Early age hydration of cements containing ye’elimite (YCC) produced with spent catalyst (SFCC)

Abstract

Given the environmental impacts associated with the production of conventional Portland cement, the study of special cements with reduced environmental impact has been a trend. In this context, cements containing ye'elimite (YCC) stand out due to their low CO₂ emissions. Despite the environmental advantages, the high demand for aluminum economically limits the production of these cements. An alternative to making its production feasible is using residual raw materials as a source of Al₂O₃, such as SFCC (spent fluidized catalytic cracking). In view of this, this work aims to evaluate hydration at the initial age of cements. For this, six clinkers were produced with different ye'elimite contents, with and without SFCC. These were characterized by XRD/Rietveld. The pastes were evaluated by TG/DTG and XRD/Rietveld to understand the hydration mechanism on the third day of these cements. It was possible to synthesize the main phases of YCC, in clinkers with and without SFCC. In addition, at the age evaluated, the pastes with and without SFCC presented comparable phase composition, indicating the potential for co-processing this residue.