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The use of metakaolin as a source of alumina in supersulfated in cements order to increase the formation of ettringite

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Abstract

The production of greenhouse gases has provoked discussion on global warming and motivated the scientific community to seek alternative options to Portland cement that are capable of reducing the emission of CO2, such as supersulfated cements (SSCs). SSCs are comprised of blast furnace slag (up to 90%), calcium sulfate (up to 20%), and an alkaline activator (up to 5%), which form, as primary reaction products, ettringite and calcium-silicate-hydrate (C–S–H). A higher alumina content is desired in blast furnace slag since the compound enhances ettringite formation and, consequently, increases the mechanical strength of the system. In the present study, metakaolin (MK), which is rich in alumina, was used to replace slag. The results showed that MK was an efficient raw material for use in supersulfated cements, capable of partially replacing blast furnace slag containing low alumina content. A small level of MK replacement (5%) reduced the absorption values and increased the compressive strength from 23 to 44 MPa of the cement. This result was attributed to the greater formation of ettringite, which led to a consequent reduction in porosity.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Central de Análises of the Federal Technological University of Paraná (UTFPR) by its infrastructure support for the development of this research.

Funding

The authors wish to thank the CAPES (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel) and CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development), process 424896 / 2018–4, in Brazil for their support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Química, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, Campus Pato Branco, Pato Branco (PR), CEP 85501970, Brazil

    S. Pimenta

  2. Departamento de Engenharia Civil, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, Campus Pato Branco, Pato Branco (PR), CEP 85501970, Brazil

    C. Angulski da Luz

  3. Departamento de Engenharia Civil, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis (SC), CEP 88040-900, Brazil

    F. Pelisser

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  1. S. Pimenta
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Contributions

SP contributed to investigation, writing—original draft. CAL contributed to conceptualization, methodology, writing—review and editing, supervision, funding acquisition. FP contributed to review & editing.

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Correspondence to C. Angulski da Luz.

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Pimenta, S., Angulski da Luz, C. & Pelisser, F. The use of metakaolin as a source of alumina in supersulfated in cements order to increase the formation of ettringite. J Therm Anal Calorim 148, 3301–3309 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-023-12005-7

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