Contribution of different granulometric populations to powder reactivity

In this article, different population contributions of quartz powders to chemical reactivity in pozzolanic reaction were studied. Deconvolution software was used to show the different particle populations of each product. Reaction of quartz powder with lime in the pozzolanic reaction at 20 °C shows that reactivity of each powder population depends on its particle size. Adsorbed fine particles on coarse particle surfaces have a significant role in the first term of the reaction. In a second term, the micropowders react. The mesopowders react only in the last reaction terms. Until now, the reactivity of adsorbed powder has been attributed to amorphization of the particle surface.