Dredged marine soil stabilization using magnesia cement augmented with biochar/slag

Dredged marine soils(DMS)have poor engineering properties,which limit their usage in construction projects.This research examines the application of reactive magnesia(rMgO)containing supplementary cementitious materials(SCMs)to stabilize DMS under ambient and carbon dioxide(CO_(2))curing conditions.Several proprietary experimental tests were conducted to investigate the stabilized DMS.Furthermore,the carbonation-induced mineralogical,thermal,and microstructural properties change of the samples were explored.The findings show that the compressive strength of the stabilized DMS fulfilled the 7-d requirement(0.7-2.1 MPa)for pavement and building foundations.Replacing rMgO with SCMs such as biochar or ground granulated blast-furnace slag(GGBS)altered the engineering properties and particle packing of the stabilized soils,thus influencing their performances.Biochar increased the porosity of the samples,facilitating higher CO_(2) uptake and improved ductility,while GGBS decreased porosity and increased the dry density of the samples,resulting in higher strength.The addition of SCMs also enhanced the water retention capacity and modified the pH of the samples.Microstructural analysis revealed that the hydrated magnesium carbonates precipitated in the carbonated samples provided better cementation effects than brucite formed during rMgO hydration.Moreover,incorporating SCMs reduced the overall global warming potential and energy demand of the rMgO-based systems.The biochar mixes demonstrated lower toxicity and energy consumption.Ultimately,the rMgO and biochar blend can serve as an environmentally friendly additive for soft soil stabilization and permanent fixation of significant amounts of CO_(2) in soils through mineral carbonation,potentially reducing environmental pollution while meeting urbanization needs.

Dry Mix Slag—High-Calcium Fly Ash Binder. Part Two: Durability

This work investigates durability of cement-free mortars with a binder comprised of ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) activated by high-calcium fly ash (HCFA) and sodium carbonate (Na2CO3): the soundness, sulfate resistance, alkali-silica reactivity and efflorescence factors are considered. Results of tests show that such mortars are resistant to alkali-silica expansion. Mortars are also sulfate-resistant when the amount of HCFA in the complex binder is within a limit of 10 wt%. The fineness of fly ash determines its’ ability to activate GGBFS hydration, and influence soundness of the binder, early strength development, sulfate resistance and efflorescence behavior. The present article is a continuation of authors’ work, previously published in MSA, Vol. 14, 240-254.

The Mechanism of Ground Granulated Blastfurnace Slag Preventing Alkali Aggregate Reaction

Three different methods were applied to study the alkali content of gelpores in cement. In the closed system, the concentration of K＋, Na＋ and OH - have not reduced with the increase of age. In the open system, the diffusion and transferring of K＋ and Na＋ towards free space leads to the de-crease of total alkali content. In the micro-analysis system, the contents of K＋ and Na＋ in the first hy- drated layer of ground granulated blastfurnace slag （GBFS） are very low, while the contents of calcium and magnesium are relatively high. This phenomenon shows that the mechanism of GBFS preventing alkali aggregate reaction （AAR） is： when GBFS is dissolved by alkali medium, SiO2 and Al2O3 are dissolved into the cement matrix, then around GBFS particles form reaction rings rich in Ca2＋ and Mg^2＋, and the C-S-H gel of positive charges formed in the area repulses K＋ and Na＋, which are forced to transfer to the mortar＇s matrix, pore or mortar sample surface. The transferred K ^＋ and Na^＋ form alkali gel products with other dissolved ions, then become evenly distributed in the mortar sample and react with Ca（OH）2 in pore solutions to form （Na,K）x-2z·zCa·（SiO2）y·（OH）x gel products; and thus changes the AAR gel products＇ structure. The gel products will not expand, and so they can delay expansion destruction.

Effect of Steel Slag and Granulated Blast-furnace Slag on the Mechanical Strength and Pore Structure of Cement Composites

Reuse of solid industrial wastes is an effective approach to develop low-carbon construction materials. This paper examines how two materials, steel slag（ST） and granulated blast-furnace slag（SL） impact the mechanical performance and pore structure of cement-based systems. Analysis was done on the variations of the porosity, pore size, and pore volume distribution with the curing age and replacement content, and the fractal dimensions of pore surfaces. The results suggested that systems with both supplementary materials had lower early strengths than pure cement, but could generally surpass pure cement paste after 90 d; higher SL content was particularly helpful for boosting the late strengths. The addition of ST increased the porosities and mean pore sizes at each age, and both increased with ST content; SL was helpful for decreasing the system＇s late porosity（especially harmless pores below 20 nm）; The lowest porosity and mean pore size were obtained with 20% SL. Both systems had notably fractal characteristics on pore surfaces, with ST systems showing the highest dimensions at 10% ST, and SL systems at 20% SL. Compressive strength displayed a significant linear increase with fractal dimension.

A Binder of Phosphogypsum-Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag-Ordinary Portland Cement

A new hydraulic cementitious binder was developed by mainly utilizing industrial byproducts phosphogypsum（PG）and ground granulated blast furnace slag（GGBFS）with small addition of ordinary portland cement（OPC）.The hydration process and microstructure were studied by X-ray diffraction（XRD） and scanning electronic microscopy（SEM）.OPC hydrated first at early age to form primarily C-S-H gel,ettringite and calcium hydroxide（CH）.GGBFS activated by CH and sulfate ions hydrated continuously at later age,producing more and more hydration products,C-S-H gel and ettringite.Thus the paste developed a denser microstructure and its strength increased.The 28 d compressive strength of the mixture of 50%PG,46% GGBFS and 4%OPC exceeded 45 MPa.The setting time was faster and 3 d and 7 d strength were higher when the proportion of OPC increased.But the 28 d strength decreased when OPC exceeded 4%due to large amount of ettringite formed at late hydration age which damaged the microstructure.

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.

Influence of Carbonation on Fatigue of Concrete with High Volume of Ground Granulated Blast-furnace Slag

The effect of carbonation on fatigue performance of ground granulated blast-furnace slag concrete was investigated. Based on the static compression tests of carbonated GGBS-concrete, the correlation between carbonation depth and compressive strength was analyzed and an equation between carbonation depth and compressive strength was put forward. Meanwhile, fatigue S-N curves of various carbonation depths were fitted, and the infl uence of carbonation on fatigue life and strength was studied. Carbonation has a dual effect on the fatigue behavior of GGBS-concrete. A fatigue equation based on the depth of carbonation was established. Also, the probabilistic distribution of fatigue life of carbonated concrete at a given stress level was modeled by the two-parameter Weibull distribution.

Abrasion Resistance of Cement Paste with Granulated Blast Furnace Slag and Its Relations to Microhardness and Microstructure

The abrasion resistance of cement pastes with 30 wt%,40 wt%and 50 wt%granulated blast furnace slag(GBFS),and its relations to microhardness and microstructure like hydration products and pore structure were studied.Results indicated that GBFS decreased the abrasion resistance of paste,and among the pastes with GBFS,the paste with 40 wt%GBFS showed the highest abrasion resistance.The microhardness of GBFS was lower than that of the cement,and the microhardness of the hydration products in paste with GBFS was also lower than that of the hydration products in paste without GBFS,so that the abrasion resistance of paste decreased when GBFS was incorporated.The reason for the decrease of microhardness of pastes with GBFS was that the contents of Ca(OH)_(2)in pastes with GBFS was significantly lower than that in the paste without GBFS,while large amounts of calcium aluminate hydrates and hydrotalcite-like phases(HT)in pastes with GBFS were generated.Furthermore,among the pastes with GBFS,the paste with 40 wt%GBFS showed the lowest porosity which was the main reason for its highest abrasion resistance.

Dry Mix Slag—High-Calcium Fly Ash Binder. Part One: Hydration and Mechanical Properties

High-calcium fly ash (HCFA)—a residue of high-temperature coal combustion at thermal power plants, in combination with sodium carbonate presents an effective hardening activator of ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS). Substitution of 10% - 30% of GGBFS by HCFA and premixing of 1% - 3% Na2CO3 to this dry binary binder was discovered to give mortar compression strength of 10 - 30 to 30 - 45 MPa at 7 and 28 days when moist cured at ambient temperature. High-calcium fly ash produced from low-temperature combustion of fuel, like in circulating fluidized bed technology, reacts with water readily and is itself a good hardening activator for GGBFS, so introduction of Na2CO3 into such mix has no noticeable effect on the mortar strength. However, low-temperature HCFA has higher water demand, and the strength of mortar is compromised by this factor. As of today, our research is still ongoing, and we expect to publish more data on different aspects of durability of proposed GGBFS-HCFA binder later.

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.

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.

Properties and Mechanism on Flexural Fatigue of Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced Concrete Containing Slag

Properties and mechanism were investigated on flexural fatigue of concrete containing polypropylene fibers and ground granulated blast furnace slag（GGBFS）.Four polypropylene fibers’volume fractions and five slag proportions were considered.An experiment was conducted to obtain the fatigue lives at three stress levels in 20 Hz frequency and at a constant stress level of 0.59 in four frequency respectively.Mechanism and evaluation were investigated based on the experimental data.Fatigue life span models were established.The results show that the addition of polypropylene fibers improves the flexural fatigue cumulative strength and fatigue life span.It is proposed that the slag particles and hydrated products improve Interfacial Transition Zone（ITZ）structure and benefit flexural fatigue performance.A composite reinforce effect is found with the incorporation of slag and polypropylene fibers.The optimum mixture contents 55%slag with 0.6%polypropylene fiber for the cumulative fatigue stress.Fatigue properties are decreased as the stress level increasing,the higher frequency reduces the fatigue strength more than lower frequency at a constant stress level.

Optimum Level of Replacement Slag in OPC-Slag Mortars

The present paper reports the testing of 14 OPC-slag mortars and 2 controls OPC and slag mortars. The main aim is to determine the optimum level of replacement slag for achievement to the highest early strength with reasonable flow. Variable was the level of GGBFS in the binder. In this experimental work, two types of sands were used that are： silica and mining sands. It is determined that the optimum level of replacement slag is 40% and use of silica sand in OPC is preferable to mining sand and reversely, use of mining sand is preferred in GG100 to silica sand. All mortars had W/B and S/B 0.33 and 2.25, respectively.

Effects of Steel Slag Powder on Workability and Durability of Concrete

The workability and durability of a type of sustainable concrete made with steel slag powder were investigated. The hydrated products of cement paste with ground granulated blast furnace slag（GGBFS） alone or with a combined admixture of GGBFS-steel slag powder were investigated by X-ray diffraction（XRD）. Furthermore, the mechanism of chemically activated steel slag powder was also studied. The experimental results showed that when steel slag powder was added to concrete, the slumps through the same time were lower. The initial and fi nal setting times were slightly retarded. The dry shrinkages were lower, and the abrasion resistance was better. The chemically activated steel slag powder could improve compressive strengths, resistance to chloride permeation and water permeation, as well as carbonization resistance. XRD patterns indicated that the activators enhanced the formation of calcium silicate hydrate（C-S-H） gel and ettringite（AFt）. This research contributes to sustainable disposal of wastes and has the potential to provide several important environmental benefi ts.

The Preparation of Porous Activated Slag Granules/TiO_(2)Photocatalyst and Its De-NO_(x)Performance

The porous structure and honeycombed structure of granulated blast furnace slag formed by alkali activation(AGBFS)can be used as a promising photocatalysts substrate for the photocatalytic removal of atmospheric or water pollutants.In this study,photocatalytic activated slag granules were synthesized by loading TiO_(2)on AGBFS with immersion method.The physicochemical properties and NO_(x)removal performance of activated slag granules/TiO_(2)photocatalysts were studied by X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscope(SEM)and photocatalytic performance test.The effects of slag particle sizes and nano-TiO_(2)loading concentrations on photocatalytic efficiencies of NO_(x)removal were also investigated.It was found that the De-NO_(x)performance of activated slag granules/TiO_(2)photocatalyst increased with the increasing of slag particle size in low TiO_(2)loading concentration situation,while increasing the TiO_(2)loading concentration would result in the opposite De-NO_(x)performance as slag size increased.Nevertheless,for the same size activated slag,the photocatalytic efficiency of activated slag granules/TiO_(2)photocatalyst gradually improved with the increase of loading concentration of TiO_(2).

Evaluating Simultaneous Impact of Slag and Tire Rubber Powder on Mechanical Characteristics and Durability of Concrete

In this experimental study,the impact of Portland cement replacement by ground granulated blast furnace slag(GGBFS)and micronized rubber powder(MRP)on the compressive,flexural,tensile strengths,and rapid chloride migration test(RCMT)of concrete were assessed.In this study,samples with different binder content and water to binder ratios,including the MRP with the substitution levels of 0%,2.5%and 5%,and the GGBFS with the substitution ratios of 0%,20%and 40%by weight of Portland cement were made.According to the results,in the samples containing slag and rubber powder in the early ages,on average,a 12.2%decrease in the mechanical characteristics of concrete was observed,nonetheless with raising the age of the samples,the impact of slag on reducing the porosity of concrete lowered the negative impact of rubber powder.Regarding durability characteristics,the RCMT results of the samples were enhanced by using rubber powder because of its insulation impact.Moreover,adding slag into the MRP-included mixtures results in a 23%reduction in the migration rate of the chloride ion averagely.At last,four mathematical statements were derived for the mechanical and durability of concrete containing the MRP and GGBFS utilizing the genetic programming method.

APPLICATION OF SLAG HIGH PERFORMANCE CONCRETE (SHPC) IN A CAR PARKING BUILDING

Using ground granulated blast furnace slag as the active stuff of high performance concrete (HPC), the C60 SHPC was prepared. The behaviour of the C60 SHPC and its application in the Car Parking Building of Beijing Capital International Airport were described. Also, the manufacturing techniques of reducing cement consumption, lowering hydration heat, minimizing shrinkage cracks and improving durability of the C60 SHPC were discussed. (Author abstract) 3 Refs.

Sulfuric Acid Resistance of Concrete with Blast Furnace Slag Fine Aggregate

The deterioration of concrete by sulfuric acid attack in sewage environments has become a serious problem for many existing sewage structures. In this study, the properties of concrete using the blast furnace slag have been examined. It was shown that by using the blast furnace slag fine aggregate and blast furnace slag fine powder, it is possible to enhance the resistance of mortar and concrete to sulfuric acid. The resistance to sulfuric acid of mortar and concrete can be improved by using a blast-furnace slag fine aggregate in the total amount of fine aggregate. When mortar or concrete reacts to sulfuric acid, dihydrated gypsum film is formed around the particulate of the fine aggregate. This dihydrated gypsum film could retard the penetration of sulfuric acid, thus, improving the resistance to sulfuric acid. Furthermore, it has been proved that the relationship between the erosion depth by sulfuric acid attack and the product of immersion period and concentration of sulfuric acid can be expressed linearly. However, this relationship is dependent on the type of materials of concrete.

TiO_2 nanoparticles' effects on properties of concrete using ground granulated blast furnace slag as binder

In the present study, compressive strength, pore structure, thermal behavior and microstrncture characteristics of concrete containing ground granulated blast furnace slag and TiO2 nanoparticles as binder were investigated. Portland cement was replaced by different amounts of ground granulated blast furnace slag and the properties of concrete specimens were investigated. Al- though it negatively impacts the properties of concrete at early ages, ground granulated blast furnace slag up to 45 wt% was found to improve the physical and mechanical properties of concrete at later ages. TiO2 nanoparticles with the average particle size of 15 nm were partially added to concrete with the optimum content of ground granulated blast furnace slag and physical and mechanical properties of the specimens were measured. TiO2 nanoparticle as a partial replacement of cement up to 3 wt% could accelerate C-S-H gel formation as a result of increased crystalline Ca（OH）2 amount at the early age of hydration and hence increase compressive strength of concrete. The increased TiO2 nanoparticles＇ content of more than 3 wt% may cause reduced compressive strength because of the decreased crystalline Ca（OH）2 content required for C-S-H gel formation and unsuitable dispersed nanoparticles in the concrete matrix. TiO2 nanoparticles could improve the pore structure of concrete and shift the distributed pores to harmless and less-harm pores.

Effects of Al_2O_3 nanoparticles on properties of self compacting concrete with ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) as binder

In this work, strength assessments and percentage of water absorption of self compacting concrete containing ground granulated blast furnace slag （GGBFS） and A1203 nanoparticles as binder have been investigated. Portland cement was replaced by different amounts of GGBFS and the properties of concrete specimens were investigated. Although it negatively impacts the physical and mechanical properties of concrete at early ages of curing, GGBFS was found to improve the physical and mechanical properties of concrete up to 45 wt% at later ages. A1203 nanoparticles with the average particle size of 15 nm were added partially to concrete with the optimum content of GGBFS and physical and mechanical properties of the specimens were measured. A1203 nanoparticle as a partial replacement of cement up to 3.0 wt% could accelerate C-S-H gel formation as a result of increased crystalline Ca（OH）2 amount at the early ages and hence increase strength and improve the resistance to water permeability of concrete specimens. The increase of the A1203 nanoparticles＇ content by more than 3.0 wt% would cause the reduction of the strength because of the decreased crystalline Ca（OH）2 content required for C-S-H gel formation. Several empirical relationships have been presented to predict flexural and split tensile strength of the specimens by means of the corresponding compressive strength at a certain age of curing. Accelerated peak appearance in conduction calorimetry tests, more weight loss in thermogravimetric analysis and more rapid appearance of the peaks related to hydrated products in X-ray diffraction results, all indicate that A1203 nanoparticles could improve mechanical and physical properties of the concrete specimens.