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Buildings
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Recent Scientific Developments in Cement-Based and Alternative Materials—2nd Edition
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Recent Scientific Developments in Cement-Based and Alternative Materials—2nd Edition

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Materials, and Repair & Renovation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 3079

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jaroslav Pokorný

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Technology, Institute of Technology and Business in České Budějovice, 370 01 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Interests: building composites; alkali activated materials; concrete material technology; structural properties; waste supplementary materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

I am delighted to announce an upcoming Special Issue, entitled “Recent Scientific Developments in Cement-Based and Alternative Materials—2nd Edition”, in the Buildings journal. Concrete, mortars and all cement-based materials are crucial parts of modern buildings and different kinds of industrial constructions over the world due to the availability of local composites' components and due to their beneficial utility properties. However, the growing production of traditional binders, in combination with intensive depletion of natural aggregate resources, causes serious impacts on our environment, in terms of increased carbon dioxide emissions and ecological burdens. In this respect, it is recommended to change the composition of traditional building composites, on the one hand, by using various construction waste materials and industrial by-products as filling or binding components; on the other hand, it is necessary to provide building materials with customized set properties for specific applications.

This Special Issue is focused on research of traditional cement-based and alternative composite materials with alkali-activated bases that contribute to the preservation of the environment and, thus, a higher rate of sustainability in the construction industry. In this sense, original research papers, state-of-the-art reviews, communications, and discussions are welcomed.

Dr. Jaroslav Pokorný
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cement-based composites
  • mortar
  • concrete
  • lightweight concrete
  • industrial wastes and by-products
  • artificial aggregates
  • alternative binders
  • alkali-activated materials
  • durability
  • mechanical resistance

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 3075 KiB  
Article
Softwood-Based Biochar in the Design of Cement-Blended Binders with Advanced Properties
by Jaroslav Pokorný, Radek Ševčík, Lucie Zárybnická, Jiří Šál and Luboš Podolka
Buildings 2025, 15(11), 1949; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15111949 - 4 Jun 2025
Viewed by 345
Abstract
Biomass residues from the agricultural industry, logging and wood processing activities have become a valuable fuel source. If processed under pyrolysis combustion, several products are generated. Bio-oil and gases are essential alternatives to fossil coal-based fuels for energy and electricity production, whose need [...] Read more.
Biomass residues from the agricultural industry, logging and wood processing activities have become a valuable fuel source. If processed under pyrolysis combustion, several products are generated. Bio-oil and gases are essential alternatives to fossil coal-based fuels for energy and electricity production, whose need is constantly growing. Biochar, the porous carbon-based lightweight product, often ends up as a soil fertilizer. However, it can be applied in other industrial sectors, e.g., in plastics production or in modifying cementitious materials intended for construction needs. This work dealt with the application of small amounts of softwood-based biochar up to 2.0 wt.% on hydration kinetics and a wide range of physical and mechanical properties, such as water transport characteristics and flexural and compressive strengths of modified cement pastes. In the comparison with reference specimens, the biochar incorporation into cement pastes brought benefits like the reduction of open porosity, improvement of strength properties, and decreased capillary water absorption of 7-day and 28-day-cured cement pastes. Moreover, biochar-dosed cement pastes showed an increase in heat evolution during the hydration process, accompanied by higher consumption of clinker minerals. Considering all examined characteristics, the optimal dosage of softwood-derived biochar of 1.0 wt.% of Portland cement can be recommended. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Scientific Developments in Cement-Based and Alternative Materials—2nd Edition)
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26 pages, 12548 KiB  
Article
Sustainable Utilization of Modified Electrolytic Manganese Residue as a Cement Retarder: Workability, Mechanical Properties, Hydration Mechanisms, Leaching Toxicity, and Environmental Benefits
by Liang Tang, Jan Fořt, Robert Černý and Zhaoyi He
Buildings 2025, 15(10), 1586; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15101586 - 8 May 2025
Viewed by 397
Abstract
This study aims to enhance the sustainable utilization of electrolytic manganese residue (EMR), an industrial solid waste rich in sulfates and pollutants, by modifying it with appropriate proportions of granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) and carbide slag (CS) and evaluating its potential as [...] Read more.
This study aims to enhance the sustainable utilization of electrolytic manganese residue (EMR), an industrial solid waste rich in sulfates and pollutants, by modifying it with appropriate proportions of granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) and carbide slag (CS) and evaluating its potential as a cement retarder. The influence of both the GBFS/CS ratio and the dosage of modified EMR on the performance of cement mortar was systematically investigated, focusing on workability, mechanical properties, hydration behavior, leaching toxicity, and carbon emissions. Results showed that GBFS and CS significantly reduced pollutant concentrations in EMR while improving gypsum crystallinity. Modified EMR exhibited retarding properties, extending the initial and final setting times of cement mortar from 98 min and 226 min to 169 min and 298 min. With an 8 wt.% dosage, the 28-day compressive strength reached 58.76 MPa, a 1.3-fold increase compared to cement mortar (45.21 MPa). The content of reactive SiO2, Al2O3, Ca(OH)2, and CaSO4·2H2O promoted secondary hydration of cement and generated significant ettringite (AFt) and calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) gels, forming a dense microstructure. Pollutants in the modified EMR-cement mortar were reduced through precipitation, substitution, and encapsulation, meeting leaching toxicity standards. This study highlights the feasibility and environmental benefits of employing modified EMR as a cement retarder, demonstrating its potential in sustainable building materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Scientific Developments in Cement-Based and Alternative Materials—2nd Edition)
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26 pages, 2955 KiB  
Article
Sulfate-Resistant Clinker Base Cement with New Secondary Main Constituents: A Technical, Economic, and Environmental Analysis
by Miguel Ángel Martínez Infante, Benito Navarrete Rubia and Luis Francisco Vilches Arenas
Buildings 2025, 15(3), 479; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15030479 - 4 Feb 2025
Viewed by 802
Abstract
The Spanish cement sector must adapt its production model to a green economy model. This study focuses on the use of new secondary main constituents (SMCs) suitable for a cement plant that specializes in sulfate-resistant (SR) cement production, defining a framework of technical [...] Read more.
The Spanish cement sector must adapt its production model to a green economy model. This study focuses on the use of new secondary main constituents (SMCs) suitable for a cement plant that specializes in sulfate-resistant (SR) cement production, defining a framework of technical conditions for their usage and their economic and environmental feasibility. Low-calcium-carbonate-content albero, steel slags, and iron silicate were the tested SMCs; however, they are not currently permitted in cement manufacture. CEM I 42.5 R-SR 3 (type I-SR) was mixed with 5%, 20%, and 30% of these new SMCs. XRF, XRD, leaching and other chemical tests, setting, and hardening tests were performed with no significant issues. Albero is the best option, on the whole, because of the following characteristics: availability, >100 Mt; proximity, 3 km; and acceptable compressive strength level. However, black slag cement with 30% SMC after 28 days shows the best performance, with a compressive strength of 41.3 MPa compared to 35.3 MPa for albero cement and 56.5 MPa for the type I-SR reference. Albero and steel slag at 30% content are the best option according to the cost savings of 32% (−31.5 EUR/t and −31.6 EUR/t, respectively) compared to the type I-SR reference. Regarding the carbon footprint, albero and steel slag at 30% content have the least impact, showing a 31% reduction (−254.8 kg CO2/t and −255.2 kg CO2/t, respectively) compared to the type I-SR reference. The studied SMCs meet the analytical conditions and—with the corresponding regulatory changes—offer potential cost savings for SR cement production, exhibiting a competitive advantage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Scientific Developments in Cement-Based and Alternative Materials—2nd Edition)
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20 pages, 4389 KiB  
Article
Preparation of Low Carbon Silicomanganese Slag-Based Alkali-Activated Materials Using Alkali-Activated Silica Waste
by Yang Zheng, Zhi-Yuan Zhang, Yisong Liu, Xiaozhu Zhang, Shaoguo Kang, Leyang Lv and Junbo Zhou
Buildings 2024, 14(12), 3835; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14123835 - 29 Nov 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 919
Abstract
The utilization of silicomanganese slag (SiMnS) as a precursor for alkali-activated materials (AAMs) is considered as an efficient approach for sustainable and eco-friendly large-scale resource utilization. However, sodium silicate solutions account for more than 50% of the production costs and carbon emissions of [...] Read more.
The utilization of silicomanganese slag (SiMnS) as a precursor for alkali-activated materials (AAMs) is considered as an efficient approach for sustainable and eco-friendly large-scale resource utilization. However, sodium silicate solutions account for more than 50% of the production costs and carbon emissions of AAMs. In this study, AAM activators were prepared by silica-containing waste (acid leaching residue of boron mud, BM-AR) and NaOH as raw materials, and were successfully substituted for commercial sodium silicate-NaOH activators. Results indicated that the NaOH dosage had a great effect on the concentration and modulus of the activator. With the appropriate dosage of NaOH (NaOH: BM-AR = 0.4–0.7), suitable moduli of AAM activators can be produced at a wide range of solid/liquid ratios (L/S = 3–4.5) under mild conditions (80–100 °C). The compressive strength of the SiMnS AAM specimens prepared by this activator can reach 68.58 MPa, and its hydration products were mainly hydrated calcium silicate and amorphous silica–alumina gel, indicating the successful preparation of AAM. Calculation showed that the carbon emission of the AAMs prepared in this study was 12.4% and 37.6% of that of OPC and commercial water glass/NaOH-activated AAMs, and the cost was only 67.14% and 60.78% of them. The process achieves the use of waste materials to replace commercial activators, and is expected to be extended to a variety of AAMs raw materials and silica-containing waste. This makes it a highly promising alternative method for the production of AAMs, particularly the ‘just add water’ AAMs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Scientific Developments in Cement-Based and Alternative Materials—2nd Edition)
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