Utilizing blast furnace ferronickel slag as paste replacement to reduce white Portland cement content and improve performance of mortar

Abstract

As a special type of cement that can provide construction with aesthetics, white Portland cement (WPC) is restricted by the high cost of its production. To reduce the consumption of WPC and carbon dioxide emissions without degrading the properties of mortar, this work produced various mortar mixes by replacing an equal volume of the paste (the total volume of WPC and water) with blast furnace ferronickel slag (FNS), the by-product of ferronickel smelting. The workability, 28-day compressive strength, carbonation depth, water permeability, and drying shrinkage test were conducted, and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) test was used to characterize the pore structure. The results show that the paste replacement method is eco-friendlier and more effective than the traditional cement replacement technology in utilizing FNS to reduce WPC consumption, which may promote the development of white concrete construction.