Utilization of high fly ash dosage to reduce cement consumption in concrete formulations

Abstract

The concrete production is responsible for high proportion of total carbon dioxide emission due to enormous consumption of Portland cement. This traditional binder system is due to high autogenous emission during calcination the main carrier of such negative environmental impact. The effective way to reduce the use of Portland cement is to replace that this binding material exhibiting lower energy demandingness. This paper deals with the utilization of fly ash as Portland cement replacement, which is frequently applied in concrete industry. The paper deals the highest replacement level in accordance with valid regulations. The experimental program was focused on the properties of fresh concrete mixture and basic physical and mechanical properties of hardened concrete. The attained results confirmed good potential of this approach, however the increase of plasticizer dosage was necessary to maintain a similar consistency of fresh mixture. That is why the fresh mixture exhibited lower level of air content.