Geo-environmental properties and microstructural characteristics of sustainable limestone calcined clay cement(LC3)binder treated Zn-contaminated soils

Limestone calcined clay cement(LC3)is an environment-friendly and sustainable cementitious material.It has recently gained considerable attention for the stabilization/solidification(S/S)of soils contaminated by heavy metals.However,the existing studies on S/S of Zn-contaminated soils using LC3 in terms of hydraulic conductivity and microstructural properties as compared to ordinary Portland cement(OPC)are limited.This study focuses on the evaluation of the mechanical,leaching,and microstructural characteristics of Zn-contaminated soils treated with different contents(0%,4%,6%,8%,and 10%)of low-carbon LC3.The engineering performance of the treated Zn-contaminated soils is assessed over time using unconfined compressive strength(UCS),hydraulic conductivity(k),toxicity characteristic leaching procedure(TCLP),and synthetic precipitation leaching procedure(SPLP)tests.Experimental results show that the UCS of Zn-contaminated soils treated with LC3 ranged from 1.47 to 2.49 MPa,which is higher than 1.63%–13.07%for those treated with OPC.The k of Zn-contaminated soils treated with LC3 ranged from 1.16×10^(−8)to 5.18×10^(−8)cm/s as compared to the OPC treated samples.For the leaching properties,the leached Zn from TCLP and SPLP is 1.58–321.10 mg/L and 0.52–284.65 mg/L as the LC3 contents ranged from 4%to 10%.Further,the corresponding pH modeling results indicate that LC3 promotes a relatively suitable dynamic equilibrium condition to immobilize the higher-level Zn contamination.In addition,microscopic analyses demonstrate that the formations of hydration products,i.e.,Zn(OH)_(2),Zn_(2)SiO_(4),calcium silicate hydrate(C–S–H),calcium silicate aluminate hydrate(C–A–S–H)gel,ettringite,and CaZn(SiO_(4))(H_(2)O),are the primary mechanisms for the immobilization of Zn.This study also provides an empirical formula between the UCS and k to support the application of LC3-solidified Zn-contaminated soils in practical engineering in the field.

Degradation of limestone calcined clay cement(LC^(3))mortars under sulfate attack

Limestone Calcined Clay Cement(LC^(3)) is a newly proposed low-carbon cement,which can effectively reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions of the traditional cement industry without changing the basic mechanical properties of cement-based materials.In this study,the degradation process of mortar samples of limestone and calcined clay cementitious material under sulfate attack is studied by both macroscopic and microscopic analysis.The results show that compared with pure Portland cement,the addition of calcined clay and limestone can significantly reduce the expansion rate,loss of dynamic modulus and mass loss of mortar specimens under sulfate attack.The addition of calcined clay and limestone will refine the pore size distribution of mortar specimens,then inhibiting the diffusion of sulfate and formation of corrosive products,therefore leading to a significant improvement of the sulfate resistance.

Development of limestone calcined clay cement concrete in South China and its bond behavior with steel reinforcement

Limestone calcined clay cement(LC^3),consisting of ordinary Portland cement(OPC)clinker,calcined clay,limestone powder,and gypsum,has been considered a promising solution to current challenges in the cement and concrete industry,such as high carbon emissions,high energy consumption,and resource shortages.This study carries out a series of experimental investigations of LC^3-based paste,mortar,and concrete,including microstructural analyses(e.g.hydration product characterization and pore structure analysis)and macro-scale testing(e.g.workability and mechanical properties),using raw materials from south China.The results show that,in LC^3 paste,the replacement of clinker by calcined clay and limestone leads to an increased volume of small pores but decreased total volume of pores.The workability of LC^3 mortar and concrete can be readily tailored using conventional superplasticizers.When designed for comparable 28-d compressive strength,the LC^3 mortar and concrete tend to have lower early-age compressive strength,but comparable compressive strength and higher flexural strength than those of the OPC counterparts at late ages.This study also examines the bond-slip behavior between LC^3 concrete and steel bars and finds that the bond strength is comparable to that of OPC concrete with the same 28-d compressive strength,but that the LC^3 concrete-rebar interface exhibits higher bond-slip stiffness.These findings on LC^3 concrete provide fundamental information and guidance for furthering the application of LC^3 binder in structural concrete in the near future.