Re-use of spent catalyst from oil-cracking refineries as supplementary cementing material

Advanced technological achievements and the continuous growth of economy have made the disposal, recycle and reuse of industrial by-products a severe challenge. The cement industry is considered one of the key sectors in this effort in successfully (in terms of not extenuating but improving some of the properties of the final product) absorbing large quantities of solid wastes, either as aggregates or as secondary cementitious materials. This not only contributes to the creation of an energy and CO2-emission depository (as commonly used raw materials are spared), but also simultaneously alleviates the acute environmental burden caused by the irresponsible disposal of such by-products. In this study, the possibility of reusing spent fluid catalytic-cracking catalyst (FCC) as a supplementary cementing material (SCM) was examined. A series of tests were conducted, initially aiming at characterizing the material and thereafter evaluating its pozzolanic activity and its effect on the mechanical properties of blended cements. Major findings in this investigation revealed that the use of FCC as a mineral admixture in cement is feasible, strengthening the belief that siliceous glassy residues should represent a steady supply for the construction sector.