The invention relates to a hydraulic binder consisting essentially in a hydraulically active amorphous calcium silicate phase, having in its constitution less than 20% in weight of a crystalline material. The said hydraulically active amorphous calcium silicate phase is a continuous matrix that may contain embedded fractions of crystalline material, being the overall C/S molar ratio of this hydraulic binder comprised between 0.8 and 1.25.
The crystalline fraction of this material is essentially composed by wollastonite in both of its polymorphic structures, α and β. Furthermore, the invention relates to methods of producing the hydraulic binder by liquefying the raw materials, in a specified C/S molar ratio, followed by fast cooling to room temperature. Finally, the invention relates to a building material made by setting the binder or a mixture containing this binder with water and subsequent hardening.
The invention enables the production of a hydraulic binder with a significant reduction of CO2 emissions, when compared to OPC clinker, by reducing the amount of limestone in the raw materials while obtaining competitive overall values of compressive strength of the hardened material.