Early signs of thaumasite formation in calcined clay-limestone cement: Short-term changes of the hydrate phase assemblage

To reduce CO2 emissions associated with cement production, the use of calcined clay and limestone has gained increasing attention as supplementary cementitious materials. However, the addition of limestone can potentially compromise the lifetime of a structure due to the risk of thaumasite formation...

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Main Authors: Schlage Katarina K., Ottosen Lisbeth M., Kunther Wolfgang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: EDP Sciences 2025-01-01
Series:MATEC Web of Conferences
Online Access:https://www.matec-conferences.org/articles/matecconf/pdf/2025/03/matecconf_cs2025_10002.pdf
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author Schlage Katarina K.
Ottosen Lisbeth M.
Kunther Wolfgang
author_facet Schlage Katarina K.
Ottosen Lisbeth M.
Kunther Wolfgang
author_sort Schlage Katarina K.
collection DOAJ
description To reduce CO2 emissions associated with cement production, the use of calcined clay and limestone has gained increasing attention as supplementary cementitious materials. However, the addition of limestone can potentially compromise the lifetime of a structure due to the risk of thaumasite formation. Thaumasite is stable only at low temperatures and forms when cement is exposed to sulphate-rich environments such as seawater. This study investigates the early signs of thaumasite formation and other hydration phase changes in calcined clay-limestone cement at 5 °C. Cement samples containing 35 % calcined clay or limestone were exposed to a 0.3 % Na2SO4 solution simulating the SO32- concentration in the Femern Belt, Denmark, with a solution-to-cement mass ratio of 1:100, to create conditions optimal for the formation of thaumasite. The samples were analysed using X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis. The study focuses on early changes in the phase assemblage to provide insights into the sulphate resistance of calcined clay-limestone cement. By identifying the early changes, the aim is to screen several binders and gain a better understanding of the durability of calcined clay-limestone cement when exposed to sulphate-rich environments. The screening focuses on processes that might be limited by the low exposure concentrations used in this study.
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spelling doaj-art-d963812d25ae4fd4b3a904975cf393be2025-08-20T02:35:29ZengEDP SciencesMATEC Web of Conferences2261-236X2025-01-014091000210.1051/matecconf/202540910002matecconf_cs2025_10002Early signs of thaumasite formation in calcined clay-limestone cement: Short-term changes of the hydrate phase assemblageSchlage Katarina K.0Ottosen Lisbeth M.1Kunther Wolfgang2Sund & Bælt Holding A/STechnical University of DenmarkTechnical University of DenmarkTo reduce CO2 emissions associated with cement production, the use of calcined clay and limestone has gained increasing attention as supplementary cementitious materials. However, the addition of limestone can potentially compromise the lifetime of a structure due to the risk of thaumasite formation. Thaumasite is stable only at low temperatures and forms when cement is exposed to sulphate-rich environments such as seawater. This study investigates the early signs of thaumasite formation and other hydration phase changes in calcined clay-limestone cement at 5 °C. Cement samples containing 35 % calcined clay or limestone were exposed to a 0.3 % Na2SO4 solution simulating the SO32- concentration in the Femern Belt, Denmark, with a solution-to-cement mass ratio of 1:100, to create conditions optimal for the formation of thaumasite. The samples were analysed using X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis. The study focuses on early changes in the phase assemblage to provide insights into the sulphate resistance of calcined clay-limestone cement. By identifying the early changes, the aim is to screen several binders and gain a better understanding of the durability of calcined clay-limestone cement when exposed to sulphate-rich environments. The screening focuses on processes that might be limited by the low exposure concentrations used in this study.https://www.matec-conferences.org/articles/matecconf/pdf/2025/03/matecconf_cs2025_10002.pdf
spellingShingle Schlage Katarina K.
Ottosen Lisbeth M.
Kunther Wolfgang
Early signs of thaumasite formation in calcined clay-limestone cement: Short-term changes of the hydrate phase assemblage
MATEC Web of Conferences
title Early signs of thaumasite formation in calcined clay-limestone cement: Short-term changes of the hydrate phase assemblage
title_full Early signs of thaumasite formation in calcined clay-limestone cement: Short-term changes of the hydrate phase assemblage
title_fullStr Early signs of thaumasite formation in calcined clay-limestone cement: Short-term changes of the hydrate phase assemblage
title_full_unstemmed Early signs of thaumasite formation in calcined clay-limestone cement: Short-term changes of the hydrate phase assemblage
title_short Early signs of thaumasite formation in calcined clay-limestone cement: Short-term changes of the hydrate phase assemblage
title_sort early signs of thaumasite formation in calcined clay limestone cement short term changes of the hydrate phase assemblage
url https://www.matec-conferences.org/articles/matecconf/pdf/2025/03/matecconf_cs2025_10002.pdf
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AT ottosenlisbethm earlysignsofthaumasiteformationincalcinedclaylimestonecementshorttermchangesofthehydratephaseassemblage
AT kuntherwolfgang earlysignsofthaumasiteformationincalcinedclaylimestonecementshorttermchangesofthehydratephaseassemblage