Abstract

The aim of this study was to experimentally investigate the feasibility of using calcined clay as partial clinker substitute for sustainable cement manufacturing without compromising the performance of the cement. Clay sample were collected from Foreke Dschang. This clay underwent chemical analysis before and after calcination at 750 °C. For this calcined clay, the loss on ignition is negligible, its Σ(SiO₂+Al₂O₃ +Fe₂O₃) ˃ 70 %, amorphous phase is present. These properties allow this calcined clay to be classified as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM). The cement samples were prepared by substituting 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% of clinker with calcined clay (respectively CEM A, CEM B, CEM C and CEM D), and were tested in comparison to two control formulations substituting clinker at 17% and 25% with volcanic ash (LION and EXTRA respectively). The increase in the calcined clay content resulted in an increase in the water/cement ratio and the initial setting time. CEM A, CEM B and CEM C displayed good compressive strength, comparable to LION (42.5R) and EXTRA (32.5R) respectively. Furthermore, in comparison with LION cement, CEM B shows an increase in compressive strength of 12.6% and 2.55% at 2 and 28 days respectively, despite a 3% clinker deficiency. Also, in comparison with EXTRA cement, CEM C shows an increase in compressive strength of 12.14% and 3.51% at 2 and 28 days respectively, despite a 5% clinker deficiency. This reduction of 3 to 5 % clinker consumption reduced the carbon footprint of the cement industry.

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