Possibilities and challenges of adding ground granulated blast furnace slag to calcium aluminate cement

 
The production of cement-based construction materials is associated with significant CO2 emissions. Calcium Aluminate Cement (CAC) is a specialty cement which offers superior performance compared to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) in highly demanding environments including chemical attack, exposure to high temperature and mechanical stress. However, CAC production has little intrinsic advantage over OPC in terms of carbon footprint. In addition, during long-term hydration, CAC can undergo a rearrangement of its mineralogical composition called conversion, which limits its application range. The addition of mineral additives with high SiO2 content, such as ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) can reduce the negative effects of the conversion process while reducing the negative environmental impact of CAC production. On the other hand, the addition of GGBFS impacts the hydration behavior and could potentially affect the durability of CAC. The aim of this study is to examine the inhibition of CAC conversion by GGBFS to potentially widen its application range while determining changes in durability.