One-part alkali activated cement based volcanic pumice

Pumice, a volcanic tuff, was used as aluminosilicate precursor in production of one-part alkali activated cement. Depending on their cooling rate and aging processes, volcanic tuffs exhibit different degrees of reactivity. The pumice used in this project was subjected to heat treatment followed by mechanochemical processing, together with different naturally occurring sources of alkali or alkaline earth metal cations, into hydraulic (one-part alkali activated) cements. The resultant hydraulic cements were evaluated based on their strength development characteristics via hydration reactions. The particle size distribution and heat of hydration of cement particles, and the chemical composition, mineralogy, bond structure, thermal attributes and morphology of cement particles and hydrated cement paste were also investigated. The results indicated that some of the simple formulations and processing conditions developed in the project produce hydraulic cements with viable structures and strength development qualities.