Assessment of the properties of sustainable concrete produced from quaternary blend of portland cement, glass powder, metakaolin and silica fume

The present study proposes a sustainable solution to the non-eco-friendly technique of cement production, without compromising the quality of produced concrete. In the primary stages of the investigation undertaken, cement is replaced with different cementitious materials like glass powder, metakaolin and silica fume at different percentages by weight. After conducting mechanical properties tests, optimum replacement percentages are obtained and consequently a quaternary blend of hybrid concrete is prepared containing cement + glass powder + metakaolin + silica fume, in the ratio 60:20:05:15thier. The final test results show an increase in compressive strength of hybrid concrete by 13.42% compared to control mix after 28 days of curing. Additionally, a mild reduction of 11.44% strength at 28 days in acidic environment is noticed as opposed to the 17.92% reduction in control mix in the same environment. The microstructural investigation conducted under scattered electron microscope (SEM) validates the development of strength imparting compounds like calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) and calcium alumino-silicate hydrate (C-A-S-H), leading to the dense formation of microstructure.

Automated summary

This study proposes a sustainable solution to improve the environmentally unfriendly technique of cement production by using a quaternary blend of hybrid concrete, which increases compressive strength without compromising quality. In acidic environments, the hybrid concrete exhibits a lesser reduction in strength compared to traditional concrete, indicating better durability.