Pumice-based supersulfated cements in mortars: Effects of pumice fineness and activator ratio on physical and environmental characteristics

This paper presents an investigation on the effects of pumice fineness and alkaline activators ratio on the physical, mechanical and environmental features of pumice-based supersulfated mortars. These were prepared with a water/binder ratio of 0.40 and a binder: aggregate ratio of 1:2.75 and cured at 60 °C for 22 h; then the hardened samples were stored in dry and wet conditions for up to 120 days. The best results were for the composition 10%quicklime-10%Portland cement-15%anhydrite-65%pumice wet cured that had 28 MPa and a maximum expansion ∼ 0.10%. The mortars with the supersulfated cements are a good cleaner alternative for use as a building material having emissions < 184 kgCO2-eq/m3, which are at least 66% lower than Portland cement mortars.