Utilization of Industrial Waste in Cement in a Marine Environment with a Tropical Climate.

This novel study on cement paste material was conducted with the aim of keeping up with the rapid development of urban construction and contributing to the continuous improvement of building materials to overcome environmental issues. In this study, several kinds of industrial waste were used to enhance the properties of cement paste for application in a marine environment with a tropical climate, such as in Vietnam. This study focuses on evaluating the properties of cement paste containing cement replacement combining 0–30% fly ash, 0–10% silica fume, and plasticizer accounting for 0.3% and 0.4% of the binder by mass. Water demand, chloride ion and sulfate ion permeability, and microstructural properties of the cement paste were determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) and they were investigated after 28 and 56 days. The test results show that an optimum mixture could be obtained with the use of 20% fly ash, 10% silica fume (replacing Portland cement), and 0.4% plasticizer. The application of such materials to sea dikes affected by a tropical climate (characterized by heat, humidity, salty seawater, many big storms, large waves, and strong tides) was investigated for four years on the Vietnamese coast. The test results indicate that fly ash and silica fume can improve the corrosion and abrasion resistance of concrete in coastal areas with a tropical climate, such as in Vietnam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]