Low Carbon Concretes Incorporating Blast furnace Slag and Cement Kiln Dust in Oman

Abstract

Alternative cementitious binders that are based on activation of industrial by-products with minimal amounts of Portland cement (PC) are promising low carbon candidates that can potentially complement Oman’s growing concrete industry - an industry currently faced with a number of challenges. This paper aims to explore the potential for utilizing concrete blends of CEM I, blast furnace slag (GGBS) and cement kiln dust (CKD) at strategic proportions ranging from 40-75% for GGBS and 0-35% for CKSD, in order to determine optimally performing mixes at sustainable quantities. Fresh, mechanical and permeation properties of CEM I/GGBS/CKD concrete mixes were investigated and compared against a reference PC- based concrete. The results showed that moderate amounts of GGBS and CKD within concrete may not pose any risks related to the rheology of the concrete, and moreover, an optimum combination comprising of 55% GGBS and 20% CKD appears to offer promising performance aspects related to density, strength and absorption rates.