Kinetics and physico-chemical properties of alkali activated blast-furnace slag/basalt pastes

Granulated blast-furnace slag (GBFS) is a by-product of the metallurgical industry and consists mainly of lime and calcium–magnesium aluminosilicates that defined as the glassy granular material formed by rapid cooling of molten slag with excess water resulting in an amorphous structure. Alkali-activated slag (AAS) binders have taken a great interest from researchers due to its manufacturing process which has important benefits from the point of view of the lower energy requirements and lower emission of greenhouse gases with respect to the manufacturing of Portland cement. In this study, GBFS was replaced by 20, 40 and 60 wt.% of basalt activated by 6 wt.% of alkali mixture composed of 1:1 sodium hydroxide (SH) and liquid sodium silicate (LSS) mixed with sea water and cured in 100% relative humidity up to 90 days. The physic-chemical parameters were studied by determination of setting time, combined water content, bulk density and compressive strength. As the amount of basalt increases the setting time as well as compressive strength decreases while the bulk density increases. The compressive strength values of dried pastes are greater than those of saturated pastes. The hydrated products are identified by TGA/DTG analysis, IR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).