Reactive grinding aids and strength-enhancing agents for slag and other materials

Abstract

The present invention relates to the use of a grinding aid comprising a salt, wherein the salt comprises aluminum sulfate, alum, and / or a hydroxycarboxylic acid, wherein the hydroxycarboxylic acid comprises citric acid, lactic acid, glycolic acid, tartaric acid, acetic acid, or malic acid, for producing a grinding-activated cementitious precursor material (GACPM) by co-grinding with granular slag, such as steelmaking industry waste, or granular blast furnace slag (GBFS), and the product provided therefrom. The use of one or more grinding aids reduces grinding time by about 10 to 33%, improves particle fineness by about 10 to 33%, and / or reduces carbon emissions (CO2) associated with this process by about 10 to 33%, thereby significantly improving efficiency. In addition, this improves particle morphology and activates amorphous glass particles in GACPM compared to conventional ground granular blast furnace slag (GGBFS), increasing reactivity with calcium hydroxide when used with alkali activators in geopolymer cement or with Portland cement applications. This activation results in an increase in compressive strength of approximately 5 to 33% in activated geopolymer cement mortar / grout / concrete and approximately 5 to 33% in Portland GACPM cement blends due to the use of GACPM instead of GGBFS, while significantly reducing energy consumption, costs, and carbon emissions.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] Ground activated cementitious precursor material (GACPM), comprising a material comprising finely ground granular slag, a grinding aid, and optionally a pozzolanic material, and a method for manufacturing and using the same are provided herein. Activated geopolymer cement and a method for manufacturing and using the same are further provided herein. The activated geopolymer cement disclosed herein has enhanced reactivity and compressive strength. Activated geopolymer mortar, grout, and concrete compositions and activated geopolymer cement, grout, mortar, or concrete compositions, and a method for manufacturing and using the same are further provided herein. Additionally, activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout compositions and activated Portland slag cement concrete compositions in which a portion of Portland cement is replaced with the GACPM disclosed herein are provided herein. Background Technology

[0002] Climate change is a major challenge facing our planet today. Portland cement production is a major contributor to carbon emissions, accounting for about 8% of total global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

[0003] Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GBFS) is a byproduct of the steel manufacturing industry. It is obtained by quenching molten iron slag from a blast furnace with water or steam to produce a glassy granular product, which is then dried. Subsequently, the GBFS is ground into a fine powder of the required fineness, referred to as Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS). To reduce carbon emissions and improve durability, GGBFS can be blended with Portland cement to form Portland slag cement or used as a partial substitute for Portland cement in Portland cement concrete. One of the major disadvantages of using GGBFS as a partial substitute for Portland cement is that when the substitute exceeds 50%, the set time is extended and the resulting product has low initial strength.

[0004] GGBFS is also used as a Portland cement-free geopolymer cement, also known as alkali-activated cement, as a very low-carbon emission substitute for Portland cement in very limited applications. Geopolymer cements using GGBFS also have disadvantages, such as low working time and low initial strength. The manufacture of GGBFS also presents challenges. Specifically, GBFS at 400 to 500 m 2 A conventional process of grinding with GGBFS having a fineness of / kg requires 40 to 50 kWh / t of energy, corresponding to approximately 8 to 10 kg / t of carbon emissions and an approximate cost of about US$ 6 to 7 / ton.

[0005] In one embodiment, a grinding aid is provided for use in producing a cementitious material. In one embodiment, granular slag, such as granular blast furnace slag (GBFS), is ground in the presence of one or more grinding aids, with or without a pozzolanic material. One or more grinding aids may include hydroxycarboxylic acids, including but not limited to citric acid, lactic acid, glycolic acid, acetic acid, tartaric acid, and malic acid, neutralized by aluminum sulfate, alum, and Na, K, Li hydroxide or carbonate. During the grinding process, one or more grinding aids improve the morphology and reactivity of the ground particles of the resulting GBFS, which produce a grind-activated cementitious precursor material (GACPM) having enhanced reactivity and compressive strength. Additionally, the grinding time required to achieve a specific Blaine fineness is reduced compared to grinding the GBFS in the absence of one or more grinding aids. Geopolymer cement produced with GACPM and mortar, grout, and concrete derivatives of geopolymer cement produced with GACPM also have improved compressive strength. GACPM can also be used as a partial substitute for Portland cement and its derivatives in mortar, grout, and concrete, which have improved setting time and higher compressive strength.

[0006] In one embodiment, inclusion of one or more of the Na, K, or Li salts of aluminum sulfate, alum, and / or hydroxycarboxylic acids as a grinding aid (wherein the hydroxycarboxylic acid comprises citric acid, lactic acid, glycolic acid, tartaric acid, acetic acid, or malic acid) is useful for efficiently grinding granular slag, such as granular blast furnace slag (GBFS), in the manufacture of a grinding-activated cement precursor material (GACPM). In some embodiments, the GACPM is a mixture of steel industry waste, such as granular slag (i.e., finely ground granular slag), ground together with one or more grinding aids disclosed herein and optionally a pozzolanic material, wherein the mixture is ground to the required fineness. In some embodiments, one or more grinding aids improve grinding efficiency, reducing the grinding time required to produce GACPM by about 10 to 50%, e.g., about 10 to 33%, compared to the time required to achieve the same Blaine fineness by grinding a mixture of granular slag, e.g., GBFS, and optionally pozzolanic material in the absence of grinding aids. In some embodiments, one or more grinding aids increase the Blaine fineness of the resulting ground material, wherein the Blaine fineness of GACPM is about 10 to 50% finer, e.g., 10 to 33% finer, compared to the Blaine fineness obtained by grinding a mixture of granular slag, e.g., GBFS, and optionally pozzolanic material for the same period in the absence of grinding aids.

[0007] In another embodiment, the use of a grinding aid initiated during the process of grinding slag, such as GBFS, to produce GACPM improves the morphology of the ground particles of GGBFS and activates the amorphous glass particles of GGBFS. The resulting GACPM containing the activated GGBFS particles dissolves easily and uniformly with an alkali activator and can rapidly reactive when used in geopolymer cement, or rapidly reactive with calcium hydroxide or 'glass lime' (a byproduct of Portland cement hydration) when used in Portland cement as a partial substitute for Portland cement. In another embodiment, the GACPM disclosed herein has higher reactivity compared to GGBFS produced by grinding in the absence of the grinding aid disclosed herein.

[0008] In another embodiment, the use of the GACPM disclosed herein in the manufacture of geopolymer cement (alkali-activated cement) by adding sodium hydroxide, sodium silicate, sodium carbonate, or a combination thereof increases the compressive strength of the additionally induced product, which is surprisingly the same as that of mortar, grout, and / or concrete when measured on days 1, 7, and 28, by 5 to 40%, e.g., 5 to 33%, respectively, compared to an equivalent conventional geopolymer mortar, grout, and / or concrete.

[0009] In another embodiment, the GACPM disclosed herein may also be co-ground with Portland cement clinker or blended with Portland cement, sand (fine aggregate), and water to produce activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout (partially replacing a portion of Portland cement), wherein the Portland clinker and / or Portland cement to GACPM are co-ground or blended in a weight ratio of about 99:1 to 10:90 weight%, respectively. In another embodiment, the GACPM disclosed herein may also be co-ground with Portland cement clinker or blended with Portland cement, sand (fine aggregate), coarse aggregate, and water to produce activated Portland slag cement concrete (partially replacing a portion of Portland cement), wherein the Portland clinker and / or Portland cement to GACPM are co-ground or blended in a weight ratio of about 99:1 to 10:90 weight%, respectively.

[0010] In another aspect, when the GACPM disclosed herein is co-ground with Portland cement clinker or blended with Portland cement, the resulting activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout has a greater compressive strength, for example, about 5 to 40% greater, compared to a mortar grout mixture of similar proportions of (i) Portland cement, (ii) GGBFS, (3) sand (fine aggregate), and (4) water, when measured on days 1, 7, and 28. In another aspect, when the GACPM disclosed herein is co-ground with Portland cement clinker or blended with Portland cement, the resulting activated Portland slag cement concrete has a greater compressive strength, for example, about 5 to 40% greater, compared to a concrete mixture of similar proportions of (i) Portland cement, (ii) GGBFS, (3) sand (fine aggregate), (4) coarse aggregate, and (5) water, when measured on days 1, 7, and 28.

[0011] In another embodiment, the use of GACPM disclosed herein instead of GGBFS for geopolymer cement and its mortar, grout, or concrete derivatives, and / or the use of GACPM disclosed herein instead of GGBFS for Portland cement / clinker and Portland GACPM cement in its mortar, grout, or concrete derivatives that are co-ground or separately blended, can reduce grinding time, energy, cost, and / or carbon emissions due to less grinding time and higher compressive strength. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0012] Exemplary embodiments are described with reference to the attached drawings. Figure 1 is a chart illustrating the effect of aluminum sulfate as a grinding aid on Blaine fineness over grinding periods ranging from 30 minutes to 4 hours when co-grinded with granular slag (GBFS). The chart compares samples of ground-activated cementitious precursor material (GACPM) containing 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5% aluminum sulfate with control samples of ground granular slag (GBFS) without any grinding aid. This comparison highlights the effect of various concentrations of aluminum sulfate on the fineness achieved within the same grinding period. For example, 400 m 2 To achieve a fineness of 1 / kg (Blaine), granular slag required 195 minutes of grinding without any grinding additives. However, using GACPM with 1% aluminum sulfate as a grinding aid reduced the grinding time to just 115 minutes, allowing for the same 400 m² 2 Reached a powder fineness of / kg. FIG. 2 is a chart illustrating the effect of alum as a grinding aid on Blaine fineness over grinding periods ranging from 30 minutes to 4 hours when co-grinded with granular slag (GBFS). The chart compares samples of ground-activated cementitious material (GACPM) containing 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5% alum with a control sample of ground granular slag (GBFS) without any grinding aid. This comparison highlights the effect of various concentrations of alum on the fineness achieved within the same grinding period. For example, 400 m 2 To achieve a fineness of 1 / kg (Blaine), granular slag required 195 minutes of grinding without any grinding additives. However, using GACPM with 1% alum as a grinding aid reduced the grinding time to just 125 minutes, allowing for the same 400 m² 2 Reached a powder fineness of / kg. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0013] The singular form used herein is intended to include the plural form unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Additionally, the term 'and / or' as used herein should be understood to refer to and include any and all possible combinations of one or more related enumerated items. When used herein, the terms 'include', 'including', 'comprise', and / or 'comprising' should be further understood to specify the presence of the mentioned features, integers, steps, operations, and elements. Components and / or units do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, units, and / or groups thereof.

[0014] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the terms “about” and “approximately” indicate that when used in relation to numerical values ​​or ranges of values ​​provided to characterize features, quantities, percentages, or measurements, e.g., weight percentages, compressive strength, while still describing the specific features, quantities, percentages, or measurements, the values ​​or ranges of values ​​may deviate to an extent that would be considered reasonable to a person skilled in the art. For example, in certain embodiments, when the terms “about” and “approximately” are used in this context and unless otherwise specified, they indicate that numerical values ​​or ranges of values ​​may vary within 25%, 20%, 15%, 10%, 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, 1.5%, 1%, 0.5%, or 0.25% of the quoted values ​​or ranges of values.

[0015] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the term 'granular slag' is understood to refer to 'finely ground, granular slag'. For example, granular blast furnace slag (GBFS) is a byproduct of the steel manufacturing industry, which is obtained by quenching molten iron slag from a blast furnace with water or steam to produce a glassy granular product, and then drying it. In contrast, ground granular blast furnace slag (GGBFS) is a product produced by grinding GBFS into a fine powder of the required fineness.

[0016] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the term 'sand' refers to fine aggregate.

[0017] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the term 'coarse aggregate' is understood to include stone.

[0018] The composition disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 11,168,028 ("028 patent") was prepared to improve the rheological properties of cementitious materials (i.e., to increase working time, batch time, pot life, fluidity, flow retention of mortar, and slump retention of concrete). In particular, conventional ground granular slag, such as ground granular blast furnace slag (GGBFS), was blended with pozzolanic materials, alkali activators (e.g., sodium silicate, sodium hydroxide, or sodium carbonate), and chemical additives (e.g., sulfate or selenate compounds) to improve the working time of the mortar or concrete composition produced when finally combined with sand or sand and aggregate, respectively.

[0019] The grinding aid disclosed herein reduces the grinding time required to grind granular slag, either optionally with or without a pozzolanic material, to produce the resulting product, a grinding-activated cementitious precursor material (GACPM). GACPM is more reactive than GGBFS produced by grinding granular slag without the use of a grinding aid.

[0020] In some embodiments, GACPM comprises a combination of granular slag (i.e., finely ground, granular slag), a grinding aid, and optionally a pozzolanic material that are ground together. In some embodiments, GACPM does not contain an alkali activator. In some embodiments, GACPM is prepared by grinding together a combination of granular slag (i.e., finely ground, granular slag), a grinding aid, and optionally a pozzolanic material, wherein the combination does not contain an alkali activator.

[0021] In some embodiments, granular slag is present in the GACPM in a weight percentage of about 50 to 99.9 wt%, e.g., about 75 to 99.9 wt%, 80 to 99.9 wt%, 80 to 99.9 wt%, 85 to 99.9 wt%, 90 to 99.9 wt%, 95 to 99.9 wt%, 97.5 to 99.9 wt%, 98 to 99.9 wt%, or 99 to 99.9 wt%, e.g., at least 50 wt%, 60 wt%, 70 wt%, 75 wt%, 80 wt%, 85 wt%, 90 wt%, 95 wt%, 97 wt%, 98 wt%, or 99 wt%. In some embodiments, the granular slag is granular blast furnace slag (GBFS) or any other finely ground metallurgical slag, e.g., granular pig iron slag, granular steel furnace slag, granular basic oxygen furnace slag, granular electric arc furnace slag, or a combination thereof.

[0022] In some embodiments, the grinding aid is present in GACPM in a weight percentage of about 0.1 to 10 wt%, e.g., 0.1 to 9 wt%, 0.1 to 8 wt%, 0.1 to 7 wt%, 0.1 to 6 wt%, 0.1 to 5 wt%, 0.1 to 4 wt%, 0.1 to 3 wt%, 0.1 to 2 wt%, 0.25 to 1.75 wt%, 0.5 to 1.5 wt%, 1 to 5 wt%, 5 to 10 wt%, or 3 to 8 wt%, e.g., about 0.5 wt%, 1.0 wt%, 1.5 wt%, 2.0 wt%, 2.5 wt%, 3.0 wt%, 4.5 wt%, 5.0 wt%, 5.5 wt%, 6.0 wt%, 6.5 wt%, 7.0 wt%. The grinding aid is present in a weight percentage of 7.5 wt%, 8.0 wt%, 8.5 wt%, 9.0 wt%, or 9.5 wt%. In some embodiments, the

[0023] i) aluminum sulfate having the chemical formula Al2(SO4)3·nH2O (wherein n is 0 to 18, preferably n is 12); and / or

[0024] ii) an alum having the chemical formula AB(SO4)X·nH2O (wherein A is K (potassium), Na (sodium), or NH4 (ammonium); B is Al (aluminum), Cr (chromium), Fe (iron), or Co (cobalt); x is 2 to 4, preferably 2; and n is 0 to 18, preferably 12); and / or

[0025] iii) Na salt, K salt, or Li salt of a hydroxycarboxylic acid (wherein the hydroxycarboxylic acid includes citric acid, lactic acid, glycolic acid, tartaric acid, acetic acid, or malic acid);

[0026] or a combination of these, or includes them.

[0027] In some embodiments, the grinding aid is or comprises aluminum sulfate. In some embodiments, the grinding aid is or comprises alum. In some embodiments, the grinding aid is a Na salt, K salt, or Li salt of a hydroxycarboxylic acid, such as a Na salt, K salt, or Li salt of citric acid, a Na salt, K salt, or Li salt of lactic acid, a Na salt, K salt, or Li salt of glycolic acid, a Na salt, K salt, or Li salt of tartaric acid, a Na salt, K salt, or Li salt of acetic acid and / or a Na salt, K salt, or Li salt of malic acid, or comprises such. In some embodiments, the grinding aid may be a hydroxycarboxylic acid including, but not limited to, citric acid, lactic acid, glycolic acid, acetic acid, tartaric acid, and malic acid neutralized with Na, K, or Li hydroxide or carbonate. For example, the grinding aid may be a liquid sodium lactate or a liquid potassium lactate. In some embodiments, the liquid grinding aid (e.g., liquid sodium lactate or liquid potassium lactate) may have a solid content of 20 to 60%.

[0028] In some embodiments, the grinding aid is or includes aluminum sulfate incorporated into GACPM in an amount of 0.1 to 10 weight%, e.g., 0.2 to 5 weight% or 0.5 to 1.5 weight%.

[0029] In some embodiments, the grinding aid is or includes alum incorporated into GACPM in an amount of 0.1 to 10 weight%, e.g., 0.2 to 5 weight% or 0.5 to 1.5 weight%.

[0030] In some embodiments, the grinding aid is a sodium lactate liquid (20 to 60% solid) incorporated into GACPM in an amount of 0.1 to 10 weight% (liquid weight percentage), e.g. 0.2 to 5 weight% or 0.5 to 1.5 weight% (liquid weight percentage), or comprises the same.

[0031] In some embodiments, the selective pozzolanic material is not present in the GACPM.

[0032] In some embodiments, a selective pozzolanic material is present in the GACPM. In some embodiments, the pozzolanic material is present in the ground precursor activated cementitious precursor material in a weight percentage of about 0 to 50 wt%, e.g., about 0 to 45 wt%, 0 to 40 wt%, 0 to 35 wt%, 0 to 30 wt%, 0 to 25 wt%, 0 to 20 wt%, 0 to 15 wt%, 0 to 10 wt%, 0 to 5 wt%, 5 to 25 wt%, 10 to 20 wt%, or 10 to 15 wt%, e.g., at least 1 wt%, 5 wt%, 10 wt%, 15 wt%, 20 wt%, 25 wt%, 30 wt%, 35 wt%, 40 wt%, or 45 wt%, or about 10 wt%, 12 wt%, 15 wt%, 20 wt%, or 25 wt%. In some embodiments, the pozzolanic material is fly ash, bottom ash, calcined clay, volcanic ash, pumice, silica fume, other aluminosilica glass, or a combination thereof, such as F fly ash, class C fly ash, silica fume, natural pozzolana, glass, calcined clay, or a mixture thereof, or comprises thereof. In some embodiments, the pozzolanic material is ASTM class F fly ash or ASTM class C fly ash or a combination thereof, or comprises thereof.

[0033] In some embodiments, the components used to produce the GACPM disclosed herein, comprising a mixture of granular slag (finely ground), a grinding aid, and optionally a pozzolanic material, are ground together to form the GACPM, and the GACPM produced is 100 to 1000 m 2Blaine powder of / kg, for example 150 to 1000, 200 to 1000, 250 to 1000, 300 to 1000, 350 to 1000, 400 to 1000, 450 to 1000, 500 to 1000, 550 to 1000, 600 to 1000, 650 to 1000, 700 to 1000, 750 to 1000, 800 to 1000, 850 to 1000, 900 to 1000, 950 to 1000, 100 to 300, 300 to 750, 400 to 800, 400 to 750, 450 to 700 or 500 to 1000 m 2 Blaine powder of / kg, for example, at least 200, 300, 400, 450, 500, 600, 700, 800, or 900 m 2 It has a Blaine fineness of / kg. In some embodiments, GACPM is 200 to 800 m 2 / kg or 300 to 600 m 2 It has a Blaine fineness of / kg. In some embodiments, the Blaine fineness (m 2 ( / kg) is measured using a Blaine air permeability device according to ASTM C204 standard.

[0034] In some embodiments, the raw material of the pulverized activated cementitious precursor material (GACPM) comprises (a) finely ground granular slag; (b) a pulverizing aid; and (c) a mixture of optionally pozzolanic materials.

[0035] In some embodiments, the pulverized activated cementitious precursor material (GACPM) is 100 to 1000 m 2 It comprises a mixture of raw materials including (a) finely ground granular slag, (b) a grinding aid, and (c) optionally a pozzolanic material, which are ground together to achieve a Blaine fineness of 1 / kg.

[0036] Crushing GBFS requires a substantial amount of energy and cost, and generates significant carbon emissions. For example, by crushing GBFS, 400 to 500 m² of GGBFS 2 To achieve a fineness of / kg, typically about 40 to 50 kWh / ton of energy is required, which results in approximately 8 to 10 kg / ton of carbon emissions and costs about US$6 to 7 per ton. In some embodiments, the grinding aid disclosed herein improves grinding efficiency, reducing the grinding time for producing GACPM by about 10 to 50%, e.g., 10 to 33%, compared to the time required to achieve the same Blaine fineness by grinding a mixture of granular slag and optionally pozzolanic material ground without the grinding aid. This efficiency translates to a reduction of about 10 to 50%, e.g., about 5 to 33% in cost and carbon emissions. Additionally, for a fixed grinding time, the use of the grinding aid disclosed herein can improve the Blaine fineness of GACPM by about 10 to 50%, e.g., about 10 to 33%.

[0037] In particular, in some embodiments, a method for manufacturing GACPM is provided herein, wherein the method comprises the step of grinding a mixture comprising (a) finely ground granular slag, (b) a grinding aid, and (c) optionally, a pozzolanic material for a certain period, and the grinding-activated cementitious precursor material is about 100 to 1000 m 2It has a Blaine fineness of / kg. In some embodiments, the mixture ground to produce GACPM does not contain an alkali activator. Grinding time is an important variable influenced by factors such as the type of grinding mill, the size and amount of grinding balls, the amount of material being ground, and the RPM of the mill. In some embodiments, the mixture to produce GACPM is ground using a laboratory-scale grinding mill having three different ball sizes, a fixed amount of balls, and a standardized RPM. In some embodiments, the mixture to produce GACPM is ground at a processing site equipped with a concrete mixing machine or at a ready-mixed concrete plant. Grinding time may vary when different mills or settings are used, but the percentage of time saved is maintained consistently with the use of the grinding aid of the present invention. For example, in some embodiments, the grinding time is about 60 to 270 minutes, e.g., about 90 to 270, 90 to 240, 120 to 240, 180 to 240, 210 to 240, 120 to 240, 150 to 240, 180 to 240, or 210 to 240 minutes, e.g., the grinding time is at least 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, or 240 minutes. In some embodiments, Blaine fineness (m 2 ( / kg) is measured using a Blaine air permeability device according to ASTM C204 standard.

[0038] In some embodiments, the Blaine fineness of GACPM is finer than the Blaine fineness obtained by grinding (a) a mixture of granular slag and (c) optionally, a pozzolanic material for a certain period in the absence of a grinding aid (b). In some embodiments, the Blaine fineness of GACPM is about 10 to 50% finer than the Blaine fineness obtained by grinding (a) a mixture of granular slag and (c) optionally, a pozzolanic material for a certain period in the absence of a grinding aid (b). For example, in some embodiments, the Blaine fineness of GACPM is 15 to 50%, 20 to 50%, 25 to 50%, 30 to 50%, 35 to 50%, 40 to 50%, 45 to 50%, 15 to 30%, 15 to 40%, or 20 to 35% finer than the Blaine fineness obtained by grinding (a) granular slag and (c) optionally, a mixture of pozzolanic material for a certain period in the absence of a grinding aid (b), and is, for example, at least 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, or 45% finer.

[0039] In some embodiments, the grinding aid reduces the time required to achieve the same Blaine fineness of GACPM by grinding (a) granular slag and (c) optionally, a mixture of pozzolanic materials in the absence of the grinding aid (b). In some embodiments, the time required to achieve the same Blaine fineness of GACPM is reduced by about 10 to 50% compared to the time required to achieve the same Blaine fineness by grinding (a) granular slag and (c) optionally, a mixture of pozzolanic materials in the absence of the grinding aid (b). For example, in some embodiments, the time required to achieve the same Blaine fineness of GACPM is reduced by 15 to 50%, 20 to 50%, 25 to 50%, 30 to 50%, 35 to 50%, 40 to 50%, 45 to 50%, 15 to 30%, 15 to 40%, or 20 to 35% compared to the time required to achieve the same Blaine fineness by grinding (a) granular slag and (c) optionally, a mixture of pozzolanic material in the absence of a grinding aid (b), and is reduced, for example, by at least 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, or 45%.

[0040] In some embodiments, the grinding aid reduces the amount of carbon emissions generated over the period required to achieve the same Blaine fineness of GACPM compared to the amount of carbon emissions generated over the same period required to achieve the same Blaine fineness obtained by grinding (a) granular slag and (c) optionally, a mixture of pozzolanic materials in the absence of the grinding aid (b). In some embodiments, the amount of carbon emissions generated over the period required to achieve the Blaine fineness of GACPM is reduced by about 10 to 50% compared to the same period required to achieve the same Blaine fineness by grinding (a) granular slag and (c) optionally, a mixture of pozzolanic materials in the absence of the grinding aid (b). For example, in some embodiments, the amount of carbon emissions generated over the period required to achieve the same Blaine fineness of GACPM is reduced by 15 to 50%, 20 to 50%, 25 to 50%, 30 to 50%, 35 to 50%, 40 to 50%, 45 to 50%, 15 to 30%, 15 to 40%, or 20 to 35% compared to the same period required to achieve the same Blaine fineness by grinding (a) granular slag and (c) optionally, a mixture of pozzolanic material in the absence of a grinding aid (b), and is reduced, for example, by at least 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, or 45%.

[0041] In some embodiments, when GBFS is ground in the absence of a grinding aid, 499 m is produced after 4 hours of grinding. 2 GGBFS with a Blaine fineness of 651 m / kg was produced. In contrast, when a grinding aid, e.g., 1% aluminum sulfate, was used, the fineness of the produced GACPM was 651 m / kg over the same 4-hour period. 2 It increased to / kg, which represents a 30.5% improvement in Blaine fineness. In another embodiment, without a grinding aid, 500 m 2It took 4 hours to produce GGBFS with a fineness of 530 m / kg, but adding a grinding aid such as 1% aluminum sulfate resulted in a fineness of 530 m / kg for the generated GACPM. 2 The time to reach / kg was reduced to just 3 hours, and accordingly, the grinding time was shortened by 33%.

[0042] In some embodiments, the activated geopolymer cement may be prepared by blending a mixture of GACPM and one or more alkali activators. In some embodiments, one or more alkali activators comprise sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, sodium silicate, potassium silicate, sodium carbonate, or potassium carbonate, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, one or more alkali activators are present in the activated geopolymer cement in a weight percentage of about 0.5 to 10 wt%, e.g., about 0.5 to 9 wt%, 0.5 to 8 wt%, 1 to 9 wt%, 1 to 8 wt%, 1 to 5 wt%, 3 to 10 wt%, 3 to 8 wt%, 5 to 10 wt%, e.g., at least 0.5 wt%, 1 wt%, 3 wt%, 4 wt%, 5 wt%, 8 wt%, or 9 wt%. In some embodiments, one or more alkali activators are sodium and / or potassium hydroxide or comprise the same and are present in the activated geopolymer cement in a weight percentage of about 0.5 to 10 wt%, 0.5 to 8 wt%, 1 to 6 wt%, 1 to 5 wt%, 1 to 4 wt%, 1 to 3 wt%, 2 to 5 wt%, 3 to 5 wt%, 6 to 10 wt%, or 7 to 9 wt%, preferably about 0.5 to 8 wt%, and optionally, one or more alkali activators are sodium and / or potassium hydroxide or comprise the same and are present in the activated geopolymer cement in a weight percentage of about 1 wt%, 2 wt%, 3 wt%, 4 wt%, 5 wt%, 6 wt%, 7 wt%, 8 wt%, 9 wt%, or 10 wt%, preferably about 1 to 5 wt%, preferably about 3 wt%, 4 wt%, or 5 wt% It is present in a weight percentage of weight%. In some embodiments, one or more alkali activators are sodium and / or potassium silicate and / or sodium and / or potassium carbonate or comprise the same, and about 0. in the activated geopolymer cement.It is present in a weight percentage of 5 to 10 wt%, 0.5 to 8 wt%, 1 to 6 wt%, 1 to 5 wt%, 1 to 4 wt%, 1 to 3 wt%, 2 to 5 wt%, 3 to 5 wt%, 6 to 10 wt%, or 7 to 9 wt%, preferably 1 to 10 wt%; optionally, one or more alkali activators are sodium and / or potassium silicate and / or sodium and / or potassium carbonate or include the same, and are present in the activated geopolymer cement in a weight percentage of about 1 wt%, 2 wt%, 3 wt%, 4 wt%, 5 wt%, 6 wt%, 7 wt%, 8 wt%, 9 wt%, or 10 wt%, preferably about 1 to 5 wt%, preferably about 3 wt%, 4 wt%, or 5 wt%.

[0043] In some embodiments, the activated geopolymer cement may comprise a combination of components having the following weight percentages: 80 to 97 weight percent of GACPM, 1 to 12 weight percent of sodium / potassium hydroxide, and 1 to 12 weight percent of sodium / potassium silicate or sodium / potassium carbonate.

[0044] In some embodiments, the grinding aid improves the Blaine fineness of the grind-activated cementitious material by 10% to 33% during the same grinding time. In some embodiments, the grinding aid reduces the grinding time of the grind-activated cementitious material by 10% to 33% to achieve a similar Blaine fineness.

[0045] In some embodiments, the GACPM as disclosed herein is prepared by grinding a mixture of (a) granular slag (i.e., finely ground granular slag); (b) a grinding aid; and (c) optionally, a pozzolanic material.

[0046] In some embodiments, GACPM may be used in geopolymer alkali-activated cement, geopolymer mortar and geopolymer concrete with one or more alkali activators disclosed herein, such as sodium hydroxide, sodium silicate, sodium carbonate, or combinations thereof, wherein sodium hydroxide is present in an amount ranging from 0.5% to 8% by weight, and sodium silicate and / or sodium carbonate is present in an amount ranging from 1% to 10% by weight of the ground activated cementitious material.

[0047] In some embodiments, GACPM may be used as a partial substitute for Portland clinker through co-grinding at a ratio of Portland clinker to GACPM ranging from 95:5 to 10:90 for use in Portland cement derivatives, mortar, grout, or concrete.

[0048] In some embodiments, GACPM may be used as a partial substitute for Portland cement by blending in a ratio of Portland cement to GACPM ranging from 95:5 to 10:90 for use in Portland cement derivatives, mortar, grout, or concrete.

[0049] In some embodiments, activated geopolymer mortar or grout not containing Portland clinker or Portland cement may be prepared by a combination of GACPM, an alkali activator, sand (fine aggregate), and water. In some embodiments, the activated geopolymer mortar or grout disclosed herein has about 1 part cement to about 1 to 8 parts sand, and the water-to-cement (W / C) weight ratio is about 0.2 to 0.8. In some embodiments, the activated geopolymer mortar or grout has about 1 part cement to about 1 to 3 or 2 to 5 parts sand, and the water-to-cement (W / C) weight ratio is about 0.2 to 0.8. In some embodiments, the activated geopolymer mortar or grout has about 1 part cement to about 2 to 3 parts sand, and the water-to-cement (W / C) weight ratio is about 0.2 to 0.8. In some embodiments, the activated geopolymer mortar or grout has about 1 part cement to about 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, 6.5, 7, 7.5 or 8 parts sand. In some embodiments, the water-to-cement (W / C) weight ratio is about 0.2 to 0.6, 0.2 to 0.5, 0.2 to 0.4, 0.2 to 0.3, 0.3 to 0.6, 0.3 to 0.5, 0.3 to 0.4, 0.4 to 0.6, 0.4 to 0.5, 0.5 to 0.6, or 0.5 to 0.8, for example, about 0.3 to 0.6, for example, about 0.2, 0.25, 0.3, 0.35, 0.4, 0.45, 0.5, 0.55, 0.6, 0.65, 0.7, 0.75, or 0.8. In some embodiments, the activated geopolymer mortar or grout has about 1 part cement to about 2 parts sand, and the water-to-cement (W / C) weight ratio is about 0.35. In some embodiments, the sand is ASTM C33 sand.

[0050] In some embodiments, the activated geopolymer mortar or grout has a greater compressive strength than conventional geopolymer mortar when measured on days 1, 7, and 28. For example, in some embodiments, the activated geopolymer mortar or grout has a compressive strength that is about 5 to 40% greater, for example, about 5 to 33% greater, than conventional geopolymer mortar when measured on days 1, 7, and 28. In some embodiments, when the activated geopolymer mortar or grout is measured on day 1, day 7, and day 28, it is about 5 to 35%, 5 to 33%, 5 to 30%, 5 to 25%, 5 to 20%, 5 to 15%, 5 to 10%, 10 to 40%, 10 to 35%, 10 to 33%, 10 to 30%, 10 to 25%, 10 to 20%, 10 to 15%, 15 to 40%, 15 to 35%, 15 to 33%, 15 to 30%, 15 to 25%, 15 to 20%, 20 to 40%, 20 to 35%, 20 to 33%, compared to conventional geopolymer mortar. It has a compressive strength 20 to 30%, 20 to 25%, 25 to 40%, 25 to 35%, 25 to 33%, 25 to 30%, 30 to 40%, 30 to 35%, or 35 to 40% greater, for example, about 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 33%, 35%, or 40% greater.

[0051] In some embodiments, activated geopolymer concrete, excluding Portland clinker or Portland cement, may be prepared on-site with a concrete mixer or at a ready-mixed concrete plant by a combination of GACPM, an alkali activator, sand (fine aggregate), coarse aggregate, and water. In some embodiments, activated geopolymer concrete is prepared at 200 kg / m³ to achieve a Day 28 compressive strength of 15 to 70 MPa according to the American Concrete Institute (ACI) concrete mix design method, ACI 211: Standard Practice for Selecting Proportions for Normal, Heavyweight, and Mass Concrete. 3 up to 500 kg / m² 3 It is designed to have a range of active geopolymers, which replaces GGBFS with GAPCM as described in this specification.

[0052] In some embodiments, an activated Portland slag cement is provided comprising a blended mixture of GACPM and Portland cement as disclosed herein. In some embodiments, an activated Portland slag cement is provided comprising a ground (ground) mixture of GACPM and Portland clinker as disclosed herein.

[0053] In some embodiments, an activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout is provided comprising a blended mixture of i) Portland cement; ii) GACPM as disclosed herein; iii) sand (fine aggregate); and iv) water, wherein the Portland cement to the GACPM as disclosed herein is blended in a weight ratio of about 99:1 to about 10:90; optionally about 95:5 to about 10:90. In some embodiments, an activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout is provided comprising a ground (ground) mixture of i) Portland clinker; ii) GACPM as disclosed herein; iii) sand (fine aggregate); and iv) water, wherein the Portland clinker to the GACPM as disclosed herein is ground in a weight ratio of about 99:1 to about 10:90; optionally about 95:5 to about 10:90. In some embodiments, the activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout has about 1 part cement to about 1 to 8 parts sand with a water-to-cement (W / C) weight ratio of about 0.2 to 0.8. For example, in some embodiments, the activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout has about 1 part cement to about 1 to 3 parts sand with a water-to-cement (W / C) weight ratio of about 0.2 to 0.8, for example, about 1 part cement to about 2 to 3 parts sand or about 2 to 5 parts sand with a water-to-cement (W / C) weight ratio of about 0.2 to 0.8. In some embodiments, the activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout has about 1 part cement to about 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, 6.5, 7, 7.5, or 8 parts sand. In some embodiments, the water-to-cement (W / C) weight ratio is about 0.2 to 0.6, 0.2 to 0.5, 0.2 to 0.4, 0.2 to 0.3, 0.3 to 0.6, 0.3 to 0.5, 0.3 to 0.4, 0.The ratio is 4 to 0.6, 0.4 to 0.5, 0.5 to 0.6, or 0.5 to 0.8, e.g., about 0.3 to 0.6. In some embodiments, the water-to-cement (W / C) weight ratio is about 0.2, 0.25, 0.3, 0.35, 0.4, 0.45, 0.5, 0.55, 0.6, 0.65, 0.7, 0.75, or 0.8. In some embodiments, the activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout has about 1 part cement to about 2.75 parts sand with a water-to-cement (W / C) weight ratio of about 0.48. In some embodiments, the sand is ASTM C33 sand.

[0054] In some embodiments, the activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout has a greater compressive strength compared to a mortar grout mixture of similar proportions of (i) Portland cement, (ii) GGBFS, (3) sand, and (4) water when measured on days 1, 7, and 28. In some embodiments, the activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout has a compressive strength about 5 to 40% greater, e.g. about 5 to 33% greater, compared to a mortar grout mixture of similar proportions of (i) Portland cement, (ii) GGBFS, (3) sand, and (4) water when measured on days 1, 7, and 28. In some embodiments, when measured on days 1, 7, and 28, the activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout is about 5 to 35%, 5 to 33%, 5 to 30%, 5 to 25%, 5 to 20%, 5 to 15%, 5 to 10%, 10 to 40%, 10 to 35%, 10 to 33%, 10 to 30%, 10 to 25%, 10 to 20%, 10 to 15%, 15 to 40%, 15 to 35%, 15 to 33%, 15 to 30%, 15 to 25%, 15 to It has a compressive strength 20%, 20 to 40%, 20 to 35%, 20 to 33%, 20 to 30%, 20 to 25%, 25 to 40%, 25 to 35%, 25 to 33%, 25 to 30%, 30 to 40%, 30 to 35%, or 35 to 40% greater.In some embodiments, activated Portland slag cement or grout has a compressive strength about 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 33%, 35%, or 40% greater than a mortar grout mixture of similar proportions of (i) Portland cement, (ii) GGBFS, (3) sand, and (4) water when measured on days 1, 7, and 28.

[0055] In some embodiments, an activated Portland slag cement concrete is provided comprising a blended mixture of i) Portland cement; ii) GACPM as disclosed herein; iii) sand (fine aggregate); iv) coarse aggregate; and v) water, wherein the Portland cement to GACPM is blended together in a weight ratio of about 99:1 to about 10:90; optionally about 95:5 to about 10:90. In some embodiments, the activated Portland slag cement concrete comprises a ground mixture of i) Portland clinker; ii) GACPM as disclosed herein; iii) sand (fine aggregate); iv) coarse aggregate; and v) water, wherein the Portland cement to GACPM is ground together in a weight ratio of about 99:1 to about 10:90; optionally about 95:5 to about 10:90. In some embodiments, activated Portland slag cement concrete has a yield of 200 to 500 kg / m³ for a target day 28 strength of 15 to 60 MPa, optionally 20 to 60 MPa, according to ACI 211 (American Concrete Institute). 3The mix is ​​designed to have an activated Portland slag cement content and a slump of 0 to 25 cm, replacing GGBFS with GAPCM as disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the sand is ASTM C33 sand (fine aggregate). In some embodiments, the coarse aggregate has any grade of ASTM C33 (see Table 2). In some embodiments, the activated Portland slag cement concrete has a greater compressive strength compared to a concrete mixture of similar proportions of (i) Portland cement, (ii) GGBFS, (3) sand (fine aggregate), (4) coarse aggregate, and (5) water when measured at days 1, 7, and 28. In some embodiments, activated Portland slag cement concrete has a compressive strength that is about 5 to 40% greater, e.g. about 5 to 33% greater, than a concrete mixture of similar proportions of (i) Portland cement, (ii) GGBFS, (3) sand (fine aggregate), (4) coarse aggregate and (5) water when measured on days 1, 7 and 28.In some embodiments, when measured on days 1, 7, and 28, the activated Portland slag cement concrete is about 5 to 35%, 5 to 33%, 5 to 30%, 5 to 25%, 5 to 20%, 5 to 15%, 5 to 10%, 10 to 40%, 10 to 35%, 10 to 33%, 10 to 30%, 10 to 25%, 10 to 20%, 10 to 15%, 15 to 40%, 15 to 35%, 15 to 33%, 15 to 30%, 15 to 25%, 15 It has a compressive strength greater than 20%, 20%, 40%, 20%, 35%, 20%, 33%, 20%, 30%, 25%, 25%, 40%, 25%, 33%, 25%, 30%, 40%, 30%, 35%, or 35%. In some embodiments, activated Portland slag cement concrete has a compressive strength approximately 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 33%, 35%, or 40% greater than that of a concrete mixture of similar proportions of (i) Portland cement, (ii) GGBFS, (3) sand (fine aggregate), (4) coarse aggregate, and (5) water when measured on days 1, 7, and 28.

[0056] In some embodiments, activated geopolymer concrete has a greater compressive strength compared to conventional geopolymer concrete with a similar cement level when measured on days 1, 7, and 28. In some embodiments, activated geopolymer concrete has a compressive strength about 5 to 40% greater, for example, about 5 to 33% greater than conventional geopolymer concrete with a similar cement level when measured on days 1, 7, and 28. In some embodiments, when measured on days 1, 7, and 28, the activated geopolymer concrete is about 5 to 35%, 5 to 33%, 5 to 30%, 5 to 25%, 5 to 20%, 5 to 15%, 5 to 10%, 10 to 40%, 10 to 35%, 10 to 33%, 10 to 30%, 10 to 25%, 10 to 20%, 10 to 15%, 15 to 40%, 15 to 35%, 15 to 33%, 15 to 30%, 15 to 25%, 15 to 20%, 20 to 40%, 20 to 35%, 20 to 33%, 20 to It has a compressive strength 30%, 20 to 25%, 25 to 40%, 25 to 35%, 25 to 33%, 25 to 30%, 30 to 40%, 30 to 35%, or 35 to 40% greater, e.g., about 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 33%, 35%, or 40% greater.

[0057] In some embodiments, conventional geopolymer mortars, such as geopolymer mortars made from GGBFS produced by grinding GBFS without using any grinding aid, achieved compressive strengths of 16.3 MPa on day 1, 21.0 MPa on day 3, 27.1 MPa on day 7, and 42.4 MPa on day 28. By comparison, in some embodiments, the activated geopolymer mortar disclosed herein, prepared with GACPM (e.g., prepared by grinding granular slag such as GBFS in the presence of a grinding aid in a weight percentage ratio of 99% granular slag (e.g., GBFS), 0% pozzolanic material, and 1% grinding aid (e.g., 1% aluminum sulfate)), achieved a compressive strength of 18.7 MPa on day 1, 25.2 MPa on day 3, 33.1 MPa on day 7, and 53.5 MPa on day 28. When measured on days 1, 7, and 28, the grinding aid improved the final compressive strength of the activated geopolymer mortar compared to the conventional geopolymer mortar by 14.72% on day 1, 20% on day 3, 22.1% on day 7, and 26.2% on day 28, respectively.

[0058] In some embodiments, 280 kg / m² 3 Cement, 727 kg / m³ 3 Fine aggregate, 1319 kg / m³ 3Conventional geopolymer concrete, such as concrete made with geopolymer cement using GGBFS produced by grinding GBFS without using any grinding aids, with a mix design of coarse aggregate and a water-to-cement (W / C) ratio of 0.45, achieved a compressive strength of 3.1 MPa on day 1, 12.5 MPa on day 3, 19.6 MPa on day 7, and 27.5 MPa on day 28. By comparison, in some embodiments, a similar mix design using GACPM (prepared by grinding granular slag such as GBFS in the presence of a grinding aid such as 1% aluminum sulfate as a grinding aid) resulted in activated geopolymer concrete having increased compressive strength compared to conventional geopolymer concrete when measured on days 1, 7, and 28, with 6.4 MPa on day 1, 15.8 MPa on day 3, 24.5 MPa on day 7, and 36.1 MPa on day 28, respectively.

[0059] In some embodiments, 440 kg / m² 3 Cement, 550.9 kg / m³ 3 Fine aggregate, 1319 kg / m³ 3Conventional geopolymer concrete, such as concrete made with geopolymer cement using GGBFS produced by grinding GBFS without using a grinding aid with a mix design of coarse aggregate and a 0.38 W / C ratio, achieved a compressive strength of 14.3 MPa on day 1, 24.2 MPa on day 3, 33.4 MPa on day 7, and 44.2 MPa on day 28. By comparison, in some embodiments, the same mix design as the GACPM disclosed herein, such as the GACPM produced by grinding granular slag such as GBFS in the presence of a grinding aid such as 1% aluminum sulfate as a grinding aid, produced activated geopolymer concrete having increased compressive strength compared to conventional geopolymer concrete when measured on days 1, 7, and 28, respectively: 17.2 MPa on day 1, 27.1 MPa on day 3, 38.2 MPa on day 7, and 51.0 MPa on day 28.

[0060] In some embodiments, GACPM is blended with Portland cement using GACPM as a partial substitute for Portland cement to provide activated Portland slag cement with Portland cement to GACPM ratios of 50:50%, 40:60%, and 30:70% as a standard.

[0061] In some embodiments, mortar prepared according to ASTM C109 with a 50:50 blend of Portland cement and ground blast furnace slag without any grinding aid (i.e., GGBFS) achieved a compressive strength of 2.6 MPa on day 1, 12.3 MPa on day 3, 23.0 MPa on day 7, and 32.1 MPa on day 28. In comparison, mortar prepared under the same conditions except for a 50:50 blend of Portland cement and GACPM (ground with 1% aluminum sulfate as a grinding aid) reached a compressive strength of 4.7 MPa on day 1, 17.0 MPa on day 3, 32.3 MPa on day 7, and 41.9 MPa on day 28.

[0062] 6. Exemplary embodiments

[0063] One or more of the following exemplary embodiments (e.g., including all of them) may each include other embodiments or parts thereof.

[0064] A1. As a pulverized activated cementitious precursor material (GACPM),

[0065] (a) granular slag (i.e., finely ground granular slag); and

[0066] (b) grinding aid; and

[0067] (c) Optionally, pozzolanic material

[0068] A pulverized activated cementitious precursor material containing a pulverized mixture, such as a mixture pulverized together.

[0069] A2. A grinding-activated cementitious precursor material in embodiment A1, wherein the granular slag comprises granular blast furnace slag (GBFS), granular pig iron slag, granular steel furnace slag, granular basic oxygen furnace slag, granular electric arc furnace slag, or a combination thereof.

[0070] A3. In embodiment A1 or embodiment A2, the grinding aid

[0071] i) aluminum sulfate having the chemical formula Al2(SO4)3·nH2O (wherein n is 0 to 18, preferably n is 12);

[0072] ii) Chemical formula AB(SO4) X Alum having .nH2O (wherein A is K (potassium), Na (sodium), or NH4 (ammonium); B is Al (aluminum), Cr (chromium), Fe (iron), or Co (cobalt); x is 2 to 4, preferably 2; and n is 0 to 18, preferably 12); and / or

[0073] iii) a Na salt, K salt, or Li salt of a hydroxycarboxylic acid, wherein the hydroxycarboxylic acid comprises citric acid, lactic acid, glycolic acid, tartaric acid, acetic acid, or malic acid;

[0074] A pulverized activated cementitious precursor material comprising or a combination thereof.

[0075] A4. A grinding-activated cementitious precursor material in any one of embodiments A1 to A3, wherein the grinding aid comprises a combination of aluminum sulfate and alum or aluminum sulfate and a hydroxycarboxylic acid's Na salt, K salt, or Li salt.

[0076] A5. A grinding-activated cementitious precursor material in any one of embodiments A1 to A3, wherein the grinding aid comprises a combination of alum and a Na salt, K salt, or Li salt of a hydroxycarboxylic acid.

[0077] A6. A pulverized activated cementitious precursor material in any one of embodiments A1 to A5, wherein granular slag is present in the pulverized precursor activated cementitious precursor material at a weight percentage of about 50 to 99.9 weight percent.

[0078] A7. A pulverized activated cementitious precursor material in any one of embodiments A1 to A6, wherein granular slag is present in the pulverized activated cementitious precursor material at a weight percentage of about 75 to 99.9 weight percent.

[0079] A8. A pulverized activated cementitious precursor material, wherein in any one of embodiments A1A7, granular slag is present in the pulverized activated cementitious precursor material in a weight percentage of about 80 to 99.9 wt%, 80 to 99.9 wt%, 85 to 99.9 wt%, 90 to 99.9 wt%, 95 to 99.9 wt%, 97.5 to 99.9 wt%, 98 to 99.9 wt%, or 99 to 99.9 wt%.

[0080] A9. A pulverized activated cementitious precursor material in any one of embodiments A1 to A8, wherein granular slag is present in the pulverized activated cementitious precursor material in a weight percentage of at least 50 wt%, 60 wt%, 70 wt%, 75 wt%, 80 wt%, 85 wt%, 90 wt%, 95 wt%, 97 wt%, 98 wt%, or 99 wt%.

[0081] A10. A grinding-activated cementitious precursor material in any one of embodiments A1 to A9, wherein a grinding aid is present in the grinding-activated cementitious precursor material at a weight percentage of about 0.1 to 10 weight percent.

[0082] A11. A grinding-activated cementitious precursor material in any one of embodiments A1 to A10, wherein a grinding aid is present in the grinding-activated cementitious precursor material in a weight percentage of about 0.1 to 9 wt%, 0.1 to 8 wt%, 0.1 to 7 wt%, 0.1 to 6 wt%, 0.1 to 5 wt%, 0.1 to 4 wt%, 0.1 to 3 wt%, 0.1 to 2 wt%, 0.25 to 1.75 wt%, 0.5 to 1.5 wt%, 1 to 5 wt%, 5 to 10 wt%, or 3 to 8 wt%.

[0083] A12. A grinding-activated cementitious precursor material in any one of embodiments A1 to A11, wherein a grinding aid is present in the grinding-activated cementitious precursor material in a weight percentage of about 0.5 wt%, 1.0 wt%, 1.5 wt%, 2.0 wt%, 2.5 wt%, 3.0 wt%, 4.5 wt%, 5.0 wt%, 5.5 wt%, 6.0 wt%, 6.5 wt%, 7.0 wt%, 7.5 wt%, 8.0 wt%, 8.5 wt%, 9.0 wt%, or 9.5 wt%.

[0084] A13. A grinding-activated cementitious precursor material in any one of embodiments A1 to A12, wherein the grinding aid is aluminum sulfate or includes the same.

[0085] A14. A grinding-activated cementitious precursor material in any one of embodiments A1 to A13, wherein the grinding aid is alum or includes the same.

[0086] A15. A grinding-activated cementitious precursor material in any one of embodiments A1 to A14, wherein the grinding aid is a Na salt, K salt, or Li salt of a hydroxycarboxylic acid or comprises such a salt.

[0087] A16. A grinding-activated cementitious precursor material in any one of embodiments A1 to A15, wherein the grinding aid is a Na salt, K salt, or Li salt of citric acid or comprises such a salt.

[0088] A17. A grinding-activated cementitious precursor material in any one of embodiments A1 to A16, wherein the grinding aid is a Na salt, K salt, or Li salt of lactic acid or comprises such a salt.

[0089] A18. A grinding-activated cementitious precursor material in any one of embodiments A1 to A17, wherein the grinding aid is a Na salt, K salt, or Li salt of glycolic acid or comprises such a salt.

[0090] A19. A grinding-activated cementitious precursor material in any one of embodiments A1 to A18, wherein the grinding aid is a Na salt, K salt, or Li salt of tartaric acid or comprises such a salt.

[0091] A20. A grinding-activated cementitious precursor material in any one of embodiments A1 to A19, wherein the grinding aid is a Na salt, K salt, or Li salt of acetic acid or comprises such a salt.

[0092] A21. A grinding-activated cementitious precursor material in any one of embodiments A1 to A20, wherein the grinding aid is a Na salt, K salt, or Li salt of malic acid or comprises such a salt.

[0093] A22. A grinding-activated cementitious precursor material in any one of embodiments A1 to A21, wherein the grinding-activated cementitious precursor material does not contain a pozzolanic material (i.e., 0 wt%).

[0094] A23. A grinding-activated cementitious precursor material in any one of embodiments A1 to A21, wherein an optional pozzolanic material is present in the grinding-activated cementitious precursor material, and optionally, the pozzolanic material is present in the grinding-activated cementitious precursor material in a weight percentage of about 0 to 50 wt%, e.g., about 0 to 45 wt%, 0 to 40 wt%, 0 to 35 wt%, 0 to 30 wt%, 0 to 25 wt%, 0 to 20 wt%, 0 to 15 wt%, 0 to 10 wt%, 0 to 5 wt%, 5 to 25 wt%, 10 to 20 wt%, or 10 to 15 wt%.

[0095] A24. A grinding-activated cementitious precursor material according to embodiment A23, wherein the pozzolanic material is present in a weight percentage greater than 0 wt%, e.g., at least 1 wt%, 5 wt%, 10 wt%, 15 wt%, 20 wt%, 25 wt%, 30 wt%, 35 wt%, 40 wt%, or 45 wt%.

[0096] A25. A grinding-activated cementitious precursor material in any one of embodiments A22 to A24, wherein the pozzolanic material is present in the grinding-activated cementitious precursor material in a weight percentage of about 10 wt%, 12 wt%, 15 wt%, 20 wt%, or 25 wt%.

[0097] A26. A pulverized activated cementitious precursor material in any one of embodiments A1 to A25, wherein the pozzolanic material comprises F fly ash, class C fly ash, silica fume, natural pozzolana, glass, calcined clay, or a mixture thereof.

[0098] A27. In any one of embodiments A1 to A26, the pulverized precursor activated cementitious precursor material is about 100 to 1000 m 2 Grinding-activated cementitious precursor material having a Blaine fineness of / kg.

[0099] A28. In embodiment A27, the Blaine fineness of the pulverized precursor activated cementitious precursor material is about 150 to 1000, 200 to 1000, 250 to 1000, 300 to 1000, 350 to 1000, 400 to 1000, 450 to 1000, 500 to 1000, 550 to 1000, 600 to 1000, 650 to 1000, 700 to 1000, 750 to 1000, 800 to 1000, 850 to 1000, 900 to 1000, 950 to 1000, 100 to 300, 300 to 750, 400 to 800, 400 to 750, 450 to 700 or 500 to 1000 m 2 / kg, pulverized activated cementitious precursor material.

[0100] A29. In embodiment A26, the Blaine fineness of the pulverized precursor activated cementitious precursor material is at least 200, 300, 400, 450, 500, 600, 700, 800, or 900 m 2 / kg, pulverized activated cementitious precursor material.

[0101] A30. In any one of embodiments A1 to A29, the Blaine powder particle size (m 2Grinding activated cementitious precursor material, measured using a Blaine air permeability device according to ASTM C204 standard ( / kg).

[0102] A31. A grinding precursor activated cementitious precursor material in any one of embodiments A1 to A30, wherein the grinding precursor activated cementitious precursor material does not contain an alkali activator.

[0103] A32. An activated geopolymer cement comprising a blended mixture of a ground activated cementitious precursor material of any one of embodiments A1 to A31 and one or more alkali activators; optionally, the blended is ground or mixed.

[0104] A33. An activated geopolymer cement according to embodiment A32, wherein one or more alkali activators comprise sodium hydroxide, sodium silicate, sodium carbonate, or a combination thereof.

[0105] A34. Activated geopolymer cement according to embodiment A32 or embodiment A33, wherein one or more alkali activators are present in the activated geopolymer cement at a weight percentage of about 0.5 to 10 weight percent.

[0106] A35. An activated geopolymer cement in any one of embodiments A32 to A34, wherein one or more alkali activators are present in the activated geopolymer cement in a weight percentage of about 0.5 to 9 weight%, 0.5 to 8 weight%, 1 to 9 weight%, 1 to 8 weight%, 1 to 5 weight%, 3 to 10 weight%, 3 to 8 weight%, or 5 to 10 weight%.

[0107] A36. An activated geopolymer cement in any one of embodiments A32 to A35, wherein one or more alkali activators are present in the activated geopolymer cement at a weight percentage of at least 0.5 wt%, 1 wt%, 3 wt%, 4 wt%, 5 wt%, 8 wt%, or 9 wt%.

[0108] A37. In any one of embodiments A32 to A36, one or more alkali activators are sodium hydroxide or include the same, and are present in the activated geopolymer cement in a weight percentage of about 0.5 to 10 wt%, 0.5 to 8 wt%, 1 to 6 wt%, 1 to 5 wt%, 1 to 4 wt%, 1 to 3 wt%, 2 to 5 wt%, 3 to 5 wt%, 6 to 10 wt%, or 7 to 9 wt%, preferably about 0.5 to 8 wt%; Activated geopolymer cement, wherein optionally one or more alkali activators are sodium hydroxide or contain the same, and are present in the activated geopolymer cement in a weight percentage of about 1 wt%, 2 wt%, 3 wt%, 4 wt%, 5 wt%, 6 wt%, 7 wt%, 8 wt%, 9 wt%, or 10 wt%, preferably about 1 to 5 wt%, preferably about 3 wt%, 4 wt%, or 5 wt%.

[0109] A38. In any one of embodiments A32 to A37, one or more alkali activators are sodium silicate and / or sodium carbonate or comprise the same, and are present in the activated geopolymer cement in a weight percentage of about 0.5 to 10 wt%, 0.5 to 8 wt%, 1 to 6 wt%, 1 to 5 wt%, 1 to 4 wt%, 1 to 3 wt%, 2 to 5 wt%, 3 to 5 wt%, 6 to 10 wt%, or 7 to 9 wt%, preferably 1 to 10 wt%; Activated geopolymer cement, wherein optionally one or more alkali activators are sodium silicate and / or sodium carbonate or comprise the same, and are present in the activated geopolymer cement in a weight percentage of about 1 wt%, 2 wt%, 3 wt%, 4 wt%, 5 wt%, 6 wt%, 7 wt%, 8 wt%, 9 wt%, or 10 wt%, preferably about 1 to 5 wt%, preferably about 3 wt%, 4 wt%, or 5 wt%.

[0110] A39. An activated geopolymer mortar or grout comprising any one of embodiments A32 to A38, activated geopolymer cement, sand, and water.

[0111] A40. An activated geopolymer mortar or grout according to embodiment A39, wherein the activated geopolymer mortar or grout has about 1 part cement to about 1 to 8 parts sand, and the water to cement (W / C) weight ratio is about 0.2 to 0.6.

[0112] A41. An activated geopolymer mortar or grout according to embodiment A39 or A40, wherein the activated geopolymer mortar or grout has about 1 part cement to about 1 to 8 parts sand, and the water to cement (W / C) weight ratio is about 0.2 to about 0.6.

[0113] A42. An activated geopolymer mortar or grout according to embodiment A39 or A40, wherein the activated geopolymer mortar or grout comprises about 1 part cement to about 2 to 5 parts sand, e.g., about 2 to 4 parts sand or about 2 to 3 parts sand, and the water-to-cement (W / C) weight ratio is about 0.2 to 0.6.

[0114] A43. An activated geopolymer mortar or grout according to embodiment A39 or A40, wherein the activated geopolymer mortar or grout comprises about 1 part cement to about 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 parts sand.

[0115] A44. An activated geopolymer mortar or grout in any one of embodiments A39 to A43, wherein the water-to-cement (W / C) weight ratio is about 0.2 to 0.5, 0.2 to 0.4, 0.2 to 0.3, 0.3 to 0.6, 0.3 to 0.5, 0.3 to 0.4, 0.4 to 0.6, 0.4 to 0.5, or 0.5 to 0.6.

[0116] A45. An activated geopolymer mortar or grout according to embodiment A44, wherein the water-to-cement (W / C) weight ratio is about 0.3 to 0.5.

[0117] A46. An activated geopolymer mortar or grout according to embodiment A44, wherein the water-to-cement (W / C) weight ratio is about 0.2, 0.25, 0.3, 0.35, 0.4, 0.45, 0.5, 0.55, or 0.6.

[0118] A47. An activated geopolymer mortar or grout according to embodiment A39 or A40, wherein the activated geopolymer mortar or grout has about 1 part cement to about 2 parts sand, and the water to cement (W / C) weight ratio is about 0.35.

[0119] A48. An activated geopolymer mortar or grout in any one of embodiments A39 to A47, wherein the sand is ASTM C33 sand.

[0120] A49. An activated geopolymer mortar or grout having a greater compressive strength than a conventional geopolymer mortar when measured on day 1, day 7, and day 28 in any one of embodiments A39 to A48.

[0121] A50. An activated geopolymer mortar or grout having a compressive strength that is about 5 to 40% greater than that of a conventional geopolymer mortar, for example, about 5 to 33% greater, when measured on day 1, day 7, and day 28 of any one of embodiments A39 to A48.

[0122] A51. In embodiment A50, when the activated geopolymer mortar or grout is measured on day 1, day 7, and day 28, compared to conventional geopolymer mortar, it is about 5 to 35 wt%, 5 to 33 wt%, 5 to 30 wt%, 5 to 25 wt%, 5 to 20 wt%, 5 to 15 wt%, 5 to 10 wt%, 10 to 40 wt%, 10 to 35 wt%, 10 to 33 wt%, 10 to 30 wt%, 10 to 25 wt%, 10 to 20 wt%, 10 to 15 wt%, 15 to 40 wt%, 15 to 35 wt%, 15 to 33 wt%, 15 to 30 wt%, 15 to 25 wt%, 15 to 20 wt%, 20 to Activated geopolymer mortar or grout having a compressive strength greater than 40 wt%, 20 to 35 wt%, 20 to 33 wt%, 20 to 30 wt%, 20 to 25 wt%, 25 to 40 wt%, 25 to 35 wt%, 25 to 33 wt%, 25 to 30 wt%, 30 to 40 wt%, 30 to 35 wt%, or 35 to 40 wt%.

[0123] A52. An activated geopolymer mortar or grout according to embodiment A50 or A51, wherein the activated geopolymer mortar or grout has a compressive strength approximately 5 wt%, 10 wt%, 15 wt%, 20 wt%, 25 wt%, 30 wt%, 33 wt%, 35 wt%, or 40 wt% greater than that of a conventional geopolymer mortar when measured on day 1, day 7, and day 28.

[0124] A53. Activated geopolymer concrete comprising any one of embodiments A32 to A38, sand (fine aggregate), coarse aggregate, and water.

[0125] A54. In embodiment A53, the activated geopolymer concrete is 200 kg / m³ according to ACI 211 (American Concrete Institute). 3 up to 500 kg / m² 3 Activated geopolymer concrete designed to be mixed with an activated geopolymer cement content and a slump of 0 cm to 25 cm for a target 28-day strength of about 15 MPa to 60 MPa, replacing GGBFS with GAPCM of any one of embodiments A1 to A31.

[0126] A55. Activated geopolymer concrete according to embodiment A53 or A54, wherein the compressive strength at day 28 is about 20 MPa to 60 MPa.

[0127] A56. Activated geopolymer concrete in any one of embodiments A53 to A55, wherein the sand is ASTM C33 sand.

[0128] A57. Activated geopolymer concrete in any one of embodiments A53 to A56, wherein the coarse aggregate is ASTM C 33 coarse aggregate having any grade of ASTM C 33 (Table 2).

[0129] A58. Activated geopolymer concrete having a greater compressive strength than conventional geopolymer concrete when measured on day 1, day 7, and day 28 in any one of embodiments A53 to A57.

[0130] A59. An activated geopolymer concrete according to embodiment A58, wherein the activated geopolymer concrete has a compressive strength that is about 5 to 40% greater than that of a conventional geopolymer concrete when measured on day 1, day 7, and day 28, for example, about 5 to 33% greater.

[0131] A60. In embodiment A58 or A59, when the activated geopolymer concrete is measured on day 1, day 7, and day 28, compared to conventional geopolymer concrete, it is about 5 to 35 wt%, 5 to 33 wt%, 5 to 30 wt%, 5 to 25 wt%, 5 to 20 wt%, 5 to 15 wt%, 5 to 10 wt%, 10 to 40 wt%, 10 to 35 wt%, 10 to 33 wt%, 10 to 30 wt%, 10 to 25 wt%, 10 to 20 wt%, 10 to 15 wt%, 15 to 40 wt%, 15 to 35 wt%, 15 to 33 wt%, 15 to 30 wt%, 15 to 25 wt%, 15 to 20 wt%, 20 to Activated geopolymer concrete having a compressive strength greater than 40 wt%, 20 to 35 wt%, 20 to 33 wt%, 20 to 30 wt%, 20 to 25 wt%, 25 to 40 wt%, 25 to 35 wt%, 25 to 33 wt%, 25 to 30 wt%, 30 to 40 wt%, 30 to 35 wt%, or 35 to 40 wt%.

[0132] A61. Activated geopolymer concrete having a compressive strength approximately 5 wt%, 10 wt%, 15 wt%, 20 wt%, 25 wt%, 30 wt%, 33 wt%, 35 wt% or 40 wt% greater than that of conventional geopolymer concrete when measured on day 1, day 7, and day 28 in any one of embodiments A58 to A60.

[0133] A62. In any one of embodiments A1 to A31, GACPM

[0134] (a) granular slag (i.e., finely ground granular slag); and

[0135] (b) grinding aid; and

[0136] (c) Optionally, pozzolanic material

[0137] A pulverized activated cementitious precursor material (GACPM) manufactured by grinding a mixture of

[0138] A63 to A67. Blank.

[0139] A68. As activated Portland slag cement,

[0140] i) Portland cement; and

[0141] ii) GACPM of any one of embodiments A1 to A31

[0142] Activated Portland slag cement containing a blended mixture of

[0143] A69. As activated Portland slag cement,

[0144] i) Portland clinker; and

[0145] ii) GACPM of any one of embodiments A1 to A31

[0146] Activated Portland slag cement containing a pulverized mixture of

[0147] A70. As activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout,

[0148] i) Portland cement;

[0149] ii) GACPM of any one of embodiments A1 to A31;

[0150] iii) sand (fine aggregate); and

[0151] iv) water

[0152] Includes a blended mixture of;

[0153] Activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout, blended in a weight ratio of about 99:1 to about 10:90; optionally about 95:5 to about 10:90, with Portland cement versus GACPM of any one of embodiments A1 to A31.

[0154] A71. As activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout,

[0155] i) Portland clinker;

[0156] ii) GACPM of any one of embodiments A1 to A31;

[0157] iii) sand (fine aggregate); and

[0158] iv) water

[0159] Includes a ground mixture of;

[0160] Activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout, pulverized in a weight ratio of about 99:1 to about 10:90; optionally about 95:5 to about 10:90, of Portland clinker to any one of embodiments A1 to A31.

[0161] A72. The activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout of embodiment A71, wherein the activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout has about 1 part cement to about 1 to 8 parts sand, and the water to cement (W / C) weight ratio is about 0.2 to 0.8.

[0162] A73. The activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout of embodiment A72, wherein the activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout has about 1 part cement to about 1 to 3 parts sand, and the water to cement (W / C) weight ratio is about 0.2 to 0.8.

[0163] A74. The activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout of embodiment A72, wherein the activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout has about 1 part cement to about 2 to 3 parts sand or about 2 to 5 parts sand, and the water to cement (W / C) weight ratio is about 0.2 to 0.8.

[0164] A75. In embodiment A72, the activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout comprises about 1 part cement to about 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, 6.5, 7, 7.5 or 8 parts sand.

[0165] A76. An activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout in any one of embodiments A71 to A75, wherein the water-to-cement (W / C) weight ratio is about 0.2 to 0.6, 0.2 to 0.5, 0.2 to 0.4, 0.2 to 0.3, 0.3 to 0.6, 0.3 to 0.5, 0.3 to 0.4, 0.4 to 0.6, 0.4 to 0.5, 0.5 to 0.6, or 0.5 to 0.8.

[0166] A77. Activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout according to embodiment A76, wherein the water-to-cement (W / C) weight ratio is about 0.3 to 0.6.

[0167] A78. Activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout according to embodiment A76, wherein the water-to-cement (W / C) weight ratio is about 0.2, 0.25, 0.3, 0.35, 0.4, 0.45, 0.5, 0.55, 0.6, 0.65, 0.7, 0.75, or 0.8.

[0168] A79. An activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout according to embodiment A71 or embodiment A72, wherein the activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout has about 1 part cement to about 2.75 parts sand, and the water to cement (W / C) weight ratio is about 0.48.

[0169] A80. Activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout in any one of embodiments A71 to A79, wherein the sand is ASTM C33 sand.

[0170] A81: As activated Portland slag cement concrete,

[0171] i) Portland cement;

[0172] ii) GACPM of any one of embodiments A1 to A31;

[0173] iii) Sand (fine aggregate);

[0174] iv) coarse aggregate; and

[0175] v) water

[0176] It includes a blended mixture of,

[0177] Activated Portland slag cement concrete, in which Portland cement is blended with any one of embodiments A1 to A31 GACPM in a weight ratio of about 99:1 to about 10:90; optionally about 95:5 to about 10:90.

[0178] A82: As activated Portland slag cement concrete,

[0179] i) Portland clinker;

[0180] ii) GACPM of any one of embodiments A1 to A31;

[0181] iii) Sand (fine aggregate);

[0182] iv) coarse aggregate; and

[0183] v) water

[0184] It includes a ground mixture of,

[0185] Activated Portland slag cement concrete, in which Portland clinker to any one of embodiments A1 to A31 GACPM are ground together in a weight ratio of about 99:1 to about 10:90; optionally about 95:5 to about 10:90.

[0186] A82. In embodiment A81, the activated Portland slag cement concrete mixture is 200 to 500 kg / m³ according to ACI 211 (American Concrete Institute). 3 Activated Portland slag cement concrete designed to have an activated Portland slag cement content of 15 to 60 MPa, optionally 20 to 60 MPa, and a slump of 0 to 25 cm for a target 28-day strength.

[0187] A83 to A91. Blank.

[0188] A92. Activated Portland slag cement concrete in any one of embodiments A81 to A91, wherein the sand is ASTM C33 sand (fine aggregate).

[0189] A93. Activated Portland slag cement concrete in any one of embodiments A81 to A92, wherein the coarse aggregate has any grade of ASTM C 33 (Table 2).

[0190] A94. An activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout having a greater compressive strength than a mortar grout mixture of similar proportions of (i) Portland cement, (ii) GGBFS, (3) sand (fine aggregate) and (4) water when measured on day 1, day 7 and day 28.

[0191] A95. An activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout according to embodiment A94, wherein the activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout has a compressive strength that is about 5 to 40 weight percent greater, e.g. about 5 to 33 weight percent greater, compared to a mortar grout mixture of similar proportions of (i) Portland cement, (ii) GGBFS, (3) sand (fine aggregate) and (4) water when measured on day 1, day 7 and day 28.

[0192] A96. In embodiment A95, when the activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout is measured on day 1, day 7, and day 28, about 5 to 35 wt%, 5 to 33 wt%, 5 to 30 wt%, 5 to 25 wt%, 5 to 20 wt%, 5 to 15 wt%, 5 to 10 wt%, 10 to 40 wt%, 10 to 35 wt%, 10 to 33 wt%, 10 to 30 wt%, 10 to 25 wt%, 10 to 20 wt%, 10 to 15 wt%, 15 to 40 wt%, 15 to 35 wt%, 15 to 33 wt%, compared to a mortar grout mixture of similar proportions of (i) Portland cement, (ii) GGBFS, (3) sand (fine aggregate), and (4) water. Activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout having a compressive strength greater than 15 to 30 wt%, 15 to 25 wt%, 15 to 20 wt%, 20 to 40 wt%, 20 to 35 wt%, 20 to 33 wt%, 20 to 30 wt%, 20 to 25 wt%, 25 to 40 wt%, 25 to 35 wt%, 25 to 33 wt%, 25 to 30 wt%, 30 to 40 wt%, 30 to 35 wt%, or 35 to 40 wt%.

[0193] A97. An activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout according to embodiment A96, wherein the activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout has a compressive strength approximately 5 wt%, 10 wt%, 15 wt%, 20 wt%, 25 wt%, 30 wt%, 33 wt%, 35 wt%, or 40 wt% greater than a mortar grout mixture of similar proportions of (i) Portland cement, (ii) GGBFS, (3) sand (fine aggregate), and (4) water when measured on day 1, day 7, and day 28.

[0194] A98. Activated Portland slag cement concrete having a greater compressive strength than a concrete mixture of similar proportions of (i) Portland cement, (ii) GGBFS, (3) sand (fine aggregate), (4) coarse aggregate and (5) water when measured on day 1, day 7 and day 28 of any one of embodiments A81 to A93.

[0195] A99. Activated Portland slag cement concrete according to embodiment A98, wherein the activated Portland slag cement concrete has a compressive strength that is 5 to 40 weight percent greater, for example, about 5 to 33 weight percent greater, than a concrete mixture of similar proportions of (i) Portland cement, (ii) GGBFS, (3) sand (fine aggregate), (4) coarse aggregate and (5) water when measured on day 1, day 7 and day 28.

[0196] A100. In embodiment A99, when the activated Portland slag cement concrete is measured on day 1, day 7, and day 28, about 5 to 35 wt%, 5 to 33 wt%, 5 to 30 wt%, 5 to 25 wt%, 5 to 20 wt%, 5 to 15 wt%, 5 to 10 wt%, 10 to 40 wt%, 10 to 35 wt%, 10 to 33 wt%, 10 to 30 wt%, 10 to 25 wt%, 10 to 20 wt%, 10 to 15 wt%, 15 to 40 wt%, 15 to 35 wt%, 15 to 33 wt%, compared to a concrete mixture of similar proportions of (i) Portland cement, (ii) GGBFS, (3) sand (fine aggregate), (4) coarse aggregate and (5) water. Activated Portland slag cement concrete having a compressive strength greater than 15 to 30 wt%, 15 to 25 wt%, 15 to 20 wt%, 20 to 40 wt%, 20 to 35 wt%, 20 to 33 wt%, 20 to 30 wt%, 20 to 25 wt%, 25 to 40 wt%, 25 to 35 wt%, 25 to 33 wt%, 25 to 30 wt%, 30 to 40 wt%, 30 to 35 wt%, or 35 to 40 wt%.

[0197] A101. Activated Portland slag cement concrete according to embodiment A100, wherein the activated Portland slag cement concrete has a compressive strength approximately 5 wt%, 10 wt%, 15 wt%, 20 wt%, 25 wt%, 30 wt%, 33 wt%, 35 wt%, or 40 wt% greater than that of a concrete mixture of similar proportions of (i) Portland cement, (ii) GGBFS, (3) sand (fine aggregate), (4) coarse aggregate, and (5) water when measured on day 1, day 7, and day 28.

[0198] A102. A method for manufacturing a pulverized activated cementitious precursor material (GACPM), comprising the step of pulverizing a mixture comprising (a) granular slag, (b) a pulverizing aid, and (c) optionally, a pozzolanic material for a certain period of time;

[0199] The pulverized activated cementitious precursor material is approximately 100 to 1,000 m 2 Method having a Blaine powder fineness of / kg.

[0200] A103. A method according to embodiment A102, wherein the pulverized mixture for producing a pulverized precursor-activated cementitious precursor material does not contain an alkali activator.

[0201] A104. A method according to embodiment A102 or A103, wherein the mixture is ground using a laboratory-scale grinding mill having three different ball sizes, a fixed amount of balls, and a standardized RPM, or at a processing site having a concrete mixing machine, or at a ready-mixed concrete plant.

[0202] A105. A method in any one of embodiments A102 to A104, wherein the grinding period is about 60 to 270 minutes, e.g., about 90 to 270, 90 to 240, 120 to 240, 180 to 240, 210 to 240, 120 to 240, 150 to 240, 180 to 240, or 210 to 240 minutes, e.g., at least 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, or 240 minutes.

[0203] A106. A method in any one of embodiments A102 to A105, wherein the mixture is ground for the same period or the same percentage of time used to grind (a) granular slag and (c) optionally, a mixture of pozzolanic material during the period in the absence of a grinding aid (b).

[0204] A107. In any one of embodiments A102 to A106, the Blaine powder fineness (m2 A method in which ( / kg) is measured using a Blaine air permeability device according to ASTM C204 standard.

[0205] A108. Blank.

[0206] A109. A method in any one of embodiments A102 to A108, wherein the Blaine fineness of the pulverizing-activated cementitious precursor material is finer than the Blaine fineness obtained by pulverizing (a) a mixture of granular slag and (c) optionally, a pozzolanic material during the period in the absence of a pulverizing aid (b).

[0207] A110. A method according to embodiment A109, wherein the Blaine fineness of the pulverizing activated cementitious precursor material is about 10% to 50% finer than the Blaine fineness obtained by pulverizing (a) a mixture of granular slag and (c) optionally, a pozzolanic material for the same period in the absence of a pulverizing aid (b).

[0208] A111. A method according to embodiment A110, wherein the Blaine fineness of the grinding-activated cementitious precursor material is about 15 to 50 wt%, 20 to 50 wt%, 25 to 50 wt%, 30 to 50 wt%, 35 to 50 wt%, 40 to 50 wt%, 45 to 50 wt%, 15 to 30 wt%, 15 to 40 wt%, or 20 to 35 wt% finer than the Blaine fineness obtained by grinding (a) granular slag and (c) optionally, a mixture of pozzolanic material for the same period in the absence of a grinding aid (b).

[0209] A112. A method according to embodiment A110 or A111, wherein the Blaine fineness of the grinding-activated cementitious precursor material is at least 15 wt%, 20 wt%, 25 wt%, 30 wt%, 35 wt%, 40 wt%, or 45 wt% finer than the Blaine fineness obtained by grinding (a) a mixture of granular slag and (c) optionally, a pozzolanic material for the same period in the absence of a grinding aid (b).

[0210] A113. A method in any one of embodiments A102 to A112, wherein a grinding aid reduces the time required to achieve the same Blaine fineness of a grinding-activated cementitious precursor material compared to the time required to achieve the same Blaine fineness by grinding (a) a mixture of granular slag and (c) optionally, a pozzolanic material in the absence of a grinding aid (b).

[0211] A114. A method according to embodiment A113, wherein the time required to achieve the same Blaine fineness of a grinding-activated cementitious precursor material is reduced by about 10 to 50 weight percent compared to the time required to achieve the same Blaine fineness by grinding (a) a mixture of granular slag and (c) optionally, a pozzolanic material in the absence of a grinding aid (b).

[0212] A115. A method according to embodiment A114, wherein the time required to achieve the same Blaine fineness of a grinding-activated cementitious precursor material is reduced by about 15 to 50 wt%, 20 to 50 wt%, 25 to 50 wt%, 30 to 50 wt%, 35 to 50 wt%, 40 to 50 wt%, 45 to 50 wt%, 15 to 30 wt%, 15 to 40 wt%, or 20 to 35 wt% compared to the time required to achieve the same Blaine fineness by grinding (a) granular slag and (c) optionally, a mixture of pozzolanic material in the absence of a grinding aid (b).

[0213] A116. A method according to embodiment A114 or A115, wherein the time required to achieve the same Blaine fineness of a grinding-activated cementitious precursor material is reduced by at least 15 wt%, 20 wt%, 25 wt%, 30 wt%, 35 wt%, 40 wt%, or 45 wt% compared to the time required to achieve the same Blaine fineness by grinding (a) granular slag and (c) optionally, a mixture of pozzolanic material in the absence of a grinding aid (b).

[0214] A117. In any one of embodiments A102 to A116, the method reduces the amount of carbon emissions generated over the period required to achieve the same Blaine fineness of GACPM compared to the amount of carbon emissions generated over the same period required to achieve the same Blaine fineness obtained by grinding (a) granular slag and (c) optionally, a mixture of pozzolanic material over the same period in the absence of a grinding aid (b).

[0215] A118. A method according to embodiment A117, wherein the amount of carbon emissions generated over the period required to achieve the same Blaine fineness of GACPM is reduced by about 10 to 50 weight percent compared to the same period required to achieve the same Blaine fineness by grinding (a) granular slag and (c) optionally, a mixture of pozzolanic material in the absence of a grinding aid (b).

[0216] A119. A method in which, in embodiment A117 or A118, the amount of carbon emissions generated over the period required to achieve the same Blaine fineness of GACPM is reduced by about 15 to 50 wt%, 20 to 50 wt%, 25 to 50 wt%, 30 to 50 wt%, 35 to 50 wt%, 40 to 50 wt%, 45 to 50 wt%, 15 to 30 wt%, 15 to 40 wt%, or 20 to 35 wt% compared to the same period required to achieve the same Blaine fineness by grinding (a) granular slag and (c) optionally, a mixture of pozzolanic material in the absence of a grinding aid (b), for example, by at least 15 wt%, 20 wt%, 25 wt%, 30 wt%, 35 wt%, 40 wt%, or 45 wt%.

[0217] A120. A method for producing an activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout of any one of embodiments A70 to A80 or A94 to A97, the method comprising the step of blending or grinding together a mixture of (i) Portland cement and / or Portland clinker; (ii) GACPM of any one of embodiments A1 to A31; (iii) sand (fine aggregate); and (iv) water for a certain period of time.

[0218] A121. The method of embodiment A120, wherein the method comprises blending when using Portland cement and grinding when using Portland clinker.

[0219] A122. A method for producing activated Portland slag cement concrete of any one of embodiments A81 to A93 or A98 to A101, the method comprising the step of blending or grinding together a mixture of (i) Portland cement and / or Portland clinker; (ii) GACPM of any one of embodiments A1 to A31; (iii) sand (fine aggregate); (iv) coarse aggregate and (v) water for a certain period of time.

[0220] A123. The method of embodiment A122, wherein the method comprises blending when using Portland cement and grinding when using Portland clinker.

[0221] B1. A grinding-activated cementitious precursor material (GACPM) comprising (a) finely ground granular slag; and (b) a grinding aid; and (c) optionally, a mixture of ground pozzolanic materials.

[0222] B2. A pulverized activated cementitious precursor material in embodiment B1, wherein the granular slag comprises granular blast furnace slag (GBFS), granular pig iron slag, granular steel furnace slag, granular basic oxygen furnace slag, granular electric arc furnace slag, or a combination thereof.

[0223] B3. In embodiment B1 or embodiment B2, the grinding aid

[0224] i) aluminum sulfate having the chemical formula Al2(SO4)3·nH2O (wherein n is 0 to 18, preferably n is 12);

[0225] ii) Chemical formula AB(SO4) X Alum having .nH2O (wherein A is K (potassium), Na (sodium), or NH4 (ammonium); B is Al (aluminum), Cr (chromium), Fe (iron), or Co (cobalt); x is 2 to 4, preferably 2; and n is 0 to 18, preferably 12); and / or

[0226] iii) a Na salt, K salt, or Li salt of a hydroxycarboxylic acid, wherein the hydroxycarboxylic acid comprises citric acid, lactic acid, glycolic acid, tartaric acid, acetic acid, or malic acid;

[0227] A pulverized activated cementitious precursor material comprising or a combination thereof.

[0228] B4. A pulverized activated cementitious precursor material in any one of embodiments B1 to B3, wherein granular slag is present in the pulverized activated cementitious precursor material at a weight percentage of about 50 to 99.9 weight percent.

[0229] B5. A grinding-activated cementitious precursor material in any one of embodiments B1 to B4, wherein a grinding aid is present in the grinding-activated cementitious precursor material at a weight percentage of about 0.1 to 10 weight percent.

[0230] B6. A grinding-activated cementitious precursor material in any one of embodiments B1 to B5, wherein an optional pozzolanic material is present in the grinding-activated cementitious precursor material; optionally, the pozzolanic material is present in the grinding-activated cementitious precursor material in a weight percentage of about 0 to 50 weight percent.

[0231] B7. A pulverized activated cementitious precursor material according to embodiment B6, wherein the pozzolanic material comprises F fly ash, class C fly ash, silica fume, natural pozzolana, glass, calcined clay, or a mixture thereof.

[0232] B8. In any one of embodiments B1 to B7, the pulverized precursor activated cementitious precursor material is about 100 to 1000 m 2 Grinding-activated cementitious precursor material having a Blaine fineness of / kg.

[0233] B9. A pulverized activated cementitious precursor material in any one of embodiments B1 to B8, wherein the pulverized precursor activated cementitious precursor material does not contain an alkali activator.

[0234] B10. Activated geopolymer cement comprising a blended mixture of a pulverized activated cementitious precursor material of any one of embodiments B1 to B9 and one or more alkali activators.

[0235] B11. An activated geopolymer cement according to embodiment B10, wherein one or more alkali activators comprise sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, sodium silicate, potassium silicate, sodium carbonate, or a combination thereof.

[0236] B12. Activated geopolymer mortar or grout comprising the activated geopolymer cement of embodiment B10 or embodiment B11, sand (fine aggregate), and water.

[0237] B13. The activated geopolymer mortar or grout of embodiment B12, wherein the activated geopolymer mortar or grout has a greater compressive strength than a conventional geopolymer mortar when measured on day 1, day 7, and day 28.

[0238] B14. Activated geopolymer concrete comprising the activated geopolymer cement of embodiment B10 or embodiment B11, sand (fine aggregate), coarse aggregate, and water.

[0239] B15. In embodiment B14, the activated geopolymer concrete is 200 to 500 kg / m³ according to ACI 211 (American Concrete Institute). 3 Activated geopolymer concrete designed to have an activated geopolymer cement content of 15 to 60 MPa, optionally 20 to 60 MPa, and a slump of 0 to 25 cm for a target 28-day strength.

[0240] B16. Activated geopolymer concrete according to embodiment B14 or embodiment B15, wherein the activated geopolymer concrete has a greater compressive strength than conventional geopolymer concrete when measured on day 1, day 7, and day 28.

[0241] B17. As activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout,

[0242] i) Portland cement and / or Portland clinker;

[0243] ii) GACPM of any one of embodiments B1 to B9;

[0244] iii) sand (fine aggregate); and

[0245] iv) water

[0246] Includes a mixture of;

[0247] The weight ratio of Portland cement and / or Portland clinker to the GACPM in the mixture is about 99:1 to about 10:90; optionally about 95:5 to about 10:90;

[0248] Activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout, the mixture is a blended mixture when containing Portland cement, and the mixture is a ground mixture when containing Portland clinker.

[0249] B18. As activated Portland slag cement concrete,

[0250] i) Portland cement and / or Portland clinker;

[0251] ii) GACPM of any one of embodiments B1 to B9;

[0252] iii) Sand (fine aggregate);

[0253] iv) coarse aggregate; and

[0254] v) water

[0255] Includes a mixture of;

[0256] The weight ratio of Portland cement and / or Portland clinker to the GACPM in the mixture is about 99:1 to about 10:90; optionally about 95:5 to about 10:90;

[0257] Activated Portland slag cement concrete, in which the mixture is a blended mixture when containing Portland cement, and the mixture is a ground mixture when containing Portland clinker.

[0258] B19. Activated Portland slag cement concrete according to embodiment B18, wherein the activated Portland slag cement concrete is designed to have an activated geopolymer cement content of 200 to 500 kg / m3 according to ACI 211 (American Concrete Institute) and a slump of 0 to 25 cm for a target 28-day strength of 15 to 60 MPa, optionally 20 to 60 MPa.

[0259] B20. An activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout according to embodiment B17, having a greater compressive strength compared to a mortar grout mixture of similar proportions of (i) Portland cement, (ii) GGBFS, (3) sand (fine aggregate) and (4) water when measured on day 1, day 7 and day 28.

[0260] B21. Activated Portland slag cement concrete according to embodiment B18, which has a greater compressive strength compared to a concrete mixture of similar proportions of (i) Portland cement, (ii) GGBFS, (3) sand (fine aggregate), (4) coarse aggregate and (5) water when measured on day 1, day 7 and day 28.

[0261] B22. A method for manufacturing a ground activated cementitious precursor material (GACPM),

[0262] (a) a finely ground granular slag, (b) a grinding aid, and (c) optionally, a mixture comprising a pozzolanic material, comprising the step of grinding for a certain period of time, and

[0263] The pulverized activated cementitious precursor material is approximately 100 to 1,000 m 2 Method having a Blaine powder fineness of / kg.

[0264] B23. A method according to embodiment B22, wherein the Blaine fineness of the pulverizing-activated cementitious precursor material is finer than the Blaine fineness obtained by grinding (a) a mixture of granular slag and (c) optionally, a pozzolanic material during the above period in the absence of a pulverizing aid (b).

[0265] B24. In embodiment B22 or embodiment B23, the method (use of a grinding aid) reduces the time required to achieve the same Blaine fineness of a grinding-activated cementitious precursor material compared to the time required to achieve the same Blaine fineness by grinding (a) a mixture of granular slag and (c) optionally, a pozzolanic material in the absence of a grinding aid (b).

[0266] B25. In any one of embodiments B22 to B24, the method (use of a grinding aid) reduces the amount of carbon emissions generated over the same period required to achieve the same Blaine fineness of GACPM compared to the amount of carbon emissions generated over the same period required to achieve the same Blaine fineness obtained by grinding (a) granular slag and (c) optionally, a mixture of pozzolanic material over the same period in the absence of a grinding aid (b).

[0267] B26. A method for producing an activated Portland slag cement mortar or grout of embodiment B17, wherein the method comprises the step of mixing a mixture of (i) Portland cement and / or Portland clinker, (ii) GACPM of any one of embodiments B1 to B9; (iii) sand (fine aggregate); and (iv) water for a certain period of time, wherein if the mixture contains Portland cement, the mixing is blending, and if the mixture contains Portland clinker, the mixing is grinding.

[0268] B27. A method for manufacturing activated Portland slag cement concrete of embodiment B18, the method comprising the step of mixing a mixture of (i) Portland cement and / or Portland clinker, (ii) GACPM of any one of embodiments B1 to B9; (iii) sand (fine aggregate); (iv) coarse aggregate; and (v) water for a certain period of time, wherein if the mixture contains Portland cement, the mixing is blending, and if the mixture contains Portland clinker, the mixing is grinding.

[0269] 7. Examples

[0270] Composition of pulverized activated cementitious precursor material (GACPM)

[0271] Grinding-activated cementitious precursor material (GACPM) was produced by grinding or intergrading granular slag (e.g., granular blast furnace slag (GBFS)) in the presence or absence of a pozzolanic material and one or more grinding aids. Examples 1 to 12 provide various combinations of components summarized in Table 1.

[0272]

[0273] Tables 2 and 3 show the effects of the grinding aids, aluminum sulfate and alum, on the fineness of the generated GACPM powder. Grinding time is a significant variable influenced by factors such as the type of grinding mill, the size and quantity of grinding balls, the quantity of material being ground, and the mill's RPM. The embodiments of the present invention utilized a laboratory-scale grinding mill with three different ball sizes, a fixed quantity of balls, and a standardized RPM. All experiments were conducted under identical conditions. While grinding time may vary when using different mills or settings, the percentage of time saved remains consistent with the use of the grinding aids of the present invention. Fineness was measured using a Blaine air permeability device according to ASTM C204 standards, with specific surface area (m²). 2 It was measured as ( / kg). Blaine fineness was measured every 30 minutes during a grinding time of up to 4 hours. Example 13 in Table 2 and Example 17 in Table 3 are provided as control mixes, wherein granular slag (here, GBFS) was ground without any grinding aid.

[0274] In Table 2, the control mix (Example 13) in which GBFS was ground without a grinding aid was 499 m 2 It took 4 hours to reach a Blaine fineness of 1 / kg. In contrast, the same GBFS (Example 15) ground with 1% aluminum sulfate reached 491 m² in just 2 hours and 30 minutes. 2 Similar fineness of 1 / kg was achieved. These results suggest a significant reduction in grinding time, which translates to savings in energy, costs, and / or carbon emissions associated with the grinding process.

[0275] Similarly, in Table 3, the control mix ground without a grinding aid (Example 17) also had 499 m 2 It took 4 hours to reach a Blaine fineness of / kg. However, when ground in the presence of a grinding aid such as 1% alum (Example 19), 495.5 m 2The same fineness of / kg was achieved in just 3 hours. These results also demonstrate potential time, energy, cost, and / or carbon emission reductions resulting from the use of grinding aids.

[0276]

[0277]

[0278] Geopolymer and activated geopolymer mortar composition

[0279] Geopolymer mortar composition (control): Ground granular slag (GGBFS) ground without any grinding aid, one or more alkali activators (sodium hydroxide, sodium silicate, or sodium carbonate), ASTM C33 sand, and 35% water by weight of cement (W / C = 0.35).

[0280] Activated geopolymer mortar composition: GACPM as shown in Table 1 (Examples 1 to 12) (prepared from GBFS ground with a grinding aid), one or more alkali activators (sodium hydroxide, sodium silicate, or sodium carbonate), ASTM C 33 sand and 35% by weight of water (W / C = 0.35).

[0281] Ratios and Test Methods for Geopolymer Mortar and Activated Geopolymer Mortar: The mix design for the geopolymer mortar consists of 1 part cement to 2 parts ASTM C33 sand with a water-to-cement (W / C) ratio of 0.35. All components were mixed in a Hobart mixer according to ASTM C305 guidelines. Flow tests were performed according to ASTM C1437, and compressive strength was measured according to ASTM C109.

[0282]

[0283]

[0284] The control mix of the geopolymer mortar presented in Table 4 (Example 21) used ground slag (GGBFS) without any grinding aid, one or more alkali activators (sodium hydroxide, sodium silicate, or sodium carbonate), and a mixing ratio of 1 part geopolymer cement to 2 parts ASTM C33 sand and 35 wt% cement (W / C=0.35). This mix achieved a compressive strength of 16.3 MPa on day 1, 21.0 MPa on day 3, 27.1 MPa on day 7, and 42.4 MPa on day 28. In contrast, as shown in Table 4 (Example 24), the activated geopolymer mortar was prepared using the same mixing ratio as the control and GACPM (prepared from GBFS ground with 1 wt% aluminum sulfate grinding aid) with one or more alkali activators (sodium hydroxide, sodium silicate, or sodium hydroxide), and achieved a compressive strength of 18.7 MPa on day 1, 25.2 MPa on day 3, 33.1 MPa on day 7, and 53.5 MPa on day 28. This represents an improvement in compressive strength of 14.7 to 26.2% when using GACPM instead of GGBFS. As shown in Table 4 (Examples 22 and 26), similar improvements in compressive strength were observed for both GGBFS and GACPM with different combinations of alkali activators.

[0285] As shown in Table 5 (Example 27), the control mix for the geopolymer mortar used ground slag (GGBFS) without any grinding aid, one or more alkali activators (sodium hydroxide, sodium silicate, or sodium carbonate), and a mixing ratio of 1 part geopolymer cement to 2 parts ASTM C33 sand and 35% water by weight of cement (W / C = 0.35). This mix achieved a compressive strength of 16.3 MPa on day 1, 21.0 MPa on day 3, 27.1 MPa on day 7, and 42.4 MPa on day 28. For comparison, the activated geopolymer mortar presented in Table 5 (Example 30) used the same mixing ratio as GACPM (prepared from GBFS ground with 1% alum grinding aid) and the control group, along with one or more alkali activators (sodium hydroxide, sodium silicate, or sodium carbonate), and achieved compressive strengths of 18.1 MPa on day 1, 24.2 MPa on day 3, 33.2 MPa on day 7, and 53.0 MPa on day 28. The results demonstrated an improvement in compressive strength of 11.0 to 25.0% with the use of GACPM compared to the control mix using GGBFS. As shown in Table 5 (Examples 28 and 32), similar improvements in compressive strength were observed when GGBFS and GACPM were used with different combinations of alkali activators.

[0286] Geopolymer concrete and activated geopolymer concrete composition

[0287] Geopolymer concrete components (control group): Ground granular slag (GGBFS) ground without any grinding aid, one or more alkali activators (sodium hydroxide, sodium silicate, or sodium carbonate), ASTM C33 sand, ASTM C33 coarse aggregate, and an amount of water to achieve an appropriate slump of 13 to 16 cm.

[0288] Activated geopolymer concrete components: GACPM as described in Table 1 (Examples 1 to 12) (prepared from GBFS ground with a grinding aid), one or more alkali activators (sodium hydroxide, sodium silicate, or sodium carbonate), ASTM C33 sand, ASTM C33 coarse aggregate, and an appropriate amount of water to achieve a slump of 13 to 16 cm.

[0289] Geopolymer Concrete and Activated Geopolymer Concrete Mixing Ratios and Test Methods: American Concrete Institute (ACI) Concrete Mix Design Method, ACI 211: Standard Practice for Selecting Proportions for Normal, Heavyweight, and Mass Concrete. Slump test according to ASTM C 143 and compressive strength according to ASTM C 39.

[0290]

[0291] As shown in Table 6 (Example 33), the control mix for geopolymer concrete used ground granular slag (GGBFS) without any grinding aids. The mix was designed according to the ACI 211 method at the following ratio: 280 kg / m³ 3 Cement, 727 kg / m³ 3 Sand, 1319 kg / m³ 3Coarse aggregate and an appropriate amount of water to achieve a slump of 15.5 cm. This mix achieved a compressive strength of 3.1 MPa on day 1, 12.5 MPa on day 3, 19.6 MPa on day 7, and 27.5 MPa on day 28. For comparison, as presented in Table 6 (Example 34), the activated geopolymer concrete used GACPM (prepared from granular slag ground with 1% aluminum sulfate grinding aid) and was designed according to the same criteria as the control group. This mix achieved a compressive strength of 3.8 MPa on day 1, 15.8 MPa on day 3, 24.5 MPa on day 7, and 34.1 MPa on day 28. These results demonstrate a 22 to 26% improvement in compressive strength with the use of GACPM, which replaces GGBFS in green, non-Portland cement-based concrete.

[0292] As shown in Table 6 (Example 35), the second control mix for geopolymer concrete used ground granular slag (GGBFS) without any grinding aids. This was 440 kg / m³ according to the ACI 211 method. 3 Cement, 550.9 kg / m³ 3 Sand, 1319 kg / m³ 3It was designed with a ratio of coarse aggregate and an appropriate amount of water to achieve a slump of 14 cm. This mix achieved a compressive strength of 14.3 MPa on day 1, 24.2 MPa on day 3, 33.4 MPa on day 7, and 44.2 MPa on day 28. For comparison, as shown in Table 6 (Example 36), activated geopolymer concrete used GACPM (prepared from granular slag ground with 1% aluminum sulfate grinding aid) designed to the same standards as the control group. This mix achieved a compressive strength of 17.2 MPa on day 1, 27.1 MPa on day 3, 38.2 MPa on day 7, and 51.0 MPa on day 28. This indicates a 12 to 20% improvement in compressive strength due to the use of GACPM compared to the control mix.

[0293] Portland slag mortar and Portland GACPM mortar composition

[0294] Portland slag mortar composition (control): Portland cement, ground granular slag (GGBFS) ground without any grinding aids, graded sand (ASTM C 109), and 48.5% water by weight of cement (W / C = 0.485)

[0295] Portland GACPM Mortar Composition: Portland cement, GACPM (granular slag ground using a grinding aid) as shown in Table 1 (Examples 1 to 12), graded sand (ASTM C 109), and 48.5 wt% water (W / C = 0.485) of the cement weight.

[0296] Portland Slag Mortar and Portland GACPM Mortar Ratios and Test Methods: The mortars were prepared and tested according to ASTM C109. The mixing ratio consisted of 1 part by weight of Portland slag cement or Portland GACPM cement to 2.75 parts by weight of graded standard sand, with a water-to-cement ratio of 0.485. All components were mixed in a Hobart mixer according to ASTM C305 guidelines. Flowability was tested according to ASTM C1437, and compressive strength was determined according to ASTM C109.

[0297]

[0298] As shown in Table 7 (Example 37), the control mix for the Portland slag mortar used a 50:50 weight ratio of Portland cement to slag. The slag was ground without any grinding aid. The mix consisted of 1 part Portland slag cement to 2.75 parts standard-graded sand with a water-to-cement ratio of 0.485. This mix achieved a compressive strength of 2.6 MPa on day 1, 12.3 MPa on day 3, 23.0 MPa on day 7, and 32.1 MPa on day 28. For comparison, as shown in Table 7 (Example 38), the Portland GACPM mortar used a 50:50 weight ratio of Portland cement to GACPM (slag ground with 1% aluminum sulfate grinding aid). The mix consisted of 1 part Portland GACPM cement to 2.75 parts standard-grade sand, with an equal water-to-cement ratio of 0.485. This mix achieved compressive strengths of 4.7 MPa on day 1, 17.0 MPa on day 3, 32.3 MPa on day 7, and 41.9 MPa on day 28. These results indicate a significant improvement in compressive strength with the use of GACPM instead of GGBFS.

Claims

Claim 1 A ground activated cementitious precursor material (GACPM) comprising (a) at least 90 weight% of unground granulated slag; and (b) a grinding aid, wherein the grinding aid comprises i) aluminum sulfate having the chemical formula Al2(SO4)3·nH2O (where n is 0 to 18); and / or ii) chemical formula AB(SO4) x A pulverized activated cementitious precursor material comprising alum having ·nH2O (wherein A is K (potassium), Na (sodium), or NH4 (ammonium); B is Al (aluminum), Cr (chromium), Fe (iron), or Co (cobalt); x is 2 to 4; and n is 0 to 18). Claim 2 A pulverized activated cementitious precursor material according to claim 1, wherein the granular slag comprises granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS), granulated pig iron slag, granulated steel furnace slag, granulated basic oxygen furnace slag, granulated electric arc furnace slag, or a combination thereof. Claim 3 In claim 1, the grinding aid is i) aluminum sulfate having the formula Al2(SO4)3·nH2O (wherein is 12); and / or ii) formula AB(SO4) x A pulverized activated cementitious precursor material comprising alum having ·nH2O (wherein A is K (potassium), Na (sodium), or NH4 (ammonium); B is Al (aluminum), Cr (chromium), Fe (iron), or Co (cobalt); x is 2; and n is 12). Claim 4 In claim 1, the granular slag is present in the pulverized activated cementitious precursor material at a weight percentage of 95 to 99.9 weight%. Claim 5 In claim 1, the grinding aid is a grinding-activated cementitious precursor material present in the grinding-activated cementitious precursor material at a weight percentage of 0.1 to 10 weight percent. Claim 6 In claim 1, the grinding-activated cementitious precursor material further comprises a pozzolanic material. Claim 7 In claim 1, the pulverized activated cementitious precursor material is 100 to 1000 m 2 Grinding-activated cementitious precursor material having Blaine fineness of / kg. Claim 8 In claim 1, the grinding-activated cementitious precursor material is a grinding-activated cementitious precursor material that does not contain an alkali activator. Claim 9 Activated geopolymer cement comprising a blended mixture of the pulverized activated cementitious precursor material of claim 1 and one or more alkali activators. Claim 10 In claim 9, the activated geopolymer cement comprising one or more alkali activators, wherein the alkali activator comprises sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, sodium silicate, potassium silicate, sodium carbonate, or a combination thereof. Claim 11 Activated geopolymer mortar comprising activated geopolymer cement of claim 9, fine aggregate, and water. Claim 12 In claim 11, the activated geopolymer mortar has a greater compressive strength than a conventional geopolymer mortar when measured on day 1, day 7, and day 28. Claim 13 Activated geopolymer concrete comprising activated geopolymer cement of claim 9, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate and water. Claim 14 In paragraph 13, the activated geopolymer concrete is 200 to 500 kg / m³ according to ACI 211 (American Concrete Institute). 3 Activated geopolymer concrete designed to have an activated geopolymer cement content and a slump of 0 to 25 cm for a target 28-day strength of 15 to 60 MPa. Claim 15 In paragraph 13, the activated geopolymer concrete having a greater compressive strength than conventional geopolymer concrete when measured on day 1, day 7, and day 28. Claim 16 An activated Portland slag cement mortar comprising: i) Portland cement and / or Portland clinker; ii) GACPM of claim 1; iii) sand; and iv) a mixture of water; wherein the weight ratio of the Portland cement and / or Portland clinker to the GACPM in the mixture is 99:1 to 10:90; and wherein the mixture is a blended mixture when containing Portland cement, and a ground mixture when containing Portland clinker. Claim 17 A method for producing an activated Portland slag cement mortar of claim 16, comprising the step of mixing a mixture of (i) Portland cement and / or Portland clinker, (ii) GACPM, (iii) fine aggregate; and (iv) water for a certain period of time; wherein, if the mixture comprises Portland cement, the mixing is blending, and if the mixture comprises Portland clinker, the mixing is grinding. Claim 18 A method for manufacturing a pulverized activated cementitious precursor material (GACPM), comprising the step of pulverizing a mixture comprising (a) at least 90 weight% of finely pulverized granular slag and (b) a pulverizing aid for a certain period; wherein the pulverizing aid is i) aluminum sulfate having the chemical formula Al2(SO4)3·nH2O (wherein n is 0 to 18); and / or ii) chemical formula AB(SO4) x It is an alum having ·nH2O (wherein A is K (potassium), Na (sodium), or NH4 (ammonium); B is Al (aluminum), Cr (chromium), Fe (iron), or Co (cobalt); x is 2 to 4; and n is 0 to 18); and the pulverized activated cementitious precursor material is 100 to 1000 m 2 Method having a Blaine powder fineness of / kg. Claim 19 In paragraph 18, a method wherein the Blaine fineness of the pulverized activated cementitious precursor material is finer than the Blaine fineness obtained by grinding a mixture containing (a) granular slag during the period in the absence of a pulverizing aid (b). Claim 20 In claim 18, the method comprises: i) reducing the time required to achieve the same Blaine fineness of the grinding-activated cementitious precursor material compared to the time required to achieve the same Blaine fineness by grinding a mixture containing (a) granular slag in the absence of a grinding aid (b); or ii) reducing the amount of carbon emissions generated over the time required to achieve the same Blaine fineness of the GACPM compared to the amount of carbon emissions generated over the same time required to achieve the same Blaine fineness obtained by grinding a mixture containing (a) granular slag for the same period in the absence of a grinding aid (b).

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