Mechanical and durability properties of concretes incorporating natural zeolite

This paper investigates the application of natural zeolite as a substitute of cement in concrete. It studies the mechanical and durability properties of concretes containing 10% of natural zeolite and superplasticizer, as well as 10% of natural zeolite, superplasticizer and an air-entraining agent in comparison to concretes without natural zeolite. The study shows that fresh concrete mixture containing zeolite due to its high surface area demands a higher dosage of superplasticizer to achieve the targeted slump flow. While concretes containing natural zeolite characterize a lower compressive strength until 90 days of hardening, the compressive strength exceeds the strength of the concretes without zeolite after 180 days. The results also reveal the considerable effectiveness of using a superplasticizer and an air-entraining agent in zeolite incorporating concretes on water penetration, drying shrinkage and freeze–thaw resistance of concretes.