Developing Innovative Cement Composites Containing Vine Shoot Waste and Superplasticizers

The expansion of the construction industry requires large quantities of construction materials; therefore, the utilization of alternative raw materials that reduce the environmental impact and enhance the quality of the construction materials has received increasing interest. The comparative performance of 1% Dynamon SR3 or Dynamon SR41 superplasticizers on the properties of cement paste with 1 wt.% vine shoot waste addition (VSW) was investigated after 28 days using Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), and solid-state ²⁷Al and ²⁹Si nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. VSW does not delay the formation of calcium hydroxide and C-S-H and a slight decrease of the -OH band in samples containing superplasticizers, suggesting that free lime is converted to carbonates. The highest degree of crystallinity was remarked for the samples with superplasticizers. The structure of the cement paste with VSW and superplasticizers was corroborated with mechanical properties, showing increased strength in using VSW and superplasticizers. The results showed that adding 1% VSW and superplasticizers does not change the performance of the cement paste but reduces the water-cement ratio. The combination of VSW and superplasticizers led to cement composite with improved structural and mechanical properties suitable for construction.