High-strength low-carbon cementitious materials: Ca0-CaS04-CaCl2–Activated slag at ambient temperature
Abstract
The manufacturing process of portland cement (OPC) necessitates considerable natural resource consumption and emits a substantial amount of carbon dioxide, thereby exerting severe negative impacts on the environment. CaO-activated slag (CAS) binder, recognized as a low-carbon cementitious material, emerges as a promising substitute for OPC. However, the slow strength development of CAS hinders its widespread application in engineering practice. Therefore, this study aims to develop a high-strength, low-carbon cementitious material by adding chemical activators CaSO4 and CaCl2 to CAS and systematically investigate the effects of each component in the CaO CaSO4 CaCl2 system on the compressive strength and microstructure of CAS. Results indicate that with a fixed CaO content of 7.5%, the optimal content of CaSO4 and CaCl2 stands at 7.5% and 5%, respectively. This optimization results in a notable enhancement, increasing the 28-day compressive strength by 170% to 74.1 MPa compared to the control sample. Furthermore, a direct correlation exists between the C SH gel content and the compressive strength, and the total content of ettringite and hydrocalumite demonstrates a linear relationship with compressive strength. This study highlights the potential of CAS as a viable alternative to OPC, providing valuable insights into the development of high-strength, low-carbon cementitious materials.
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
2-1-2026
Volume
38
Issue
2
Publication Title
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Publisher
American Society of Civil Engineers
School
School of Engineering
Funders
Hunan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (2022JJ40161) / China Scholarship Council (202308430198)
Copyright
subscription content
Comments
Liao, G., Chen, S., Xu, L., & Aslani, F. (2025). High-strength low-carbon cementitious materials: Ca0-CaS04-CaCl2–Activated slag at ambient temperature. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 38(2). https://doi.org/10.1061/JMCEE7.MTENG-20497