Effect of Blast Furnace Slag and Pumice as Cement Replacement Materials on Mechanical and Internal Curing Properties

Abstract

Due to the increasing demand for infrastructure associated with rapid population growth, the demand for cement is constantly rising. The increase in cement production raises energy and raw material consumption, leading to environmental degradation, a rise in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions. To minimize the environmental impacts caused by cement, industrial wastes such as blast furnace slag (GGBFS), fly ash, bottom ash, etc., agricultural wastes like rice husk ash, and materials like pumice and perlite are used as cement replacement materials in concrete production. In this experimental study, GGBFS was used as a cement replacement material at proportions of 20%, 35%, and 50%, and PP (PP) at proportions of 10% and 15%. Mortar specimens of size 40x40x160 mm were produced, and these specimens were subjected to standard water curing and curing in a curing room (70% humidity, 30 °C temperature) for 3, 7, 28, and 90 days. The compressive and flexural strengths of the hardened mortar specimens were then tested. Furthermore, in the scope of the study, the influence of PP on the internal curing, and thus the mechanical strengths at different ages, was examined as a solution to the curing problem that cementitious composites may face due to decreasing water resources associated with global warming.