The Development of a New Low Carbon Binder for Construction as an Alternative to Cement

The demand on cement in the construction industry has increased significantly due to the growth of industrial sectors. However, as the cement industry contributes to the emissions of 6–8% of CO₂ into the atmosphere, it becomes essential to develop alternative materials to reduce the usage of cement. This research aims at developing a new low carbon binder completely from waste materials to be used in construction industry. The performance of four different alkali-activated binary blended mortars made from ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) and high-calcium fly ash (HCFA) was assessed using compressive strength test. The results indicated that the mixture made from (60% GGBS: 40% HCFA) and activated by sodium hydroxide (NaOH) with concentration of 4M and sodium silicate (Na₂SiO₃) solutions together with a Na₂SiO₃/NaOH ratio of 2 showed a comparable behaviour to the cement with a compressive strength of 39.8 MPa after 28 days of air curing. The findings in this study announced on the development of promising binder that can be used in different construction sectors as an alternative to cement and help in reducing the negative environmental impacts of cement industry.