Influence of Electrostatic Precipitator Ash “Zolest-Bet” and Silica Fume on Sulfate Resistance of Portland Cement

Abstract

The influence of the electrostatic precipitator ash “Zolest-bet” and silica fume on the sulfate resistance of Portland cement was studied. The evaluation criteria were the expansion, strength, density, and appearance of the samples, hardened in a 5% Na2SO4 solution starting from 3 days of age for 192 days at a temperature of 20 °C and 148 days at 40 °C. The mixture with the silica fume additive had the minimum expansion under the Na2SO4 action, and the mixture with the fly ash “Zolest-bet” additive had the greatest expansion. Zolest-bet ash in pure water shrank the mixture by 0.19 mm/m by the end of the hardening period, and it gave a linear expansion of 0.23 mm/m in a Na2SO4 solution after hardening. The mixture can be considered sulfate resistant at a given value of linear expansion. Despite the greatest expansion, the compressive strength of the samples with the Zolest-bet additive was found to be the highest at hardening in both environments. The flexural strength was found to be the highest after being in Na2SO4 solution. The sulfate resistance of the mixture with silica fume was higher than that of the mixture based on sulfate-resistant cement. This mixture did not have expansion in comparison with the initial length, instead it shrank, while the expansion of sulfate-resistant cement was 0.006% over the control period. The compressive strength of the mixture with the silica fume additive was slightly inferior to the strength of the mixture with Zolest-bet ash.