Laterite soil powder as cementing material for the production of high-performance mortar

Cement has a substantial environmental impact, particularly carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, which occur mostly during the production stage, as it is anticipated that nearly 4-5% of the world's total CO₂ emissions result from cement production. To address these environmental concerns, future scenarios will require alternative raw materials for clinker production and the usage of supplemental cementitious materials (SCMs). Hence, the current study correspondingly sought to assess the applicability of Laterite soil powder (LSP) for manufacturing High performance Mortar (HPM) and its influence on fresh, hard, and microstructure qualities with varied replacement levels. A series of experiments-including slump flow, compressive strength, chemical resistance, water absorption, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential thermal analysis (DTA) were conducted. The results indicate that while a superplasticizer maintained adequate flow, the addition of LSP reduced mortar flowability; for example, a 20% replacement resulted in a 23% decrease in flowability. In contrast, a 10% replacement level did not significantly affect the mechanical or durability properties over all curing periods. A one-way ANOVA (p = 0.62) confirmed that there was no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) in compressive strength between the control mix LSP-0 and the LSP-10 mix. Furthermore, FTIR analysis indicated that a 10% LSP content exerted only a modest influence on the hydration products, as the wavenumbers, curves, peaks, and valleys observed in the spectra of the LSP-0 and LSP-10 mortar samples were nearly identical. In general, analysis of various properties indicates that a 10% LSP replacement is optimal, as it maintains performance without significant adverse effects.