Sustainable iron-rich cements:raw material sources and binder types

The bulk of the cement industry’s environmental burden is from the calcareous source. Calcium is mostly available naturally as limestone (CaCO₃), where almost half of the mass is eventually released as CO₂ during clinker manufacture. Iron (Fe) is the fourth most common element in the Earth’s crust surpassed only by oxygen, silicon, and aluminium; therefore, potential raw materials for alternative cements can contain significant amounts of iron. This review paper discusses in detail the most abundantly available Fe-rich natural resources and industrial by-products and residues, establishing symbiotic supply chains from various sectors. The discussion then focusses on the impact of high iron content in clinker and on ferrite (thermo)chemistry, as well as the importance of iron speciation on its involvement in the reactions as supplementary cementitious material or alkali-activated materials, and the technical quality that can be achieved from sustainable Fe-rich cements.