Cimento álcali ativado a partir da valorização da escória de alto forno a carvão vegetal

Abstract

While production of Portland cement is made the extraction of non-renewable raw materials and the release of CO2 excessively; the manufacture of alkali activated cement does not involve the calcination of materials and can be used as raw material byproducts of industry. In this context, the alkali activated cements emerge as a new class of binder materials of good performance and low environmental impact, which can be synthesized only with waste, such as slag in blast furnace activated with different alkalis generating materials with characteristics interesting for applications in construction. Depending on the chemical composition, blast furnace slag generated in coke ovens are used as addition to Portland cement; however, those from charcoal ovens are not the same destination as usually is inappropriate the basicity modules prescribed in the rules, thus implying an environmental liability. This research has the purpose to obtain activated alkali cements (CAT) aimed at the valorisation of the slag (acid). Also used was a blast furnace from coke (B) as raw material, in order to compare the chemical composition of both. CAT initial compositions with sodium hydroxide was prepared (NaOH) as an activator, which were subjected to two curing processes (wet and immersed) for initial testing. The immersed cure was less benign in the use of slag as a binder caused a lower compressive strenght, since the contact with the water solubilizing the material reducing its contact surface. In wet cure, with 5% NaOH as an activator, the slag mortars A obtained high mechanical performance, arriving values close to 45MPa at 28 days; the development of C-S-H and hydrotalcite phase was observed from the XRD patterns of X-rays and thermal analysis. Slag B developed less strenght in the presence of the activator, but the same phases were observed in both compositions. It was possible to verify that the chemical composition of raw material had strong influence on the performance of the CAT’s.