Active iron-rich belite sulfoaluminate cements: clinkering and hydration

Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) is an environmentally contentious material, as for every ton of OPC produced, on average, 0.97 tons of CO2 are released. Conversely, belite sulfoaluminate (BSA) cements are promising eco-friendly building materials, as their production may deplete CO2 emissions up to 35% (compared to OPC). However, the hydration rate of belite is slow. Here, we report the clinkering of iron-rich BSA materials, their activation with B2O3, and establishing a methodology to measure their improved reactivities. Nonactivated BSA clinker contained only beta belite phase, 52 wt %. Meanwhile, BSA clinkers activated with 1 and 2 wt % of B2O3 contained 28 wt % of beta and 25 wt % of alpha'H; and 54 wt % of alpha'H phase, respectively. Therefore, activation of BSA has been proved as alpha'H-belite is stabilized. The hydration of the cements has been studied by laboratory and synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction (using Rietveld method and chemical constraints), calorimetry, and environmental scanning electron microscopy. Cement pastes have different hydration rates. For nonactivated BSA cement, 20 and 48% of the belite reacted after one and three months, respectively. Conversely, 37-49% after one month and 52-62% after three months of overall belite reactivities have been measured for BSA cements activated with B2O3.