Blended Cements Incorporating Calcined Clay and Limestone

Dear Colleagues,

Portland cement (PC), the largest manufactured product on Earth on a mass basis, is accountable for about 7% of anthropogenic CO₂ emissions worldwide. The most effective strategy to reduce the carbon footprint of the cement industry is to reduce the clinker factor. The adoption of blended cements has increased in recent decades to fulfill this need for clinker reduction. Blended cements incorporate supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), replacing part of the PC fraction. Among commonly used SCMs are fine limestone, granulated blast furnace slag, and fly ash. However, slag and fly ash are not available in the quantities required for a widespread reduction of the clinker factor beyond 15%. Blended cements incorporating calcined clays or combinations of calcined clays and limestone have emerged as a promising solution to address the SCM availability issues and enable a widespread reduction of the clinker factor.

This Special Issue will cover studies on cements blended with calcined clays (and limestone), from extraction of raw materials to long-term assessment of mechanical properties, microstructure, and durability. In this manner, it will constitute a relevant collection of scientific and technological developments in this area that will become a reference for future advancements in this topic. Articles should be related to one or more of the thematic areas of the Special Issue:

• Raw material extraction, processing, and characterization;
• Blend design and optimization;
• Rheology;
• Mechanical properties;
• Microstructural characterization and hydration;
• Reactivity assessment methods;
• Durability;
• Modeling;
• Equipment for industrial production.

Dr. Franco Zunino
Guest Editor

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