With the pressure on the construction industry to lower CO2 emissions it has become increasingly important to utilise materials that supplement Portland cement (CEM I) in concrete. These include additions such as ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) and fly ash, which have found greater use due to the benefits they provide to many properties of the material (in addition to environmental impact). While studies have investigated these materials in binary blends with CEM I, little work has examined the effect of combining materials in ternary blend concretes. A wide-ranging study was, therefore, set up to examine this for the range of more commonly available additions. This thesis reports on research carried out to investigate the effects of cement combinations based on CEM I / GGBS with either fly ash or limestone. The experimental programme investigated these materials in both paste and concrete and covered fresh properties, compressive strength, permeation and durability properties (using standard water curing for the latter three) and considered, for the hardened properties, how these may be balanced with environmental cost. The mixes covered a range of w/c ratios (0.35. 0.50 and 0.65), which was the main basis of comparison, and combinations of CEM I with GGBS (at levels of 35%, 55% and 75%), and fly ash and LS part-replacing this (at levels of 10 to 20 % and 10 to 35% respectively), after consideration of the relevant standards and related research. The initial phase of the study examined the characteristics of the materials, which indicated that they conformed to appropriate standards and were typical of those used in the application. Studies with cement paste (0.35 and 0.50 w/c ratio) indicated that there were reductions in water demand with the use of addition materials (binary and ternary) compared to CEM I. The setting times of the cement pastes were also affected, generally increasing with GGBS level for the binary mixes, although the effect was influenced by w/c ratio. Whilst fly ash and limestone delayed setting at the higher w/c ratio, the opposite occurred as this reduced, compared to the binary mixes. It was also found that the yield stress increased with GGBS level and further with the addition of ternary materials (particularly limestone) compared to CEM I. The superplastiser (SP) dosage requirement in concrete was found to decrease with increasing w/c ratio, and ternary additions reduced this compared to binary and CEM I concrete with the effect most noticeable at low w/c ratio. Early strength development was less than CEM I for binary concretes and differences increased with GGBS level. Improvements with the introduction of fly ash compared to the binary concretes were noted with increasing GGBS levels and w/c ratio. In general, the addition of LS gave reduced early strength for all concretes. Although at the 35% GGBS level binary concretes achieved similar strength to those of CEM I, the others generally gave reductions at all ages to 180 days, with differences increasing with GGBS level. However, with increasing w/c ratio and GGBS level improved strength development of ternary concretes, was noted compared to those of CEM I from 28 days. Permeation (absorption (initial surface absorption and sorptivity) and permeability (water penetration and air permeability)) and durability properties (accelerated carbonation and chloride ingress) of the test concrete were also investigated. At 28 days, for low GGBS levels, the binary concretes gave reduced absorption properties compared to CEM I, while the reverse occurred at high level. The effect of the ternary concretes gave further improvements at the lower GGBS levels and with increasing w/c ratio and curing time compared to CEM I. At the higher GGBS level the effect of the ternary additions was less noticeable but, in the case of limestone, improvements were still seen with increasing w/c ratio compared to CEM I. Similar effects were noted for the sorptivity results. The air permeability results gave higher values at 28 days for the binary and ternary concretes compared to CEM I, but significant improvements in the long-term at the lower GGBS level across the range of w/c ratios compared to CEM I concrete. Similar trends were found with water penetration tests. Accelerated carbonation increased with GGBS level for binary concretes compared to CEM I. These differences increased further with the introduction of fly ash and LS, particularly the former. In contrast rapid chloride tests indicated improvements with increasing GGBS levels compared to CEM I and further benefits with the inclusion of fly ash and limestone. Embodied CO2 (ECO2) was calculated based on published British Cement Association (BCA) values for each component of the mix and was shown to reduce with increasing w/c ratio and addition level in concrete. For concrete of an equal strength of 40N/mm2 the ECO2 could be almost halved (reduced from 343 kg/m3 for the CEM I to 176 kg/m3) for the ternary concretes at higher GGBS levels. These combination concretes also gave enhanced durability with regard to chloride ingress and at the lower w/c ratio comparable properties to CEM I in the case of carbonation. Overall, the results suggest that there is potential for ternary concretes to be used in the concrete industry given their ability to reduce ECO2, without compromising strength, permeation and durability properties of concrete.

L'industrie nucléaire est une industrie génératrice de déchets, dont certains sont radioactifs. Ces déchets radioactifs ont des formes et des origines diverses, allant de la paire de gant de manutention faiblement contaminés, à la suspension aqueuse de produits de fissions hautement radioactifs. Dans ce travail, un type de déchet bien particulier a été étudié ; des boues issues de la décontamination d'effluents liquides radioactifs, possédant entre autres les trois particularités suivantes ; * Etre moyennement radioactif, selon les critères de l'ANDRA. * Etre composé d'une forte teneur en eau de constitution (ne pouvant être retirée par simple évaporation) ; * Etre composé d'un sorbant (PPFeNi) dont la stabilité chimique n'est pas assurée pour un pH supérieur à 11. Ces particularités font qu'un enrobage dans une matrice minérale forte consommatrice d'eau, et bas-pH (pH < 11) est envisageable. Le choix c'est alors porté sur le développement d'une matrice ettringitique réalisée à partir d'un mélange de Ciment d'Aluminate de Calcium (CAC) et de sulfate de calcium. Dans un premier temps, la stabilité du sorbant du césium utilisé dans cette étude a été testée dans différents environnements de pH (2 à 14) et de température. Pour cela des analyses chimiques de solution ainsi que des caractérisations du composé par diffraction de rayons X, FTIR et microscopie électronique à balayage-EDS ont permis de fixer les bornes de stabilité que la formulation ettringitique doit avoir. Puis une étude microstructurale (nature et morphologie des produits) de mélanges ettringitiques binaires CAC/sulfate de calcium type hémihydrate et/ou anhydrite a été effectuée afin de caractériser la stabilité de l'ettringite, hydrate fort consommateur d'eau. Les propriétés bas-pH ont été vérifiées notamment par analyse chimique de solutions porales. Certaines limites de ces systèmes concernant le dégagement de chaleur et la possible formation de systèmes expansifs ont été mises en évidence. L'effet de l'augmentation du rapport eau/liant, responsable d'un effet de dilution et permettant de réduire les deux effets précédents, a été également regardé pour ces systèmes binaires. Afin de réduire la chaleur dégagée à court terme tout en permettant le développement de l'hydratation à long terme de systèmes ettringitiques, ces systèmes binaires ont été substitués par des additions minérales à hydraulicité latente type laitier de haut fourneau. Une étude microstructurale de la réactivité du laitier et de la modification de l'assemblage ettringitique a montré une réactivité modérée de ce dernier à jeune âge conformément aux attentes. Pour favoriser sa réactivité à long terme par activation alcaline/sulfatique différentes proportions de sulfate de calcium à dissolution plus lente ont été testés. Les caractéristiques microstructurales de ces systèmes ternaires en présence de différentes teneurs en eau intrinsèquement liée à la nature de type boue du déchet a été étudiée. Enfin, les différentes informations sur l'effet des paramètres de formulation obtenues ont débouché sur la mise en place de tests sur des formulations contenant un déchet simulé inerte et enrichi en chlorures. Des essais systématiques de fluidité, de résistances mécaniques et pour certains d'entre eux d'expansion et de dégagement de chaleur doivent permettre d'identifier une série de mélanges adaptés au test à l'échelle de prototype industriel pour la cimentation de boues. / Nuclear industry generated waste including radioactive wastes, which have different forms and origins. The wastes produced by reprocessing of nuclear fuel are characterized by important water content, by high pH and temperature sensitivity. The cementation in ettringite systems might be a promising solution to solidify radioactive wastes. Mixtures of Calcium Aluminate Cement (CAC) and calcium sulfate are planned to be used, instead of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), to form a significant amount of ettringite able to catch water molecules when forming. Moreover, due to the low pH of CAC-based matrices, the latter have a good compatibility with the compounds used to stabilize active elements. Initially, the stability of the sorbent of cesium used in this study was tested in different pH environments (2 to 14) and temperature. Chemical analysis and different microstructural characterizations like X-ray diffraction, FTIR and SEM-EDS have allowed to set stability limits of ettringite systems. Then microstructural study on binary systems composed by mixture of CAC/calcium sulfate (hemihydrate and/or anhydrite) was realized to characterize ettringite stability during the time of hydration. Low pH properties were checked by chemical pore solutions analysis. However, the heat generated by hydration and the possible formation of expansive systems require an increase of e/s ratio and additional components like Ground Granulated Furnace Slag (GGBS). These two parameters were studied subsequently. Microstructural study of GGBS reactivity and the modification of ettringite assemblage were showed that GGBS act as filler at early time of hydration. To promote the GGBS reactivity at long term of hydration by alkaline and sulfate activation, different nature of calcium sulfate was used. Then the microstructural characteristic of this ternary system in presence of different e/s ratio was studied. Finally, different information on the effect of formulation parameters obtained led to the development of tests on formulations containing an inert simulated waste and enriched in chlorides. Systematic tests of fluidity, mechanical strength and for some expansion and heat generation should identify a series of mixtures adapted to test prototype to industrial scale for cementing wastes.

Cement-less and/cement-like geopolymer mortars were made with pulverised fuel ash (PFA) or ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) activated by alkali with different alkali moduli (AM) and alkali dosage (AD). Once synthesised the samples were cured at 20°C and 70°C up to 28 days. The flexural and compressive strengths of these samples at early ages up to 28 days were tested conforming to BS EN196-1:2005. The electrical resistivity of these materials was monitored using a set of non-contacting electrodes to the age up to 7 days to characterise the geopolymerisation process from a physical phenomenon point of view. The effects of AD and AM on the early-age mechanical strengths and electrical resistivity of geopolymer materials were examined from the experimental results. The correlation between strength development and electrical resistivity was studied. The geopolymerisation process was characterised by a 5-stage model, based on electrical resistivity, analogue to hydration process of Portland cement. This research therefore proposes an alternative method for characterisation of geopolymerisation of geopolymers different from traditional methods based on chemistry. It is expected that such a physical phenomenon model will be better accepted by structural engineers for better promotion of usage of geopolymer composites, a type of low carbon and more sustainable binder-based materials, in construction.

No / The presence of free water in mortars destined for silo or bagged storage can lead to the degradation of the binder phase. Such water may be present as a result of using wet, as-delivered sand or as a consequence of prior processes such as de-activation of Roman cement. Thus, water must be removed from the system prior to storage. Part 1 of this paper describes the control of a technique by which quicklime is added to the wet system which principally dries it by both slaking the quicklime and evaporation as a consequence of the exothermic slaking reaction. Two examples of mortars are presented in which excess water is removed from the system by the inclusion of quicklime. In the first, the water is present in the as-delivered sand and the binder is a combination of the slaked lime and ggbs. In the second, the water remains after pre-hydration of a Roman cement which is a process to retard its rapid setting characteristics. It is shown that optimally dried mortars are not subject to degradation following storage of both mortar types. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stockholm Vatten has decided to close down the Bromma waste water treatment plantand manage the waste water from Bromma together with the waste water from the formerEolshällsverket to Henriksdal’s waste water treatment plant. Henriksdals wastewater treatment plant will be expanded for higher purification requirements and loads,estimated to be finished until 2040. This entails extensive renovations and additionsto the existing treatment plant in and on Henriksdalsberget, as well as a major expansionof the Sickla plant.The purpose of the study is to investigate an environmentally friendly alternative tothe standard concrete that will be used for the expansion of the Sickla plant. The largestenvironmental villain in concrete is the cement. The aim of this study has beento replace the cement with environmentally friendly additives in the largest possibleamount, thus reducing the negative impact of the cement on the environment.In the present study, a review was made of obtained data with exposure classes, then aliterature study was performed to gain knowledge in the area. With help from experts,two fictitious recipes for each exposure class have been calculated for the standardconcrete and the green concrete. In this way, a careful comparison between the concretetypes was made of the cement’s impact on global warming. Thereafter, a study wascarried out on existing EPDs, which were incorporated into the One Click LCA (2015)software. An LCA in the mentioned software was carried out, which enabled data to becompiled and a comparison of the climate impact between the four different fictitiousrecipes has been done.Compiled and compared data from LCA and analysis of EPDs show that 70% of thestructure with exposure class XD2 gets a 47% reduction in global warming when usinggreen concrete instead of standard concrete. Furthermore, the results show that theremaining 30% of the structure with exposure class XF3/XC4 gets a 20% reductionwhen using green concrete instead of standard concrete. The total reduction in globalwarming when using green concrete instead of standard concrete for the expansion ofSickla treatment plant was calculated to be 40%. / Stockholm Vatten har beslutat att lägga ned Bromma reningsverk och leda avloppsvattnetfrån Bromma tillsammans med avloppsvattnet från det forna Eolshällsverkettill Henriksdals reningsverk. Henriksdals reningsverk ska byggas ut för högre reningskravoch belastningar beräknade till år 2040. Detta medför omfattande om- och tillbyggnationeri det befintliga reningsverket i och på Henriksdalsberget samt en storutbyggnad av Sicklaanläggningen.Syftet med detta arbete är att undersöka ett miljövänligare alternativ till standardbetongensom ska användas vid utbyggnaden av Sicklaanläggningen. Då den främsta”miljöboven” i betongen är cementet har målet med denna studie varit att ersätta cementetmed miljövänliga tillsatsmaterial i största möjliga mängd, i syfte att minskacementets negativa inverkan på miljön.I föreliggande arbete har en genomgång utförts på erhållna data med exponeringsklasser,därefter påbörjades en litteraturstudie i syfte att inhämta kunskaper inomområdet. Med hjälp av experter har två fiktiva recept för respektive exponeringsklassräknats fram för standardbetongen och den gröna betongen. Med denna metod genomfördesen noggrann jämförelse mellan de olika recepten avseende cementets inverkanpå den globala uppvärmningen. Därefter undersöktes existerande EPD:er, vilka infogadesin i programvaran One Click LCA (2015). En LCA i den nämnda programvaranutfördes, vilket möjliggjorde att data kunde sammanställas och en jämförelse av klimatpåverkanmellan de fyra olika fiktiva recepten kunde genomföras.Sammanställd och jämförd data från LCA och analys av EPD:er visar att 70% av konstruktionenmed exponeringsklass XD2 får en reducering på 47% på den globala uppvärmningenvid användning av grön betong istället för standardbetong. Vidare visarresultatet att resterande 30% av konstruktionen med exponeringsklass XF3/XC4 fåren reduktion på 20% vid användning av grön betong istället för standardbetong. Dentotala reduktionen på den globala uppvärmningen vid användning av grön betongistället för standardbetong för utbyggnaden av Sickla reningsverk beräknades till 40%.

The dominating support method for hard rock tunnels today is use of fibre reinforced shotcrete in combination with rock bolts. The fibre reinforced shotcrete secures smaller blocks, while rock bolts are used to support larger blocks in the rock. Application of shotcrete is done by spraying against the rock surface using compressed air. The use of accelerators result in fast strength development and adhesive properties, which are two characteristics of great importance when constructing tunnels. This thesis aims at increasing the understanding of climate impact from fibre reinforced shotcrete in tunnel construction. The focus is on reducing the climate impact with two methods: reducing the share of cement in the shotcrete mixture through substitution with addition materials and using better test methods for fibres. Cement is one of the most important ingredients in concrete, however also the largest contributor to CO2 emissions. Reducing the cement amount is therefore a way of reducing the emissions of concrete. In addition, when testing the performance of fibres, different methods can lead to a spread in the results, causing an overuse of fibres in the shotcrete. First, the thesis investigated the use of alternative binder materials, especially Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS), as a substitute for cement. Experimental testing was performed in a laboratory to evaluate the compressive strength for shotcrete with different amounts of GGBS. Testing was performed after one and seven days in order to evaluate the early strength. Second, the thesis investigated the use of fibre reinforcement and the possibilities of reducing the fibre dosage when changing fibre type and test method. Numerical modelling was performed for two test methods, beam and panel testing, based on experimental data. The thesis evaluated the environmental performance in terms of Global Warming Potential for both fibres and binder. The results show that substituting cement with GGBS has the largest potential to lower the CO2 emissions from fibre reinforced shotcrete. In addition, the fibre dosage can be lowered by changing fibre type, but also test method. Also this lowers the emissions, however the main emissions origins from the binder part. / Den dominerande förstärkningsmetoden för tunnlar i hårt berg idag är fiberarmerad sprutbetong i kombination med bergbultar. Den fiberarmerade sprutbetongen säkrar mindre block, medan bergbultar säkrar större block från att falla ner. Sprutbetongen appliceras genom sprutning direkt mot bergytan men hjälp av tryckluft. Användning av acceleratorer medför snabb hållfasthetsutveckling och vidhäftande egenskaper, vilka är av stor vikt vid tunnelkonstruktion. Syftet med examensarbetet är att öka förståelsen för klimatpåverkan från fiberarmerad sprutbetong i tunnelkonstruktion. Fokus är att undersöka minskningar i klimatpåverkan med två metoder: minska andelen cement i betongblandningen genom ersättning med alternativa material och använda bättre testmetoder för fibrer. Cement är en av de viktigaste ingredienserna i betong, men också den största bidragande faktorn till koldioxidutsläpp. Minskning av andelen cement är därför ett sätt att reducera utsläppen från betong. Dessutom kan valet av testmetod ha stor påverkan på vilken dosering av fibrer som krävs. Examensarbetet undersökte först användningen av alternativa bindemedelsmaterial, speciellt granulerad masugnsslagg, i sprutbetong som ett ersättningsmaterial till cement. Experiment i labb utfördes för att utvärdera tryckhållfastheten för gjuten sprutbetong med olika andelar granulerad masugnsslagg. Testning genomfördes efter en respektive sju dagar för att utvärdera hur slagg påverkar den tidiga hållfastheten. Användningen av fiberarmering och möjligheten att reducera fiberinnehållet vid byte av fibersort och testmetod undersöktes sedan. Numerisk modellering genomfördes för två testmetoder, balk- och plattest, baserat på experimentell data. Examensarbetet utvärderade klimatpåverkan i termer av Global Warming Potential, GWP, för både fibrer och bindemedel i sprutbetong. Resultaten visar att ersättning av cement med granulerad masugnsslagg har den största potentialen att minska koldioxidutsläppen från fiberarmerad sprutbetong. Dessutom kan fiberdoseringen minskas genom ändrad fibertyp samt ändrad testmetod, vilket också minskar utsläppen. Emellertid härstammar de största utsläppen från bindemedlet.

In 2017, the Swedish Parliament stated a new climate law with the goal that Sweden should be climate neutral by 2045. The concrete industry has developed a roadmap on how the goal for 2045 can be achieved, where one way to reduce the carbon emissions from concrete is by replacing a part of the cement clinker with alternative binders in the concrete mix. Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), fly ash, silica fume and trass are alternative binders that are possible to use in concrete mixes to reduce the amount of ordinary Portland cement (OPC). GGBS, fly ash and silica fume are by-products from other industries, while trass is volcanic ash that can be extracted. Besides the positive environmental impact that comes from using alternative binders and reducing the amount of cement clinker, the alternative binders have other properties, both positive and negative, that affect the concrete. The aim of this thesis was to investigate whether concrete with alternative binders does fulfill the regulations set by Swedish standards and how concrete with alternative binders does affect the material parameters. The concrete mixes were divided into three different types of concrete: concrete for bridges (w/c ratio 0.4), hydropower structures (w/c ratio 0.45) and wind powerplant foundations (w/c ratio 0.55). A total of seven concrete mixes were cast in a laboratory and the concrete mixes were investigated in the three hardening stages of concrete: fresh, young and hardened. The analyzed material parameters were compressive strength, shrinkage, frost resistance, workability, air voids and temperature development. Beyond the experimental testing, a global warming potential (GWP) comparison was made to compare the reduction of GWP for each concrete mix compared to a reference concrete for each usage area. The mix containing a CEM II/A-V fly ash cement and 15% GGBS showed great potential regarding the different material parameters. This mix, however, is according to Swedish standards not possible to certify for structures in exposure class XF4, such as bridges, but is possible to certify for structures in exposure class XF3, such as wind powerplant foundations. The mix containing 30% GGBS and 5% silica fume also showed beneficiary properties, but superplasticizers are required in this mix to ensure good workability. For hydropower structures, the mix containing 35% GGBS showed a great compressive strength but a high temperature development and low workability. The mix containing trass had a notably low temperature development, but with an increase in shrinkage and low workability. Moreover, all concrete mixes showed a frost resistance which, according to standard, is classified as “Very Good”. / Sveriges regering antog 2017 ett nytt klimatpolitiskt ramverk med målet att Sverige ska ha noll nettoutsläpp av växthusgaser år 2045. Betongindustrin har tagit fram en färdplan för hur betong kan bli klimatneutralt, där ett sätt att reducera klimatpåverkan från betong är att byta ut en del av cementklinkern mot alternativa bindemedel. Mald granulerad masugnsslagg (GGBS), flygaska, silikastoft och trass är alternativa bindemedel som är möjliga att använda i betongblandningar för att reducera mängden Portlandcement. GGBS, flygaska och silikastoft är restprodukter från andra industrier medan trass är en vulkanisk aska som kan utvinnas. Utöver den positiva miljöeffekten som erhålls när alternativa bindemedel ersätter cementklinker, så har de alternativa bindemedlen andra egenskaper, både positiva och negativa, som påverkar betongen. Målet med denna studie var att undersöka och jämföra om betongblandningar där en del av cementklinkern har ersatts med alternativa bindemedel når upp till de krav som ställs i nuvarande regelverk. Utöver det så undersöktes även hur betongblandningarnas materialparametrar påverkades av alternativa bindemedel. Betongblandningarna delades in i tre olika typer av betong: betong för broar (vct 0.4), vattenbyggnader (vct 0.45) och vindkraftverksfundament (vct 0.55), där totalt sju betongblandningar tillverkades i ett laboratorium. Betongblandningarna undersöktes i de tre olika faserna för hårdnande av betong, vilka är färsk, ung och hårdnad betong. De materialparametrar som analyserades var tryckhållfasthet, krympning, frostresistens, arbetbarhet, luftporhalt och temperaturutveckling. Förutom de experimentella testerna gjordes en jämförelse kring hur mycket koldioxid som kan reduceras för varje betongblandning, jämfört med en referensbetong för varje användningsområde. Betongblandningen med ett CEM II/A-V flygaska-cement och 15% GGBS visade stor potential med avseende på de olika materialparametrarna. Denna blandning är dock enligt svensk standard inte möjlig att certifiera för betongbyggnad i exponeringsklass XF4, exempelvis broar, men kan certifieras för betongbyggnad i exponeringsklass XF3, exempelvis fundament för vindkraftverk. Blandningen med 30% GGBS och 5% silikastoft visade även positiva egenskaper, men flyttillsatsmedel måste användas i denna blandning för att erhålla en god arbetbarhet. För vattenbyggnadsbetong så visade blandningen med 35% GGBS en hög tryckhållfasthet, men samtidigt en hög temperaturutveckling och en låg arbetbarhet. Blandningen med trass hade en noterbart låg temperaturutveckling, men med ökad krympning samt låg arbetbarhet. Avslutningsvis så uppvisade alla blandningar en frostresistens som enligt standard klassificeras som ”Mycket bra”.

Fly ash and blast furnace slag are the two major industrial solid by-products generated in most countries including India. Although their utilization rate has increased in the recent years, still huge quantities of these material remain unused and are stored or disposed of consuming large land area involving huge costs apart from causing environmental problems. Environmentally safe disposal of Fly ash is much more troublesome because of its ever increasing quantity and its nature compared to blast furnace slag. Bulk utilization of these materials which is essentially possible in civil engineering in general and more particular in geotechnical engineering can provide a relief to environmental problems apart from having economic benefit. One of the important aspects of these waste materials is that they improve physical and mechanical properties with time and can be enhanced to a significant level by activating with chemical additives like lime and cement. Class-C Fly ashes which have sufficient lime are well utilized but class-F Fly ashes account for a considerable portion that is disposed of due to their low chemical reactivity. Blast furnace slag in granulated form is used as a replacement for sand to conserve the fast declining natural source. The granulated blast furnace slag (GBS) is further ground to enhance its pozzolanic nature. If GBS is activated by chemical means rather than grinding, it can provide a good economical option and enhance its utilization potential as well. GGBS is latent hydraulic cement and is mostly utilized in cement and concrete industries. Most uses of these materials are due to their pozzolanic reactivity. Though Fly ash and GGBS are pozzolanic materials, there is a considerable difference in their chemical composition. For optimal pozzolanic reactivity, sufficient lime and silica should be available in desired proportions. Generally, Fly ash has higher silica (SiO2) content whereas GGBS is rich in lime (CaO) content. Combining these two industrial wastes in the right proportion may be more beneficial compared to using them individually. The main objective of the thesis has been to evaluate the suitability of the class-F Fly ash/GGBS mixtures with as high Fly ash contents for Geotechnical and Geo-environmental applications. For this purpose, sufficient amount of class-F Fly ash and GGBS were collected and their mixtures were tested in the laboratory for analyzing their mechanical behavior. The experimental program included the evaluation of mechanical properties such as compaction, strength, compressibility of the Fly ash/GGBS mixtures at different proportions with GGBS content varying from 10 to 40 percent. An external agent such as chemical additives like lime or cement is required to accelerate the hydration and pozzolanic reactions in both these materials. Hence, addition of varying percentages of lime is also considered. However, these studies are not extended to chemically activate GBS and only GGBS is used in the present study. Unconfined compressive strength tests have been carried out on various Fly ash/ GGBS mixtures at different proportions at different curing periods. The test results demonstrated rise in strength with increase in GGBS content and with 30 and 40 percent of GGBS addition, the mixture showed higher strength than either of the components i.e. Fly ash or GGBS after sufficient curing periods. Addition of small amount of lime increased the strength tremendously which indicated the occurrence of stronger cementitious reactions in the Fly ash/GGBS mixtures than in samples containing only Fly ash. Improvement of the strength of the Fly ash/GGBS mixtures was explained through micro-structural and mineralogical studies. The microstructure and mineralogical studies of the original and the stabilized samples were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-Ray diffraction techniques respectively. These studies together showed the formation of cementitious compounds such as C-S-H, responsible for imparting strength to the pozzolanic materials, is better in the mixture containing 30 and 40 percent of GGBS content than in individual components. Resilient and permanent deformation behavior on an optimized mix sample of Fly ash and GGBS cured for 7 day curing period has been studied. The Resilient Modulus (Mr) is a measure of subgrade material stiffness and is actually an estimate of its modulus of elasticity (E). The permanent deformation behavior is also important in predicting the performance of the pavements particularly in thin pavements encountered mainly in rural and low volume roads. The higher resilient modulus values indicated its suitability for use as subgrade or sub-base materials in pavement construction. Permanent axial strain was found to increase with the number of load cycles and accumulation of plastic strain in the sample reduced with the increase in confining pressure. Consolidation tests were carried on Fly ash/GGBS mixtures using conventional oedometer to assess their volume stability. However, such materials develop increased strength with time and conventional rate of 24 hour as duration of load increment which requires considerable time to complete the test is not suitable to assess their volume change behavior in initial stages. An attempt was thus made to reduce the duration of load increment so as to reflect the true compressibility characteristics of the material as close as possible. By comparing the compressibility behavior of Fly ash and GGBS between conventional 24 hour and 30 minutes duration of load increment, it was found that 30 minutes was sufficient to assess the compressibility characteristics due to the higher rate of consolidation. The results indicated the compressibility of the Fly ash/GGBS mixtures slightly decreases initially but increase with increase in GGBS content. Addition of lime did not have any significant effect on the compressibility characteristics since the pozzolanic reaction, which is a time dependent process and as such could not influence due to very low duration of loading. Results were also represented in terms of constrained modulus which is a most commonly used parameter for the determination of settlement under one dimensional compression tests. It was found that tangent constrained modulus showed higher values only at higher amounts of GGBS. It was also concluded that settlement analysis can also be done by taking into account the constrained modulus. The low values of compression and recompression indices suggested that settlements on the embankments and fills (and the structures built upon these) will be immediate and minimal when these mixtures are used. In addition to geotechnical applications of Fly ash/GGBS mixture, their use for the removal of heavy metals for contaminated soils was also explored. Batch equilibrium tests at different pH and time intervals were conducted with Fly ash and Fly ash/GGBS mixture at a proportion of 70:30 by weight as adsorbents to adsorb lead ions. It was found that though uptake of lead by Fly ash itself was high, it increased further in the presence of GGBS. Also, the removal of lead ions increased with increase in pH of the solution but decreases at very high pH. The retention of lead ions by sorbents at higher pH was due to its precipitation as hydroxide. Results of the adsorption kinetics showed that the reaction involving removal of lead by both the adsorbents follow second-order kinetics. One of the major problems which geotechnical engineers often face is construction of foundations on expansive soils. Though stabilization of expansive soils with lime or cement is well established, the use of by-product materials such as Fly ash and blast furnace slag to achieve economy and reduce the disposal problem needs to be explored. To stabilize the soil, binder comprising of Fly ash and GGBS in the ratio of 70:30 was used. Different percentages of binder with respect to the soil were incorporated to the expansive soil and changes in the physical and engineering properties of the soil were examined. Small addition of lime was also considered to enhance the pozzolanic reactions by increasing the pH. It was found that liquid limit, plasticity index, swell potential and swell pressure of the expansive soil decreased considerably while the strength increased with the addition of binder. The effect was more pronounced with the addition of lime. Swell potential and swell pressure reduced significantly in the presence of lime. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the expansive soils can be successfully stabilized with the Fly ash-GGBS based binder with small addition of lime. This is also more advantageous in terms of lime requirement which is typically high when Fly ash, class-F in particular, is used alone to stabilize expansive soils. Based on the studies carried out in the present work, it is established that combination of Fly ash and GGBS can be advantageous as compared to using them separately for various geotechnical applications such as for construction of embankments/fills, stabilization of expansive soils etc. with very small amount of lime. Further, these mixtures have better potential for geo-environmental applications such as decontamination of soil. However, it is still a challenge to activate GBS without grinding.

Geopolymers are a relatively new class of materials that have many broad applications, including use as substitute for ordinary Portland cement (OPC), use in soil stabilisation, fire resistant panels, refractory cements, and inorganic adhesives. Geopolymers are an alternative binder to Portland cement in the manufacture of mortars and concrete, as its three-dimensional alumino silicate network develops excellent strength properties. Use of geopolymers in place of ordinary Portland cement is also favoured owing to the possible energy and carbon dioxide savings. Geopolymer is typically synthesized by alkali activation of pozzolanas at moderate temperatures (< 1000C). The focus of the thesis is synthesis and characterization of geopolymers as construction materials. In this context, the role of compositional factors, such as, pozzolana type (fly ash, kaolinite, metakaolinite, ground granulated blast furnace slag, red soil), alkali (sodium hydroxide is used in this study) activator concentration, Si/Al (Si= silicon, Al = aluminium) ratio of the pozzolana and environmental factors, namely, curing period and temperature are examined. Besides synthesizing geopolymers that could be an alternate to concrete as construction material, sand-sized aggregates were synthesized using geopolymer reactions. This was done as river sand is becoming scarcer commodity for use as construction material. Several compositional and environmental factors were varied in geopolymer synthesis in order to identify the optimum synthesis conditions that yield geopolymers with maximum compressive strength. Besides varying external (compositional and environmental) factors, the role of internal microstructure in influencing the compressive strength of the geopolymer was examined. Micro-structure examinations were made using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) studies. The studies on compositional and environmental factors in geopolymer synthesis brought out several interesting results. The results firstly brought out that amongst the pozzolanas studied, ASTM class F fly ash is most suited for maximum compressive strength mobilization upon geopolymer reactions. Moderate temperature (75-1000C) was adequate to mobilize large compressive strengths. Room temperature curing needed more than 7 days before the pozzolana-NaOH paste began to develop strength. Curing period of 56 days was needed for the geopolymer to develop significant strength (19.6MPa). A similar range of compressive strength could be developed by the pozzolana-NaOH paste upon curing for 3 days at 1000C. Likewise curing the pozzolana-NaOH paste at temperatures > 1000C led to reduction in compressive strength from shrinkage and breakage of bonds. A caustic soda (NaOH) concentration of 10 M was adequate to develop maximum compressive strength of the geopolymer. Caustic soda concentrations in excess of 10 M did not result in further improvement of strength. The Si/Al ratio also contributes to strength mobilization. The Si/Al ratio of the geopolymer was enhanced by mixing commercially obtained silica gel with the pozzolana. Maximum strength mobilization was observed at Si/Al ratio = 2.45 corresponding to 6.5 % silica gel addition to the pozzolana (on dry mass basis). Comparing compressive strengths of geopolymers with varying silica gel contents, geopolymer specimens with least water content and largest dry density did not exhibit maximum compressive strength indicating that the physico-chemical (bond strength, micro-structure) played a pivotal role than physical parameters (dry density, water content) in dictating the strength of the geopolymer. MIP results showed that bulk of the porosity in fly ash geopolymer specimens is contributed by macro pores and air voids. Geopolymerization leads to bulk consumption of cenospheres in fly ash and forms polymerized matrix with network of large pores. After geopolymerization, all the main characteristic peaks of Al–Si minerals observed in fly ash persisted, suggesting that no new major crystalline phases were formed. Presence of small amount of inorganic contaminants in fly ash can drastically reduce the strength of the fly ash geopolymer. For example, 5-20 % presence of red soil reduces the strength of fly ash geopolymer by 16 to 59 %. Presence of unreacted clay coupled with less porous structure is responsible for the reduction in compressive strength of fly ash geopolymer subjected to red soil addition. MIP studies with geopolymers also revealed that there is good bearing between compressive strengths and maximum intruded volume (from MIP test) of geopolymers. For example, fly ash geopolymer specimen exhibits highest total intruded volume (0.3908 cc/g) and largest compressive strength of 29.5 MPa, while red soil geopolymer specimen exhibit least intruded volume (0.0416 cc/g) and lowest compressive strength (5.4 MPa). Further, analysis showed that specimens with larger airvoids+macropores volume had larger compressive strength, suggesting that geopolymers with more porous microstructure develop larger compressive strength. All geopolymer specimens exhibited tri-modal nature of pores i.e. macro-pore mode (entrance pore radius: 25-5000 nm), mesopore mode (entrance pore radius: 1.25 to 25 nm) and air void mode (entrance pore radius >5000 nm). The micro pores (entrance pore radius < 1.25 nm) do not contribute to porosity of the geopolymer specimens. Sand particles prepared from geopolymer reactions (FAPS or fly ash geopolymer sand) predominated in medium sized (2mm to 0.425 mm) sand particles. Their particle size distribution characteristics (uniformity coefficient and coefficient of curvature) classified them as poorly graded sand (SP). Dissolution, followed by polymerization reactions led to dense packing of the Si–O–Al–O– units that imparted specific gravity of 2.59 to FAPS particles which is comparable to that of river sand (2.61). Dissolution in strongly alkaline medium imparted strongly alkaline pH (12.5) to the FAPS particles. The river sand is characterized by much lower pH (7.9). Despite being characterized by rounded grains, the FAPS particles mobilized relatively high friction angle of (35.5o) than river sand (∅ = 28.9o). The river sand-mortar (RS-M) and fly ash geopolymer sand-mortar (FAPS-M) specimens developed similar 28-day compressive strengths, 11.6 to 12.2 MPa. Despite its higher water content, FAPS-mortar specimens developed similar compressive strength and initial tangent modulus (ITM) as river sand-mortar specimens. The FAPS-M specimen is more porous (larger intruded volume) with presence of larger fraction of coarser pores. Total porosity is majorly contributed by macro-pores (67.92%) in FAPS-M specimen in comparison to RS-M specimen (macro-pores = 33.1%). Mortar specimens prepared from FAPS and river sand exhibit similar pH of 12.36 and 12.4 respectively. FAPS-mortar specimens have lower TDS (1545 mg/L) than river sand-mortar specimens (TDS = 1889 mg/L). The RS-M and FAPS-M specimens exhibit leachable sodium levels of 0.001 g Na/g RS-M and 0.007 g Na/g-FAPS-M respectively in the water leach tests. The larger leachable sodium of FAPS-M specimen is attributed to residual sodium hydroxide persisting in the FAPS even after washing. The ultra-accelerated mortar bar test (UAMBT) shows that the percentage expansion of FAPS-M and RS-M specimens are comparable and range between 0.07 to 0.08 %.

Aujourd'hui, les problèmes environnementaux sont plus graves que jamais. Des mesures urgentes devraient être prises dans tous les domaines de l'activité humaine, y compris la construction. L'un des principaux contributeurs à l'impact négatif de cette industrie sur l'environnement est la fabrication du ciment Portland ordinaire (OPC) nécessaire à la production de béton et d’autres matériaux cimentaire. Malgré son importance, il présente un inconvénient important: sa production est accompagnée par de grandes quantités de gaz à effet de serre. Ils représentent 5 à 8% des émissions mondiales totales de CO2. Des matériaux cimentaires plus écologiques sont maintenant nécessaires.Des réductions significatives de l’impact sur l’environnement ne peuvent être obtenues que par l’utilisation de liants de nouvelle génération dont la fabrication ne nécessite pas beaucoup de processus et de traitements supplémentaires. L'une d'elles consiste à utiliser des déchets industriels comme liants (différentes laitiers, cendres volantes, cendres de biomasse, etc.). De cette manière, il y a non seulement une réduction de l'impact de processus tels que l'extraction minière ou la calcination, mais également le recyclage des déchets (un principe de l'économie circulaire).Une possibilité consiste à utiliser du laitier de haut fourneau (GGBS) comme base pour ce ciment de nouvelle génération. En raison de sa réactivité relativement faible avec l'eau, des suppléments (également appelés activateurs) doivent être utilisés pour favoriser le processus d'hydratation. Le carbonate de sodium (Na2CO3) est l’un des activateurs les plus prometteurs et en même temps les moins étudiés. Un tel ciment alkali-activé présente des propriétés mécaniques et de durabilité élevées, ainsi qu'une empreinte CO2 très faible. Parmi les principaux problèmes qui entravent son utilisation à l'échelle industrielle, on peut mentionner une évolution de la résistance lente à jeune âge et de rhéologie médiocre.L'objectif de la présente thèse est de développer une nouvelle conception du liant à base de laitier activé par Na2CO3, qui répondrait à toutes les exigences modernes du secteur de la construction, en particulier les propriétés rhéologiques et le développement de la résistance à jeune âge. Ce liant doit toujours répondre à au moins trois critères principaux: faible impact environnemental, faibles risques de danger dans les applications sur le terrain et être économiquement compétitif à l'échelle industrielle.Dans le présent travail, l’influence de différents paramètres tels que le rapport eau/liant, la concentration de Na2CO3, la finesse du laitier et les conditions de durcissement sur les propriétés du mélange à jeune âge et à long terme a été étudiée. Sur la base des résultats du processus d’hydratation, les additifs à base de phosphonate qui permettent de contrôler efficacement la rhéologie de tels liants ont été testé avec succès. Ils permettent non seulement de contrôler le temps de prise, mais fournissent également un effet plastifiant.En ce qui concerne l’amélioration des propriétés de résistance au jeune âge, différentes méthodes ont été utilisées. L’utilisation d’un traitement thermique ou d’une augmentation de la finesse du GGBS s’est avérée efficace. L’exploration des causes d’une longue période d’induction a montré que l’accélération pouvait également être obtenue par l’ajout d’une source de calcium à cinétique de dissolution contrôlée. En conséquence, le liant est devenu plus réactif et plus robuste à certains facteurs (concentration d’activateur, rapport eau/liant, conditions de durcissement, etc.). Pour compenser l'empreinte carbone supplémentaire de la source de calcium ajoutée, le liant a été dilué avec succès par le calcaire sans aucune dégradation des propriétés à un certain pourcentage de dilution. / Today, environmental problems are more acute than ever. Urgent measures should be taken in all spheres of human activity including construction and civil engineering. One of the major contributors of negative environmental impacts from this industry is the manufacturing of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) required for concrete and other cementitious materials production. Although its importance to economical development, it has a significant drawback - its production is accompanied by the emission of large quantities of greenhouse gases. They account for 5-8% of total world CO2 emissions. More environmentally friendly cementitious materials are now required.Significant reductions of the environmental impact can be achieved only through the use of new-generation binders whose manufacture does not require a lot of additional processes and treatments. One route is through the use of industrial wastes as binders (different slags, fly ash, biomass bottom ash, etc.). In this way there is not only a reduction in the impact of processes such as mining or calcination, but also the recycling of waste materials (circular economy principle).One possibility is to use ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) as the basis for such a new generation cement. Due to its rather low reactivity with water, additional supplements (also called activators) should be used to promote the hydration process. One of the most promising, and at the same time least studied, activators is sodium carbonate (Na2CO3). Such alkali-activated cements present high mechanical and durability properties, as well as a very low CO2 footprint. Among the main problems hindering its industrial scale adoption are their poor rheology and too slow strength gain within the first days of hardening.The objective of the present thesis is to develop a new binder based on Na2CO3 activated GGBS that would meet all the modern requirements of the construction industry, in particular regarding the rheological properties and early age strength development. In addition this binder should always respond to at least three main criteria: low environmental impact, low health and safety concerns in field applications, and be economically competitive at industrial scale.In the present work, the influence of different parameters like water/binder ratio, Na2CO3 concentration, slag fineness and curing conditions on both early age and long term properties of the mixture were studied. Based on the results of the hydration process analysis, phosphonate based additives that allow for the effective control of the rheology of such binders were successfully tested. They not only allow control over the setting time, but also provide a plasticizing effect.Regarding the improvement of early age strength properties, various methods have been used. The use of heat treatment or an increase of GGBS fineness turned out to be efficient. Exploring the causes of the long induction period has shown that acceleration can also be achieved by the addition of a calcium source with controlled dissolution kinetics. As a result, the binder became more reactive and robust against certain factors (activator concentration, Water/Binder ratio, curing conditions, etc.). To compensate for the additional carbon footprint from the added calcium source, the binder was successfully diluted by limestone without any degradation of the properties below some dilution percentages.