Feasibility of marble powder and calcined bentonite in SCM as partial substitution of cement for sustainable production

Abstract

Global cement production has increased dramatically in recent years, and it is now the third largest source of carbon dioxide emissions. The use of binary and ternary cement in production of new binder leads to more debates on the reduction of CO2 emissions. The main goal of this paper is to investigate the feasibility of marble powder (MP) and calcined bentonite (CB) as partial substitution of cement. In this experimental study, nine mixtures of self-compacting mortar (SCM) were prepared by substituting the cement with MP and CB in ternary blend systems. SCM was tested at fresh state with mini slump flow and mini V-funnel flow time. At hardened state, compressive strength, density, water absorption and ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) were measured. The results indicated that the inclusion of MP and CB mixtures improved the flowability of SCM. The use of ternary blended cements based on CB and MP increased the mechanical properties with a content ranging from 15 to 20%. This result has a positive impact on reducing the amount of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere by combustion cement plants, resulting in a much cleaner environment.