Hydraulic binder obtained from recycled cement and sand powder

Environmentally eco-efficient concrete is currently a popular choice of construction material. Reviewing relevant literature indicates that heating of cement paste can remove hydrating water, and that quartz sand of appropriate granulometry can act as a supplementary cementitious material; however, there have been virtually no reports on the reuse of these materials as alternative binders. This work evaluates the phases present in cementitious compounds produced with binders obtained by thermomechanically treating cement pastes with and without a 15% substitution of quartz sand powder (specific surface area 37.4 m²/g), referred to as RCQ and recycled cement RC, respectively. Testing included thermogravimetric analysis (performed with stripped gases), X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy with phase identification. The obtained data indicated RC cement paste possesses a predominantly ettringite microstructure, whereas the presence of calcium hydroxide and hydrated calcium silicate predominates in RCQ paste.