drying shrinkage and water penetration tests, the addition of NC and CH only to BFS exhibited poor drying shrinkage and water penetration characteristics. However, these problems may be overcome due to the use of CSA or SRA in the alkali-activated system made with NC or CH.

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.

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.

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.

Magnesia Modification of Alkali-Activated Slag Fly Ash Cement

A new type of magnesia modification alkali-activated cement was prepared, the strength, setting time, shrinkage ratio and cracking behavior, as well as the composition and structure of the hydration product were investigated. The results indicate that the setting time of this cement is similar to that of the ordinary commercial cements; its strength reaches the standard of 42.5 degree cement, its cracking resistance has been remarkably improved because of the micro-aggregate effect of fly ash and shrinkage compensating of magnesia.

Setting and Strength Characteristics of Alkali-activated Carbonatite Cementitious Materials with Ground Slag Replacement

The effect of the ground granulated blast-furnace slag （ GGBFS ） addition, the modulus n （ mole rutio of SiO2 to Na2O ） and the concentrution of sodium silicate solution on the compressive strength of the material, i e alkuli-activated carbonatite cemeutitious material （ AACCM for short ） was investiguted. In addition, it is found that barium chloride has a sutisfiwtory retarding effect on the setting of AACCM in which more than 20% （ by mass ） ground carbonatite was replaced by GGBFS. As a result, a cementitious material, in which ground carbonatite rock served as dominative starting material, with 3-day and 28-day compressive strength greuter them 30 MPa and 60 MPa and with continuous strength gain beyond 90 days was obtained.

The Durability of Alkali-Activated Materials in Comparison with Ordinary Portland Cements and Concretes:A Review

China is the largest producer and user of ordinary Portland cement(OPC),and the rapid growth of infrastructure development demands more sustainable building materials for concrete structures.Alkali-activated materials(AAMs)are a new type of energy-saving and environmentally friendly building material with a wide range of potential applications.This paper compares the durability of AAMs and 0 PC-based materials un der sulfate attack,acid corrosion,carb on ation,and chloride penetratio n.Different AAMs have shown distinct durability properties due to different compositions being formed when different raw materials are used.According to the calcium(Ca)concentration of the raw materials,this paper interprets the deterioration mechanisms of three categories of AAMs:calcium-free,low-calcium,and calcium-rich.Conflicts found in the most recent research are highlighted,as they raise concerns regarding the consistenee and long-term properties of AAMs.Nevertheless,AAMs show better durability performances than OPC-based materials in general.

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.

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.

Exploring the Mechanical Properties,Shrinkage and Compensation Mechanism of Cement Stabilized Macadam-Steel Slag from Multiple Perspectives

Steel slag is characterized by high strength,good wear resistance and micro-expansion.This study aims at exploring the potential of steel slag in cement stabilized aggregates,mainly including mechanical properties,shrinkage and compensation mechanisms.For this purpose,the compressive strength and compressive resilient modulus of cement stabilized aggregates with different steel slag contents(CSMS)were initially investigated.Subsequently,the effects of steel slag and cement on dry shrinkage,temperature shrinkage,and total shrinkage were analyzed through a series of shrinkage test designs.Additionally,in combination with X-ray diffraction(XRD)and Scanning electron microscope(SEM),the characteristic peaks and microscopic images of cement,steel slag and cement-steel slag at different hydration ages were analyzed to identify the chemical substances causing the expansion volume of steel slag and reveal the compensation mechanism of CSMS.The results show that the introduction of 20%steel slag improved the mechanical properties of CSMS by 16.7%,reduced dry shrinkage by 21%,increased temperature shrinkage by 5.8%and reduced its total shrinkage by 19.2%.Compared with the hydration reaction of cement alone,the composite hydration reaction of steel slag with cement does not produce new hydrates.Furthermore,it is noteworthy that the volume expansion of the f-CaO hydration reaction in steel slag can compensate for the volume shrinkage of cement-stabilized macadam.This research can provide a solid theoretical basis for the application and promotion of steel slag in cement-stabilized macadam and reduce the possibility of shrinkage cracking.

Reactions of Chromium during the Calcination of Cement Clinker Produced Using Steel Slag

We investigated the effects of calcination temperature(950-1450℃),steel slag content,and the total chromium content of steel slag on the Cr^(6+)contents of clinker samples produced using steel slags with different chromium contents.Additionally,the reactions of chromium in clinker(produced using steel slag)during calcination were studied.It is found that Cr^(6+)conversion increases with increasing calcination temperature to 1250℃,reaching a maximum of 43%-79%,before decreasing to 18%-42%at 1450℃.Cr^(6+)is mainly formed by the oxidation of trivalent chromium(Cr^(3+))during the solid-phase reaction stage of clinker calcination.Furthermore,the Cr^(6+)content of a clinker sample is proportional to the chromium content of its raw meal precursor and is mainly in the form of water-insoluble calcium chromate(CaCrO_(4)).The chromium in clinker is mainly distributed in tricalcium aluminate and tetracalcium aluminoferrite,however,some is present in silicate minerals.We expect to inform the monitoring and control of the Cr^(6+)content of clinker(produced using steel slag)and resulting cement.

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.

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).

Cemented backfilling performance of yellow phosphorus slag

The experiments on the cemented backfilling perfbrmance of yellow phosphorus slag, including physical-mechanical properties, chemical compositions, optimized proportion, and cementation mechanisms, were carried out to make good use of yellow phosphorus slag as well as tackle with environment problems, safety problems, geological hazards, and high-cost issues during mining in Kaiyang Phosphorus Mine Group, Guizhou. The results show that yellow phosphorus slag can be used as the cement substitute for potential coagulation property. Quicklime, hydrated lime, and other alkaline substances can eliminate the high residual phosphorus to improve the initial strength of backfilling body. The recommended proportions （mass ratio） are 1：1 （yellow phosphorus slag：phosphorous gypsum）, 1：4：10 （Portland cement：yellow phosphorus slag：phosphorous gypsum）, and 1：4：10 （ultra fine powder：yellow phosphorus slag：phosphorous gypsum） with 5wt% of hydrated lime addition, 60wt% of solid materials, no fly ash addition, and good rheological properties. The hydration reaction involves hydration stage, solidifying stage, and strength stage with Ca（OH）2 as the activating agent. The reaction rates of yellow phosphorus slag, Portland cement, and ultrafine powder hydration with the increase of microstructure stability and initial strength.

Cementitious property of NaAlO2-activated Ge slag as cement supplement

Germanium(Ge),a waste residue leaching from zinc(Zn)smelting process,has potential cementitious properties and could be recycled as a cement supplement activated by chemical reagents.In this work,a test was conducted to determine the hydration properties of Ge slag-cement-based composites with Ge slag(GS)/ordinary Portland cement(PC)contents of 0wt%,5wt%,10wt%,15wt%,20wt%,and 25wt% and water-to-binder ratio(w/b)of 0.4.The activators Ca(OH)2,AlCl3,NaAlO2,and Na2CO3 were mixed under 1wt%,2wt%,3wt%,and 4wt% dosages of GS weight.The composition and microstructure of the hydration products were investigated by the combined approaches of X-ray diffraction(XRD),thermogravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry(TG-DSC),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS).First,the GS cementitious property is attributed to the high content of CaSO4·2H2O.Second,the activators affected the acceleration performance in the following order:NaAlO2,Na2CO3,AlCl3,and Ca(OH)2.More importantly,the 28-day unconfined compressive strength(UCS)is 45.34 MPa at the optimum formula of 0.6wt% NaAlO2,15wt% GS,and 85wt% PC,which is 9.16% higher than the control.Thus,NaAlO2 is beneficial for the ettringite(AFt)generation,resulting in the C-S-H structure compaction.However,the Zn^2+ residue inhibited the AFt formation,representing an important challenge to the strength growth with curing age.Consequently,the GS could be recycled as a supplement to the cement under the activator NaAlO2.

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.

Research on Hydration of Steel Slag Cement Activated with Waterglass

This paper studied the hydration and strength influence factors ofSteel Slag Cement (SSC), such as the quantity of steel slag and slagand the dosage of additive. The results show that: (a) In the processof hydration of SSC, steel slag and slag activate each other; (b)Waterglass's structure forms the preliminary skeleton of SSC, and thehydration products of SSC link or fill in the skeleton; (c) Sodium inWaterglass is the catalytic and its concentration does not change inthe process of hydration. (d) Structure of activation is asignificant factor to the property of SSC.