Research on the Effect of Calcium Alginate-Red Mud Microspheres on the Performance of Cement Mortar by Partially Replacing Standard Sand
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Raw Materials
2.2. Preparation and Modification of Calcium Alginate–Red Mud Microspheres
- (1)
- In total, 10 g of sodium alginate powder was dissolved in 500 mL of deionized water under ultrasonic agitation for 4 h to obtain a bubble-free solution. Then, 50 g of red mud was added and stirred thoroughly, followed by 2 h of ultrasonication to yield a sodium alginate–red mud suspension.
- (2)
- The suspension was dripped into a saturated calcium chloride solution using a syringe, forming hydrogel microspheres, which were filtered and rinsed with water to remove residual CaCl2 and then dried in an oven at 65 °C to a constant weight.
- (3)
- In total, 20 mL of KH-550 silane coupling agent was dispersed in 100 mL of ethanol, into which 2 g of nano-silica and 10 g of the dried microspheres were added, followed by 2 h of ultrasonication.
- (4)
- The modified microspheres were filtered, washed with deionized water to remove unreacted KH-550 and silica, and oven-dried at 65 °C to a constant mass.
2.3. Preparation of Modified Cement Mortar
2.4. Testing and Characterization Methods
2.4.1. Mechanical Properties
2.4.2. Microscopical Properties of Modified Cement Mortar
3. Results
3.1. Modified Cement Mortar Characterization
3.1.1. Fluidity Test of Modified Cement Mortar
3.1.2. Mechanical Properties of Modified Cement Mortar
3.2. FTIR Analysis of Cement Mortar
3.3. XRD Analysis of Cement Mortar
3.4. SEM Analysis of Cement Mortar
3.5. TG Analysis of Cement Mortar
3.6. Toxicity Leaching Analysis
3.7. BET Analysis of Cement Mortar
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
- (1)
- Mechanical tests demonstrated that the inclusion of red mud microspheres significantly improved the compressive strength of cement mortar at both 7 and 28 days. The optimum mechanical performance was achieved at a 2.5% replacement level. Furthermore, CMC-RM-SiO2 mortars outperformed those incorporating unmodified red mud microspheres.
- (2)
- XRD and TG analyses revealed that the nano-silica-modified microsphere surfaces provided additional nucleation sites for cement hydration, resulting in the increased formation of C–S–H gel and enhanced hydration kinetics.
- (3)
- BET analysis showed that the addition of microspheres reduced the total pore volume of the mortar, leading to a denser microstructure that contributed to improved mechanical properties and enhanced structural stability.
- (4)
- The mechanical performance results of modified cement mortars indicated that at replacement rates ≤10%, the contribution of red mud microspheres to compressive strength was comparable to that of quartz sand, with only a 3.1% reduction observed for CMC-RM-10% compared to the reference.
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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CaO | SiO2 | Al2O3 | Fe2O3 | MgO | SO3 | K2O | Na2O | TiO2 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Red Mud | 15.00 | 14.80 | 18.50 | 27.50 | 0.16 | 2.14 | 0.35 | 13.5 | 7.03 |
Portland Cement | 63.60 | 18.50 | 2.93 | 1.61 | 1.46 | 4.13 | 0.85 | 0.13 | - |
Samples | Dosage (%) | Symbol | Cement (g) | H2O (mL) | Sand (g) | RM (g) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reference Cement | - | CK | 450 | 225 | 1350.00 | - |
CMC-RM-SiO2 | 2.5 | RM-2.5 | 450 | 225 | 1316.25 | 33.75 |
5 | RM-5 | 450 | 225 | 1282.50 | 67.50 | |
7.5 | RM-7.5 | 450 | 225 | 1248.75 | 101.25 | |
10 | RM-10 | 450 | 225 | 1215.00 | 135.00 |
T/°C | Weight Loss (%) | |
---|---|---|
CK | CMC-RM-SiO2-2.5% | |
100–200 | 2.973 | 4.061 |
400–500 | 2.179 | 2.925 |
Sample | As | Cd | Co | Cr | Pb |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
RM | 0.0964 | 0.0007 | 0.1807 | 0.1047 | 0.0019 |
CMC-RM-SiO2 | 0.0161 | - | 0.0093 | - | - |
CK | - | - | 0.0169 | 0.0439 | - |
CMC-RM-SiO2-10% | 0.0016 | - | 0.0323 | 0.0649 | - |
GB 8978-1996 [35] | 0.0500 | 0.0050 | 1.0000 | 0.1000 | 0.1000 |
Sample | BET Surface Area (m2/g) | Pore Volume (cm3/g) |
---|---|---|
Reference cement | 11.7026 | 0.001578 |
CMC-RM-SiO2-2.5% | 14.0190 | 0.001374 |
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Liu, R.; Lin, Z.; Fan, S.; Cheng, Y.; Li, Y.; Li, J.; Zou, H.; Chen, Y.; Zheng, L.; Li, J. Research on the Effect of Calcium Alginate-Red Mud Microspheres on the Performance of Cement Mortar by Partially Replacing Standard Sand. Materials 2025, 18, 3326. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18143326
Liu R, Lin Z, Fan S, Cheng Y, Li Y, Li J, Zou H, Chen Y, Zheng L, Li J. Research on the Effect of Calcium Alginate-Red Mud Microspheres on the Performance of Cement Mortar by Partially Replacing Standard Sand. Materials. 2025; 18(14):3326. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18143326
Chicago/Turabian StyleLiu, Ruizhuo, Zibo Lin, Shencheng Fan, Yao Cheng, Yuanyang Li, Jinsheng Li, Haiying Zou, Yongsi Chen, Liting Zheng, and Jing Li. 2025. "Research on the Effect of Calcium Alginate-Red Mud Microspheres on the Performance of Cement Mortar by Partially Replacing Standard Sand" Materials 18, no. 14: 3326. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18143326
APA StyleLiu, R., Lin, Z., Fan, S., Cheng, Y., Li, Y., Li, J., Zou, H., Chen, Y., Zheng, L., & Li, J. (2025). Research on the Effect of Calcium Alginate-Red Mud Microspheres on the Performance of Cement Mortar by Partially Replacing Standard Sand. Materials, 18(14), 3326. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18143326