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Article

Influence of Thermally Treated Asbestos-Containing Materials on Cement Mortars Properties

by
Robert Kusiorowski
*,
Anna Gerle
,
Magdalena Kujawa
and
Andrzej Śliwa
Łukasiewicz Research Network—Institute of Ceramics and Building Materials, Cementowa 8, 31-983 Cracow, Poland
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(16), 9225; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15169225
Submission received: 29 July 2025 / Revised: 20 August 2025 / Accepted: 20 August 2025 / Published: 21 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Topic Solid Waste Recycling in Civil Engineering Materials)
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Abstract

This paper presents the potential use of calcined cement–asbestos waste as an additive in cement mortars. Due to its harmful asbestos content, cement–asbestos waste poses a significant environmental challenge. One method of disposal is high-temperature calcination, which degrades the structure of asbestos fibers and removes their carcinogenic properties. After appropriate thermal treatment, this material can be used as a mineral additive in cement mixtures. This study analyzed the physical and chemical properties of the calcined waste and its impact on the basic strength parameters of cement mortars. The results indicate that, with appropriate dosing, calcined cement–asbestos waste can serve as a useful additive or filler without significantly impairing—and in some cases even improving—the mechanical properties of the mortars. The developed solution aligns with the principles of the circular economy, enabling the safe and effective management of hazardous waste.

1. Introduction

Asbestos-containing waste poses a significant threat to human health and the environment due to the toxic nature of asbestos fibers, which can cause serious respiratory diseases, including asbestosis, pleural mesothelioma, and lung cancer [1,2,3]. Despite the ban on asbestos use in many countries, including Poland and the European Union [4,5], a substantial amount of cement–asbestos products remains in use or has already been classified as waste requiring safe management. It is estimated that, globally, millions of tons of such waste exist, most of which is currently landfilled, a practice that not only generates high costs but also does not eliminate the risk associated with its long-term environmental impact [6,7].
In Poland, the only legal option for the disposal of asbestos waste is to store it after it has been properly secured (airtight by wrapping it in foil) and buried in hazardous waste landfills [8]. This requirement results directly from the national asbestos management program [9]. It is based on three main assumptions: (a) the removal and neutralization of products containing asbestos (not fully implemented), (b) the minimization of the negative effects of asbestos products on human health, and (c) the elimination of the harmful impact of asbestos on the natural environment. While the practice of storing hazardous waste in properly prepared landfills addresses the first two objectives, the third—environmental protection—is not being met. Research has shown [10,11,12,13] that there remains a risk of secondary contamination of soil and groundwater from buried waste, despite the protective foil wrapping. Climate change is another important factor to consider, as it contributes to increasingly extreme weather events. Heavy rainfall and strong winds can be particularly dangerous, leading to flooding and the potential displacement or erosion of buried waste, as well as leaching, degradation, and the relocation of cement–asbestos panels still present on building roofs [14]. The scale of the problem is considerable: in Poland alone, there may be approximately 15 million tons of accumulated asbestos waste [9]. By 2023, there were 35 publicly accessible asbestos waste landfills in the country, with a total available capacity of approximately 3 million m3 [5]. An analysis of data on the amount of inventoried and physically stored waste [5] clearly indicates that the quantity of asbestos waste requiring disposal will continue to increase. The limited number of operational national landfills with their limited capacity, may soon become an urgent problem requiring resolution.
Current environmental challenges highlight the need to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to transition from a linear to a circular economy. In line with the principles of the circular economy, and despite the ban on the production and use of asbestos materials, scientific projects are still being conducted to neutralize the hazardous properties of asbestos and obtain a safe raw material that can be successfully reused. This was also noted in a document released in 2022 [15], which announced the launch of a study to identify technologies and practices for asbestos waste treatment and to conduct a comparative analysis of these technologies and their environmental impacts. The study was completed in 2024 [16]. Considering the EU strategies for a more resource-efficient and circular Europe, the potential reuse of treated asbestos waste offers an opportunity to address the ongoing problem of asbestos disposal.
One promising and popular direction for managing cement–asbestos waste is its thermal disposal [17,18,19]. Thermal treatment at temperatures of 1000–1200 °C induces structural changes in asbestos materials, resulting in the degradation of fibers and the loss of their carcinogenic properties [20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31]. This process produces a material with an altered microstructure that may exhibit valuable functional properties, opening up new possibilities for its use as an additive in construction materials, particularly cement mortars and concretes.
Reusing calcined cement–asbestos waste in the production of cementitious materials aligns with the principles of a circular economy (CE), offering the potential not only to reduce the amount of hazardous waste disposed of but also to reduce the consumption of primary raw materials in the construction industry. According to the waste management hierarchy, as defined by the Act on Waste [32,33], landfilling should be considered a last resort, with other, less environmentally harmful waste management options applied whenever feasible. Previous studies have shown that heat-treated waste can positively influence the mechanical and durability properties of mortars and concretes, particularly in the context of the microstructure and tightness of the cement matrix [34,35,36]. Additionally, pre-calcined and deactivated asbestos waste can be used in various branches of the broadly understood ceramics and building materials industries [37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44]. For example, Viani et al. [45] proved that neutralized ACW can be used as a component of sulfoaluminate clinker (CSA). Its addition led to a reduction in CO2 emissions of up to 30%, improved reactivity and setting rates, and the resulting clinker showed increased strength at a lower firing temperature.
This study aims to evaluate the potential use of calcined cement–asbestos waste as an additive in cement mortars. In particular, the impact of this material on the strength properties and microstructure of mortars was analyzed. The research aims not only to determine the technical effectiveness of this solution but also to explore its potential role in the sustainable management of asbestos waste.

2. Materials and Methods

The problem addressed in this paper concerns the feasibility of using waste cement–asbestos that has been thermally deactivated and ground (referred to as ACP) as a component of cement mortar. Before testing the mortar properties, the basic characteristics of the ACP were examined. The material was prepared by isothermally annealing cement–asbestos boards at 1100 °C for 4 h, followed by crushing and grinding the resulting product to a particle size of less than 0.5 mm. The calcination parameter (1100 °C for 4 h) was selected based on thermodynamic and kinetic considerations. A temperature of 1100 °C was chosen to ensure complete phase transformation and thermal decomposition of all asbestos minerals varieties as well as to limit high chemical reactivity of the resulting calcium oxide. The assumed dwell time was selected to ensure uniform heat penetration in larger waste fragments, simulating conditions relevant for industrial-scale treatment. The research methodology included determination of the chemical composition using XRF and identification of crystalline phases using XRD. Microstructural characteristics were also determined using SEM. The specific surface area of the ACP was determined using the Blaine method.
The chemical analysis was made using a Panalytical Magix PW-2424 spectrometer (Malvern PANalytical, Almelo, The Netherlands) using the fused cast-bead method, in accordance with PN-EN ISO 12677:2011 standard [46]. The qualitative mineralogical phase study was performed by powder X-ray diffraction method (Cu Kα radiation, Ni filter, 40 kV, 30 mA, X’Celerator detector; Malvern PANalytical X’pert Pro diffractometer, Almelo, The Netherlands). SEM analysis was performed using a Mira 3 scanning electron microscope (Tescan, Brno, Czech Republic) at an accelerating voltage of 15 kV in the secondary electron (SE) or backscattered electrons (BSE) mode. The specific surface area (SSA) of the ACP powder material was performed according to the ASTM standard [47] using a semi-automatic Blaine apparatus (Testing, Berlin, Germany).
Binder testing (Table 1) included the determination of standard consistency and setting time in accordance with the PN-EN 196-3 [48] standard.
Measurements were performed using a Vicat apparatus, which involved recording the time elapsed from the moment the binder was mixed with water until the apparatus’s pin/needle penetrated the hardening paste to a specified depth. The standard consistency (the amount of water contained in the paste) was defined as the moment when the distance between the pin and the base plate reached 6 ± 2 mm. The beginning of setting was defined as the moment when the needle stopped 2–4 mm above the surface of the plate on which the binder sample was placed. The end of setting was defined as the moment when the needle did not penetrate more than 1 mm. These determinations were performed using an automatic Vicat Vicamatic 3 apparatus (Controls, Milan, Italy). The technological tests involved incorporating ground ACP into cement mortar mixtures to partially replace the cement binder. Commercial Portland cement CEM I 42.5 (Cement Plant Odra, Opole, Poland) and the standard natural aggregate quartz sand (Kwarcmix, Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Poland) were used, meeting the criteria of PN EN 196-1 [49], were used in the experiments. The tests also included the preparation of a control mortar without ACP. Table 2 presents the detailed compositions of the individual cement mortars.
The test plan included five mortar series, which were prepared in accordance with a standardized procedure for dosing, mixing, and shaping the samples [49]. All tested sample series were characterized by the same water-to-binder ratio of 0.5. For each composition considered (Table 2), nine cuboid-shaped samples with dimensions of 40 × 40 × 160 mm were prepared, based on the PN-EN 196-1 standard [49]. After shaping, the samples were cured in a climatic chamber and then stored in water until selected properties were tested after 7, 14, and 28 days. Bending and compressive strength were determined on the prepared samples using hydraulic presses of types EDZ40 and Amsler, respectively. The final result for each test was calculated as the average of at least three individual measurements. In addition, apparent density, open porosity, and water absorption of the mortars were determined using hydrostatic weighing, and for selected samples, porosimetry was also performed. The resulting mortar materials were tested using an Autopore 9500 mercury porosimeter (Micromeritics, Norcross, GA, USA).

3. Results and Discussion

3.1. Characterization of ACP

The ACP was created by isothermal heat treatment of cement–asbestos waste in the form of corrugated roofing sheets. The presence of asbestos in the recycled waste was evident. SEM images of the raw sample (Figure 1) clearly show asbestos fibers embedded within the cement matrix. The characteristic role of these fibers, which were added to the product to increase the flexibility of the final product, is evident. The SEM image shows both fine asbestos fibrils and larger bundles of thicker fibers, which exhibit a distinct tendency to fibrillate. Grinding the sheets did not fragment the asbestos fibers; rather, they became increasingly fibrillated and dispersed throughout the material (Figure 1c).
As a result of the thermal treatment, significant structural changes occurred within the material, particularly in the asbestos fibers. Exposure to sufficiently high temperature causes the thermal decomposition of asbestos minerals [20,24,25] contained in cement–asbestos waste and irreversible changes at the molecular level. As a result, the asbestos mineral chrysotile (the most common form of asbestos, accounting for approximately 95% of global production [50]) transforms into new mineral phases with different crystal structures. Chrysotile, a member of the phyllosilicate group, converts into minerals such as forsterite and enstatite, which belong to different crystallochemical groups of silicates. This transformation is visible in SEM images of fractured cement–asbestos panel sample after calcination at 1100 °C. In places of the original asbestos fibers, so-called pseudomorphs [51,52,53,54], with clearly different crystalline structure, manifested by distinct graininess (Figure 2) can be observed. Unlike raw asbestos fibers, these pseudomorphs do not exhibit significant strength and can be easily fragmented into individual grains of irregular shape, resulting in a material devoid of a dangerous, fibrous structure.
The chemical composition of the obtained ACP shows (Table 3) that it is dominated by calcium oxide (~54 wt%) and silicon oxide (~26 wt%). This is expected, as the material was obtained by calcining an asbestos-cement product, in which the main part of the composite is the cement matrix. Due to the tests on the calcined waste, no significant amounts of volatile substances, expressed by the L.O.I. value, were detected. This is due to prior thermal treatment, during which hydrated compounds and carbonates were thermally decomposed. In addition to these main components, there are also other ingredients like magnesium oxide (~8 wt%), aluminum oxide (~5 wt%) and iron oxide (~4 wt%). The presence of Al2O3 and Fe2O3 also results from the share of cement in the cement–asbestos waste, as they are typical oxides included in the composition of cement clinker. The relatively high contents of magnesium oxide in the chemical analysis of ACP can be directly related to the asbestos. MgO is one of the main oxides included in the chemical formula of white asbestos, i.e., chrysotile, with chemical formula close to Mg3Si2O5(OH)4. The ACP sample also contains a notable amount of sulfur (~2 wt% of SO3), which can be associated with the introduction of gypsum in the role of setting time regulator during cement production. Furthermore, trace amounts of titanium oxide, manganese oxide, sodium oxide, potassium oxide, chromium oxide and phosphorus oxide were identified.
Figure 3 presents a comparison of the X-ray powder diffraction patterns of the ACP and the raw cement–asbestos sample. In the X-ray diffraction pattern of the raw cement–asbestos material, diffraction reflexes from the cementitious matrix are dominant. The main identified mineral phases were calcium carbonate CaCO3 in the crystal form of calcite (ICDD-PDF 01-091-6262) or vaterite (ICDD-PDF 00-069-0001). As an asbestos mineral a chrysotile type (ICDD-PDF 00-027-1276) was identified. In addition to the above-mentioned phases, other mineral phases of cementitious matrix were also identified. There is larnite (Ca2SiO4; ICDD-PDF 04-007-8540) and portlandite (Ca(OH)2; ICDD-PDF 01-078-0315).
After calcination, the significant differences in the phase composition of the sample occurred. Due to the use of thermal treatment at a sufficiently high temperature, some of the mineral components from raw cement–asbestos sample underwent a thermal decomposition process. Here, we can point out, first of all, the thermal decomposition of the main identified mineral components of the cement matrix, i.e., calcium carbonates and calcium hydroxide. Moreover, the asbestos mineral underwent thermal decomposition, as the XRD diffraction pattern no longer showed reflections originating from chrysotile. Instead, the intensity of larnite (Ca2SiO4; ICDD-PDF 04-007-8540) increased and new mineral phases were also created. The following new phases were identified in the ACP: brownmillerite (Ca2(Al,Fe)2O5; ICDD-PDF 04-011-5940), gehlenite (Ca2Al2SiO7; ICDD-PDF 01-089-6887), merwinite (Ca3Mg(SiO4)2; ICDD-PDF 04-011-6738), periclase (MgO; ICD-PDF 01-078-0430), lime (CaO, ICDD-PDF 04-002-6758) as well as ternesite (Ca5(SiO4)2SO4; ICD-PDF 04-009-4477). A quantitative summary of the phase composition of both raw and ACP samples is presented in Table 4. The identified phases were well fitted, with refinement Chi-squared values for quantitative phase analyses ranging from 2.6 to 3.2 for raw and ACP samples, respectively.
The ACP was easily crushed and could be quickly converted into a powder form (Figure 4). No fibrous forms associated with the original presence of asbestos in the raw roofing cement–asbestos panel were detected. This confirms that the pseudomorphs created from asbestos fibers lack strength and are subject to breakage/crumbling along the boundaries of visible grains (Figure 2c,d). As a final product, the fine-grained powder irregularly shaped with a developed specific surface area was obtained. The value of specific surface area (SSA) determined by Blaine method for ACP milled for 20 min achieved 4982 cm2 per gram of sample.

3.2. Characterization of Cement Pastes and Mortars

The results of the standard consistency test for cement pastes are presented graphically in Figure 5. The addition of ACP significantly increased the binder’s water requirement compared to a paste based on Portland cement alone. For the reference sample B0, the amount of required water was 26%. Replacing cement with 5% ACP increased the required water by 3% to 29%. Further increases in ACP content led to a progressive rise in water demand, reaching approximately 32% for the B30 sample. The increased binder water requirement can be attributed to the irregular structure and developed specific surface area of the ACP grains resulting from the thermal treatment of cement–asbestos waste. Furthermore, free calcium and magnesium oxides were identified in the ACP (Figure 3), which also exhibit a high affinity for water and undergo hydration reactions.
The parameters related to setting time (Table 5) were also changed significantly with the amount of ACP added. A 5% substitution of cement with ACP did not markedly affect the setting behavior; for sample B5, the initial setting time, final setting time, and total setting time were comparable to the reference sample B0, at approximately 125–130 min, 210 min, and 85 min, respectively. Increasing the ACP content in the binder resulted in a significant shortening of the initial setting time, which decreased to approximately 90 min for samples B15 and B20. Further increases in the ACP content contributed to an even faster initiation of setting and a reduction in this time to less than 30 min. This effect is unfavorable due to the binder’s workability. In turn, the addition of ACP in the amount of several percent extended the time to complete setting, as seen for samples B10–B20, where it was extended to approximately 240 min, thus increasing the time interval for the setting process to approximately 2 h. The addition of ACP in amounts of 25% or more significantly shortened the setting time parameters, and due to this unfavorable effect, these binders were not considered in the further study.
To determine the effect of cement substitution with ACP on the mechanical properties of cement mortars, as shown in Table 2, destructive tests were conducted, the results of which are presented in Figure 6. Flexural and compressive strength tests were performed after 7, 14, and 28 days of curing. Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that the addition of ACP in amounts of 10% or more (mortars M10, M15, and M20) results in lower strength and a relatively slower strength increase compared to the control mortar M0, made solely from Portland cement. However, replacing cement with 5% calcined cement–asbestos waste (ACP) gave better results in most cases, especially for short curing times (Figure 6a). For sample M5, compressive strength increased by 9% and 6% at 7 and 14 days of curing, respectively, compared to the reference mortar. A similar trend was observed for flexural strength, with M5 exhibiting increases of 10% and 20% after 7 and 14 days, respectively, relative to M0 (Figure 6b).
A comparison of the results obtained for the determined apparent density and open porosity parameters is presented in Figure 7. As can be seen, the addition of ACP generally reduced the apparent density and increased the open porosity of the mortars, which can be attributed to the fine-grained, lightweight nature of the ACP. The ACP had a bulk density of 2.75 g·cm−3, compared to 3.10 g·cm−3 for the Portland cement used in the study. The reduction in density and the corresponding increase in porosity observed after 14 days of curing may be linked to the dissolution of soluble compounds from the mortar into the curing water. Only after the 28th day was an increase in density and decrease in porosity observed for all mortars, which may be due to microstructural densification associated with the cement binder setting process. As expected, the mortar with 5% ACP addition showed the closest results to the reference material (M0 mortar). In this case, these mortars had apparent densities of approximately 2.15, 2.08, and 2.10 g·cm−3 after 7, 14, and 28 days of curing, while open porosity was 15, 20, and 19%, respectively.

3.3. Porosimetry Analysis and Microstructure of Mortars

The pore size distribution is presented in Figure 8 and Figure 9. As can be observed, pores in the obtained mortars are dominated by pores with sizes ranging from 0.05 to 0.25 μm, which constitute approximately 70% of the total porosity of the individual materials. Comparative analysis of the results of porosimetry analyses of the pore size distribution in mortar samples after 28 days showed significant changes in the pore share in two diameter size ranges: 0.05–0.1 µm and 0.1–0.25 µm. The more ACP the material contained (sample M20), the greater the proportion of pores in the 0.1–0.25 μm class, with a simultaneous lower proportion of finer pores, i.e., 0.05–0.1 μm. The increase in ACP amount caused a decrease in this share from 43.8 to 25.9% in the second range and an increase in this share from 28.3 to 45.2% in the first range, respectively. The proportions of the remaining porosity classes for the samples considered were similar. Large pores, with sizes above 0.25 μm, constitute approximately 10% of the porosity, while the finest pores, below 0.05 μm, account for approximately 20% of the pores in the cementitious materials. The observed changes in pore size distributions explain the probable causes of the differences and decrease in the strength parameters of cement mortar samples with increasing ACP content compared to the reference sample (without ACP addition).
SEM images of selected cement mortar samples after 28 days of curing at different magnifications are demonstrated in Figure 10. On the fracture of sample typical microstructure of bonded cement matrix was observed. From the morphology of cement fracture, it is clear that bulk cement hydrates are compacted and there are little microcracks. From the morphology of plain mortars, one can see that aggregates are closely embedded in bulk cement hydrates. Stack layers of Ca(OH)2 and needle-like ettringite imply that cement hydrates are almost the same as usual. No significant differences in microstructure were found for the samples with ACP addition. Only in the case of the reference sample M0, the characteristic floccular form of the CSH phase of the set cement appeared to be better developed, which probably translated into higher material strength.

4. Conclusions

Thermal treatment is one of the proposed methods for managing asbestos waste and an alternative to the questionable method of handling asbestos materials, namely landfill disposal, which poses a significant environmental burden and will pose a problem for future generations. Thermal treatment changes the structure of asbestos waste and transforms it into new mineral phases devoid of hazardous properties. This opens a new path for innovative technologies utilizing the material recycling of this hazardous waste. Exploratory studies conducted on the possibility of using calcined asbestos-cement waste (ACP) as an additive to cement binders have demonstrated a strong interaction with the mineral phases of the cement system.
The results of this study showed that ACP when added to the cement system influences different macroscopic properties of fresh and hardened cement pastes and mortars, especially when the amount of ACP is more than 10 wt%:
  • water demand of cement, by increasing the w/c factor;
  • setting of cement, by accelerating the hydration processes and shortening the initial setting time;
  • compressive strength, by decreasing the strength development and decreasing the compressive strength after curing;
  • flexural strength, by decreasing the flexural strength in comparison to the reference cement mortar;
  • apparent density, by decreasing;
  • open porosity, by increasing;
  • the addition of up to 5% of cement gave the closest results to the reference sample.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, R.K.; methodology, R.K.; software, R.K., A.G., M.K. and A.Ś.; validation, R.K., M.K. and A.G.; formal analysis, R.K., M.K. and A.G.; investigation, R.K., M.K., A.Ś. and A.G.; resources, R.K.; data curation, R.K.; writing—original draft preparation, R.K. and M.K.; writing—review and editing, R.K., M.K., A.Ś. and A.G.; visualization, R.K., M.K., A.G. and A.Ś.; supervision, R.K.; project administration, R.K.; funding acquisition, R.K. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research was funded in whole by the National Science Center, Poland under “Sonata 17” grant number UMO-2021/43/D/ST5/00356.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

The data presented in the study are open. The experimental data that support the findings of this study are available in the RepOD repository with the identifier https://doi.org/10.18150/R2X1AN.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Elwira Cieślińska and Maria Pyka for their help in preparing samples for testing.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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Applsci 15 09225 g001
Figure 1. SEM microphotographs of raw cement–asbestos sample fracture: (a) 1000×, (b) 5000×, and after crushing and milling (c) 200×, (d) 2000×.
Figure 1. SEM microphotographs of raw cement–asbestos sample fracture: (a) 1000×, (b) 5000×, and after crushing and milling (c) 200×, (d) 2000×.
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Figure 2. SEM microphotographs of cement–asbestos sample fracture after calcination at different magnifications: (a) 2000×, (b) 5000×, and clearly visible grains of new mineral phases created instead of asbestos fibers (c) 10,000×, (d) 25,000×.
Figure 2. SEM microphotographs of cement–asbestos sample fracture after calcination at different magnifications: (a) 2000×, (b) 5000×, and clearly visible grains of new mineral phases created instead of asbestos fibers (c) 10,000×, (d) 25,000×.
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Figure 3. XRD pattern of ACP sample in comparison with raw cement–asbestos sample.
Figure 3. XRD pattern of ACP sample in comparison with raw cement–asbestos sample.
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Figure 4. SEM microphotographs of ACP sample obtained by isothermal calcination at 1100 °C for 4 h and grinding in laboratory mill; magnification 1000× (a), 5000× (b), 10,000× (c), 25,000× (d).
Figure 4. SEM microphotographs of ACP sample obtained by isothermal calcination at 1100 °C for 4 h and grinding in laboratory mill; magnification 1000× (a), 5000× (b), 10,000× (c), 25,000× (d).
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Figure 5. Quantity of water added to the cement paste to reach the standard consistency versus concentration of the ACP.
Figure 5. Quantity of water added to the cement paste to reach the standard consistency versus concentration of the ACP.
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Figure 6. Strength properties of prepared cement mortars based on ACP: (a) compressive strength, (b) flexural strength.
Figure 6. Strength properties of prepared cement mortars based on ACP: (a) compressive strength, (b) flexural strength.
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Figure 7. Results of apparent density (a) and open porosity (b) obtained for cement mortars based on ACP addition.
Figure 7. Results of apparent density (a) and open porosity (b) obtained for cement mortars based on ACP addition.
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Figure 8. Comparison of Log differential intrusion vs. pore size for tested cement mortars.
Figure 8. Comparison of Log differential intrusion vs. pore size for tested cement mortars.
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Figure 9. Pore size distribution of obtained cement mortars with ACP addition.
Figure 9. Pore size distribution of obtained cement mortars with ACP addition.
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Figure 10. SEM microstructure of cement mortars with ACP addition: sample M0 (a,d), M5 (b,e) and M20 (c,f) after 28 days of curing; magnification 10,000× (a–c) or 25,000× (d–f).
Figure 10. SEM microstructure of cement mortars with ACP addition: sample M0 (a,d), M5 (b,e) and M20 (c,f) after 28 days of curing; magnification 10,000× (a–c) or 25,000× (d–f).
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Table 1. Composition of cement pastes prepared with the use of calcined cement–asbestos material (ACP); wt%.
Table 1. Composition of cement pastes prepared with the use of calcined cement–asbestos material (ACP); wt%.
SamplePortland CementACP
B01000
B5955
B109010
B158515
B208020
B257525
B307030
Table 2. Composition of tested cement mortar samples.
Table 2. Composition of tested cement mortar samples.
SamplePortland Cement; gACP; gStandard Sand; gWater; g
M045001350225
M5427.522.51350225
M10405451350225
M15382.567.51350225
M20360901350225
Table 3. Chemical composition of ACP sample, wt%.
Table 3. Chemical composition of ACP sample, wt%.
SiO2TiO2Al2O3Fe2O3MnOMgOCaONa2OK2OP2O5Cr2O3SO3L.O.I.
25.860.225.083.750.078.0254.170.160.180.120.042.320.10
Table 4. Quantitative phase composition of raw cement–asbestos and ACP samples, wt%.
Table 4. Quantitative phase composition of raw cement–asbestos and ACP samples, wt%.
PhaseRawACP
calcite18.0 ± 0.5-
vaterite0.7 ± 0.2-
portlandite3.1 ± 0.2-
chrysotile3.7 ± 0.2-
larnite2.6 ± 0.233.7 ± 0.4
brownmillerite-0.8 ± 0.1
gehlenite-0.9 ± 0.1
ternesite-2.1 ± 0.2
periclase-2.8 ± 0.2
merwinite-7.5 ± 0.3
lime-0.8 ± 0.2
amorphous71.9 ± 0.751.4 ± 0.6
Table 5. Results of setting time for prepared cement pastes; min.
Table 5. Results of setting time for prepared cement pastes; min.
SampleInitial Setting TimeFinal Setting TimeSetting Time
B012521085
B513021585
B10120245125
B1590240150
B2090225135
B2525130105
B30102515
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Kusiorowski, R.; Gerle, A.; Kujawa, M.; Śliwa, A. Influence of Thermally Treated Asbestos-Containing Materials on Cement Mortars Properties. Appl. Sci. 2025, 15, 9225. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15169225

AMA Style

Kusiorowski R, Gerle A, Kujawa M, Śliwa A. Influence of Thermally Treated Asbestos-Containing Materials on Cement Mortars Properties. Applied Sciences. 2025; 15(16):9225. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15169225

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kusiorowski, Robert, Anna Gerle, Magdalena Kujawa, and Andrzej Śliwa. 2025. "Influence of Thermally Treated Asbestos-Containing Materials on Cement Mortars Properties" Applied Sciences 15, no. 16: 9225. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15169225

APA Style

Kusiorowski, R., Gerle, A., Kujawa, M., & Śliwa, A. (2025). Influence of Thermally Treated Asbestos-Containing Materials on Cement Mortars Properties. Applied Sciences, 15(16), 9225. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15169225

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