Strength and durability of self-curing concrete developed using calcium lignosulfonate

Large quantity of water is required during the conventional curing methods. This becomes challenging in the areas facing water scarcity and for concreting work in high rise structures. In this work, we present a solution for the need of concrete which does not require extra water for curing. In the proposed solution, calcium lignosulfonate in different percentage was introduced as a self-curing agent in fresh concrete. The hardened concrete with calcium lignosulfonate was cured at ambient condition whereas the hardened concrete without calcium lignosulfonate was submerged in water for curing. The properties of fresh and hardened concrete with and without calcium lignosulfonate are compared. The results show a continuous increase in slump with the increase in calcium lignosulfonate, however, 0.3% calcium lignosulfonate is identified as an optimum percentage for desired mechanical property. The durability under saline environment is studied in term of loss in strength. Further, the change in strength is correlated with the mineralogical changes studied using X-ray diffraction results.