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Natural Pozzolan as a Partial Substitute for Cement in Concrete

Article  in  The Open Construction and Building Technology Journal · July 2013

DOI: 10.2174/1874836801307010033

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Natural Pozzolan as a Partial Substitute for Cement in Concrete
Dr. Ghassan K. Al-Chaar* and Dr. Mouin Alkadi

Abstract: This test series evaluated four mixes prepared using three types of natural pozzolan, as well as a Class F
fly ash, to replace cement partially. The effectiveness of each pozzolan in controlling alkali-silica reactions was
studied. Correlations were made between the mechanical properties of the proposed mixes and a Portland cement
control mix. The results were also compared with industry standards for mortars made with fly ash and silica fume.
Results indicate that one type of pozzolan may be used as a substitute for fly ash, but not for silica fume.

Keywords: Natural pozzolan, cement replacement, concrete, mortar, fly ash, silica fume

1. INTRODUCTION pozzolan materials as an additive or substitute for ce-

1.1. Background 1
A pozzolan is a siliceous material that can be used as
an inexpensive substitute for cement in mortar mix-
tures. Pozzolans participate in a cementitious reaction
with calcium hydroxide (i.e., lime) and other alkalis.
Pozzolans are effective at lowering the mortar’s heat of
hydration, which improves its workability and durabil-
ity. They can also improve concrete and mortar re-
sistance to both sulfate attack and the alkali-silica reac-
tion (ASR), which makes it beneficial to use in large
concrete projects such as bridges and dams (Gibbons
1997).
Major sources of natural and manmade pozzolans in-
clude volcanic mineral deposits, fired and crushed clay,
and fly ash, which is created during the burning of coal
for power generation (Gibbons 1997). Most pozzolans
are plentiful, but current uses for them are limited.
Consequently, they represent a potential source of in-
expensive construction material.
With characteristics complementary to Portland ce-
ment, a pozzolan may be used to replace a significant
portion of cement in a concrete mixture. This study
explored the properties of some pozzolans and various
concrete mixes after the addition of pozzolan speci-
mens.
1.2. Objective
The objective of this study was to investigate the feasi-
bility and effectiveness of using naturally occurring
* Ghassan K. Al-Chaar, Ph.D., Structural Engineer, Construc-
tion Engineering Research Laboratory, Champaign, IL
ment in concrete mixtures.
1.3. Approach
This series of experiments subjected a Class F fly ash
and three samples of different natural pozzolans to the
following laboratory tests: chemical composition,
moisture content, loss on ignition, compressive
strength, strength activity index, expansion from alkali-
silica reaction (ASR), heat of hydration, slump, drying
shrinkage, and autoclave expansion.
The samples used in this series were Pozzolan J, col-
lected from a site in Jordan; Pozzolan S1, from Saudi
Arabia; and Pozzolan S2, from South Africa. The pur-
pose of this test series was to assess the effectiveness
of the test pozzolans in controlling the ASR and reduc-
ing the heat of hydration when used as cement-
replacement materials.
1.4. Literature Review
A literature search was conducted to review studies
addressing concrete degradation caused by the reaction
of alkali aggregates in cement and excessive heat of
hydration during the curing process.
Alkalis in cement (typically calcium hydroxide and
sodium and potassium oxide) can react with aggregates
containing reactive silica or carbonate mineral constit-
uents. In cured cement, these reactions produce differ-
ent types of expansion that can cause concrete deterio-
ration through internal cracking, surface cracking,
and/or aggregate pop-out (Dolar-Mantuani 1983).
Classic research by Stanton (1940) ascribed ASR deg-
radation to an expansive chemical reaction between the
alkalis contained in the cement paste and certain reac-
tive forms of silica within aggregate. Stanton identified
opal and chert as common forms of reactive silica.
For cracking and expansion to result from ASR, the shows chemical composition, loss on ignition, density,
following combination of conditions is normally re- and fineness of all cementitious materials, while Figure
quired (Hobbs 1988): 1 shows their particle size distributions.

1. significant quantity of reactive silica Table 1. Analysis of Cementitious materials

2. reactive silica within a critical range of pro- Port-
Determi- Fly Pozzola Pozzola Pozzola
portions land
nate Ash nJ n S1 n S2
cement
3. available alkalis above a critical level 51.0
4. water from an external source. SiO2 (%) 20 42.56 48.44 44.7
6
32.2
Al2O3 (%) 5.68 13.55 15.97 14.5
3
Suitable precautions must be taken to minimize or
CaO (%) 64.94 4.18 9.75 8.53 9
eliminate harmful expansion and cracking, such as:
Fe2O3 (%) 3.98 3.42 13.24 13.2 11.8
MgO (%) 0.7 1.06 11.15 7.89 7.8
1. decreasing the amount of reactive aggregate
(Björk 2002) SO3 (%) 2.81 0.42 0.35 0.1 0.15
2. using low-alkali cement as per ASTM C150- Other (%) 1.89 7.63 9.4 5.87 12.05
09 Water
3. using mineral admixtures such as pozzolans or Require- - 90 100 100 100
blast furnace slag (Lane et al.; Wang and ment (%)
Free Water
Gillott 1993; Thomas and Innis 1998) (%)
- 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
4. reducing the availability of water such that the Loss on
1.16 0.81 2.56 1.26 1.5
relative humidity in concrete pores falls below Ignition (%)
about 85–90% Insoluble
Residue 0.32 - - - -
(%)
In mass and high-strength concrete, the production of Blaine
heat during the hydration reaction creates thermal gra- Fineness 320 238 461 320 564
dients which can induce cracking in hardening concrete (m2/kg)
(Yeon et al. 2012, De Schutter 2002). Thermal crack- Density
- 2.2 2.86 2.8 2.8
ing can be mitigated by reducing the heat of hydration, (g/cm3)
a goal which can be achieved through the use of
pozzolans or ground, granulated blast furnace slag
(Tokyay et al. 2012, Nili and Salehi 2010). 120
Type I Cement

2. CHARACTERISTICS OF CONCRETE 100 Type F FLy Ash

Pozzolan J
FORMULATED WITH POZZOLAN 80
Pozzolan S1
Col 2 vs Col 7
ADDITIVES
Passing (%)

60

2.1 Concrete Formulation Components 40

20
2.1.1 Cementitious Materials
0
For this investigation, pozzolanic materials were se-
lected which conformed to ASTM C618-00. Natural 1000 100 10 1 0.1
pozzolan was used from Saudi Arabia (Pozzolan S1), Particle Size (micron)
South Africa (Pozzolan S2), and Jordan (Pozzolan J).
Figure 1. Gradations of cementitious materials
This phase of testing also included a Class F fly ash,
whose properties are specified in ASTM C618-00.
2.1.2 Aggregate Materials
The natural pozzolan samples were crushed, ground,
Washed, surface-dry basalt aggregates were used in
and tested. A Cilas Granulometre 715 device was used
this study. Fine aggregate, consisting of crushed basalt
to determine the grain size distributions of the materi-
rocks, was sifted, washed over a #100 (150 µm) sieve
als. Type I Portland cement was used in the production
with a water spray, and re-graded to the final, desirable
of concrete mixes. Chemical properties of the cement particle size distribution. Grain size distributions for all
were tested periodically in the laboratory. Table 1
aggregates are shown in Figure 2. Coarse aggregates
were used for slump testing, only. 120
3/4-inch Aggregate
3/8-inch Aggregate
100 Fine Sand
2.2 Compressive Strength Testing
80

This investigation used procedures outlined by ASTM

Passing (%)
60
C109/C109M-08 to evaluate the effect of the replace-
ment of Portland cement with different pozzolanic ma- 40

terials on the compressive strength of test specimens

20
(50-mm cubes). In test mixtures, mineral admixtures
were used to replace 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 40% of the 0
mass of the Portland cement used in the control mix-
ture. The results are presented in Figure 3 through 100 10 1 0.1 0.01
Figure 6. Particle Size (mm)
Figure 2. Gradations of aggregates
The control mixture consisted of:
18

• 500 g of Portland cement 16

180 Days
90 Days
• 1375 g of graded standard sand (ASTM 28 Days
14 7 Days
C778-06)
• 242 mL of water. f'c (MPa)
12

10

Test mixtures consisted of: 8

• 450, 425, 400, 375, 350, 300 g of Port- 4

land cement 2
• 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 200 g of mineral 0
admixtures 0 10 20 30 40

• 1375 g of graded standard sand Cement Replacement (%)

• 242 mL of water. Figure 3. Effect of cement replacement with fly ash on
strength development
The test mortars contained 1 part cement to 2.75 parts
graded aggregate (by mass) and a water-to-cement ratio 18
equal to 0.485 (by mass). 180 Days
16 90 Days
28 Days
14 7 Days
Mixtures of the dry ingredients were prepared, water
12
was added, and the specimens were mechanically
f'c (MPa)

mixed in accordance with ASTM C305-06. After mix- 10

ing, prisms were poured in lifts and tamped as required 8

by ASTM C109/109M-08. Immediately after molding, 6

the specimens were placed in a moist room at 23.0 ±
4
2.0 °C. After 24 hours, the prisms were removed from
the moist room and placed in water storage tanks until 2

testing. The compressive strengths of two control spec- 0

0 10 20 30 40
imens and two specimens of each test mixture were
Cement Replacement (%)
determined at 7, 28, 90, and 180 days. Figure 3 through
Figure 6 show the results, which demonstrate that the Figure 4. Effect of cement replacement with Pozzolan J
natural pozzolans produce strengths similar to the fly on strength development
ash.
 18 2.3 Strength Activity Index Testing
180 Days
16 90 Days
28 Days The purpose of this portion of the study was to deter-
14 7 Days
mine the strength activity index for concrete samples
12 blended with fly ash, Pozzolan J, and Pozzolan S1.
Test specimens from a control mixture and a test mix-
f'c (MPa)

10

8
ture were molded in accordance with ASTM
C109/C109M-08. In the test mixture, 20% of the mass
6
of Portland cement used in the control mixture was
4
replaced by the same mass of the test pozzolan. Test
2 cube batches were produced in accordance with ASTM
0
C311-00. The following formulas were used:
0 10 20 30 40

Cement Replacement (%)

Control Mixtures
Figure 5. Effect of cement replacement with Pozzolan S1
on strength development • 500 g of Portland cement
• 1,375 g of graded standard sand (Ottawa
sand, ASTM C778-06)
25
180 Days • 242 mL of water
90 Days
28 Days
20 7 Days

Test Mixtures
15
• 400 g of Portland cement
f'c (MPa)

• 100 g of test sample (pozzolan)

• 1,375 g of graded standard sand
10

5
• 242 mL of water required for flow ±5 of con-
trol mixture
0
0 10 20 30 40 After molding, the specimens were placed in a moist
Cement Replacement (%) room at 23.0 ± 2.0 °C. After 24 hours, they were re-
Figure 6. Effect of cement replacement with Pozzolan S2 moved from the moist room and stored until testing in
on strength development saturated lime water as specified in ASTM
C109/C109M-08. Compressive strength was deter-
mined for two control specimens and two specimens of
120
each test mixture at 7 and 28 days. Pozzolanic activity
28 Days indexes were calculated as follows:
7 Days
100

Strength activity index

= A/B x 1000,
80
with Portland cement
Activity Index (%)

60
where
40

A= average compressive strength of test mix cubes

20
B= average compressive strength of control mix cubes
0
Fly Ash Pozzolan J Pozzolan S1
ASTM C618-00 requires a minimum strength activity
Figure 7. Effect of various pozzolans on strength activity index of 75% at both 7 and 28 days. As shown in Fig-
index ure 7, the Class F fly ash and Pozzolans J and S1 meet
or exceed this requirement.
2.4 Alkali-Silica Reactivity Testing 0.04
14 Days
10 Days
The purpose of this test series was to evaluate the ef- 5 Days

fectiveness of the three subject pozzolans in controlling 0.03

ASR when used as a cement substitute. The investiga-

Expansion (%)
tion was carried out under laboratory conditions using
procedures described in ASTM C1260-07, Standard 0.02

Test Method for Potential Alkali Reactivity of Aggre-

gates (Mortar-Bar Method). This method enables the
0.01
detection of the potential of a concrete mixture to un-
dergo ASR, which produces potentially harmful expan-
sion. 0.00
0 10 20 30 40

Cement Replacement (%)

Four levels of cement replacement were investigated:
Figure 8. Effect of cement replacement with fly ash on
10, 20, 30 and 40%. Basalt aggregates were crushed,
ASR expansion
sieved, washed, and re-graded as summarized in Sec-
tion 2.1.2. The dry materials for the test mortar were
prepared using a mixture of 1 part cement to 2.25 parts 0.035
14 Days
graded aggregate (by mass) to cast 25 x 25 x 286 mm 10 Days
0.030
bars. A water-to-cement ratio equal to 0.47 (by mass) 5 Days

was used. Each mold was placed in a moist cabinet or 0.025

room immediately after it was filled. The specimens Expansion (%)
remained in the molds for 24 ± 2 hours, after which 0.020

they were de-molded and placed in a storage container 0.015

with enough tap water to totally immerse them for 24
hours at 80 ± 2.0 °C. 0.010

0.005

The initial length of each test specimen was then meas-

0.000
ured using a length comparator in accordance with 0 10 20 30 40
ASTM C490-08, Standard Practice for Use of Appa- Cement Replacement (%)
ratus for the Determination of Length Change of Hard- Figure 9. Effect of cement replacement with Pozzolan J
ened Cement Paste, Mortar, and Concrete. Subse- on ASR expansion
quently, test specimens were stored in a container at 80
± 2.0 °C with enough NaOH solution for the samples to
be totally immersed. Expansion data were recorded 0.04
14 Days
periodically, with at least three intermediate readings 10 Days
5 Days
between the start and finish of the test.
0.03
Expansion (%)

A 14-day expansion greater than 0.20% indicates a

potentially reactive aggregate in the field, while a 14 0.02

day expansion smaller than 0.10% indicates a nonreac-

tive aggregate. Figure 8 – Figure 10 show the expan-
0.01
sion test results. These results show that, although fly
ash is slightly more effective than the natural
pozzolans, both pozzolans significantly reduce the 14- 0.00
day expansions and control ASR. 0 10 20 30 40

Cement Replacement (%)

Figure 10. Effect of cement replacement with Pozzolan S1

on ASR expansion
2.5 Heat of Hydration Testing Three mixes were designed with 20% pozzolan, but
each used pozzolan of a different fineness. As shown in
Heat of hydration is the quantity of heat (in joules per Figure 15, the early compressive strengths of these
gram of unhydrated cement) that develops over the specimens increased with increasing pozzolan fineness.
course of hydration at a given temperature. The most
common method of determining the heat of hydration
is described in ASTM C186-98, Standard Test Method
500
for Heat of Hydration of Hydraulic Cement. It is ac- 28 Days
complished by measuring the heat of solutions of 14 Days
7 Days
unhydrated and hydrated cement in a mixture of nitric 400 3 Days
1 Day
and hydrofluoric acids. The difference between the two

Heat of Hydration (J/g)

values represents the heat of hydration. 300

This method was used to calculate the heat of hydration 200

for one Portland cement control mixture and two test

mixtures incorporating fly ash and Pozzolan S1. The 100

results at curing durations of 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28 days

are shown in Figure 11. This test series determined that 0
the Pozzolan S1 mixture produced about 15% less heat 100% Cement 57.5% Fly Ash 57.5% Pozzolan S1

of hydration than the fly ash mixture, where the fly ash
Figure 11. Effect of various pozzolans on heat of
mixture produced about 30% less heat of hydration
hydration
than the control mixture.
Table 2. Mixture for control specimens
2.6 Effect of Pozzolan and Water-to-Cement Ra- Test Mixes
tio on Slump Pozzolan replacement 0% 10%
Total Volume (m3) 0.03 0.03
Ten specimens were created with varying amounts of W/c 0.5 0.45
Pozzolan S1 (between 0 and 30%), and water-to-
Ingredients
cement (W/C) ratios varying between 0.456 and 0.5.
O. P. C. kg 10.5 8.4
Table 2 displays two slump testing mixture examples: a
control mix and a 10% pozzolan mix. The slumps of Pozzolan " 0 2.1
nine specimens at 0, 30, and 45 minutes are shown in 3/4" " 22.35 22.92
Figure 12. The results in Figure 12 show that increas- 3/8" " 13.08 13.41
ing the amount of pozzolan generally increased the F. Sand " 19.08 19.56
slump and workability of these specimens. In five spec- Free water L 5.25 4.719
imens, the amount of pozzolan also varied between Total water " 5.652 5.139
10% and 30%, but the W/C ratios were decreased. As
Pr - 150 " 0.063 0.063
expected, reducing the W/C ratio reduced the slump of
Slump (mm)
the specimens.
Initial 170 50
30 min 120 -
2.7 Effect of Pozzolan and Water-to-Cement
45 min 105 -
Ratio on Strength
60 min 95 -
Specimens with varying amounts of Pozzolan S1 and Temperature (oC)
W/C ratios were tested in compression after 7 and 28 Water 16 16
days to determine the effect of the pozzolan and W/C Ambient 15 16.8
ratio on the early compressive strength. The results of Concrete(i) 20.5 20
these tests are shown in Figure 13. Concrete(f) 19.5 -

Activity indexes are calculated by dividing the speci-

men strength by the strength of a control specimen at
the same age and multiplying by 100%. The results in
Figure 14 show that increasing the percentage of
pozzolan generally decreases the activity index.
 135
38-micron
130 32-micron
20-micron

125

Activity Index (%)

120
220
200
115
Slump (mm)

180
160
140 110
120 35
100 30 105
80
25
)
%
60 t( 100
Initial Value 20 en
0.50 em
30-min 15 ac
0.49 45-min e pl 95
10 tR 7 Days 28 Days
w/c 0.48
5 en
Ra
tio 0.47 em Age (days)
0
C
0.46
0.45
Figure 15. Effect of Pozzolan S1 fineness on activity index
Figure 12. Slump versus W/C-ratio and cement (20% replacement)
replacement with Pozzolan S1
3. COMPARISON OF POZZOLAN S1 WITH
ASTM SPECIFICATIONS FOR FLY ASH
AND SILICA FUME

The properties of 20-micron fine natural Pozzolan S1

were investigated and compared with the ASTM speci-
45
fications for fly ash and silica fume to determine the
40
extent of their similarity. The following ASTM specifi-
cations were used as reference standards:
f'c (MPa)

35

30
35
25
30 • ASTM C618-00, Standard Specification
)
20 25
t(
% for Coal Fly Ash and Raw or Calcined
20 en
0.50
ce
m Natural Pozzolan for Use as a Mineral
pla
28-day 15
0.49
7-day 10 t Re Admixture in Concrete
w/c 0.48 en
Ra
tio 0.47
5
Ce
m • ASTM C1240-00, Standard Specification
0
0.46
for use of Silica Fume as a Mineral Ad-
0.45
mixture in Hydraulic Cement Concrete
Figure 13. Strength versus W/C-ratio and cement
Mortar and Grout.
replacement with Pozzolan S1

3.1 Physical Tests

The following physical tests were conducted on the
pozzolan specimens:

• strength activity index (ASTM C311-00)

100
• density (ASTM C188-95)
•
Activity Index (%)

90
fineness per sieve analysis (ASTM C311-00)
•
80
Blaine fineness (ASTM C204-00)
70
•
35

60 30
increase in drying shrinkage (ASTM C157)
25
t(
%
)
• expansion stability using autoclave (ASTM
50
20 en
0.50 28-day ac
e m C157-08).
15
e pl
0.49 7-day
10 tR
w/c 0.48 en
Ra 5 e m
tio 0.47
0
C Two types of specimens were used: (1) a control spec-
0.46
0.45
imen with 100% Portland cement and sand and (2) an
Figure 14. Activity index versus W/C and cement activity specimen with 80% cement, 20% natural
replacement with Pozzolan S1 Pozzolan S1, and sand. The chemical composition and
physical properties of the control specimen were used
for comparison with the activity specimen. The results Table 4. Density, fineness, dry shrinkage, and volume
of the physical tests are shown in Table 3 and Table 4. stability
Physical Property Results
3.2 Chemical Tests Density 2.83g/cm3
Fineness Sieve analysis 10.8%
Chemical analysis of the specimens was conducted to Blaine 359 m2/kg
determine the effectiveness of the natural pozzolan in Increase in drying shrinkage after 28 days -0.009% *
contributing to sulfate resistance. The results of the Volume stability (autoclave expansion /
0.2%
contraction)
chemical analysis are given in Table 5 and Table 6.
* The ASTM standard specifies to add (-) sign if the dry
shrinkage rate of control specimens is greater than the
3.3 Physical Analysis tested specimens

The physical properties of the natural pozzolan speci- Table 5. Chemical composition
mens are compared with the ASTM requirements for Chemical Control Natural
Composition,% Cement Pozzolan S1
fly ash and silica fume in Table 7. As shown in this
SiO2 19.26 48.44
table, the natural pozzolan specimens met the require-
CaO 63.34 8.53
ments for fly ash but not for silica fume. The fineness
Fe2O3 3.6 13.3
values were less than 34%, and the strength activity
Al2O3 5.35 15.97
indexes were greater than 75%. Their volume stabili-
ties were less than 0.8%, and the increase in drying MgO 2.36 7.98
shrinkage at 28 days was less than 0.03%. While the SO3 2.48 0.1
natural pozzolan met the silica fume requirements for K2O 0.51 1.37
Blaine fineness and the percentage remaining on the 45 Cl 0.011 0.012
micron sieve, it is significant that it did not meet the 7-
day strength activity index of 85%. Table 6. Chemical properties
Control Natural
Property
Cement Pozzolan S1
3.4 Chemical Analysis Loss on Ignition,% 2.35 1.26
Moisture Content,% - 0.34
The chemical test results for the natural pozzolan spec- PH - 9.0
imen were compared with the ASTM requirements, as
Carbon Content,% - 0.33
shown in Table 8. The natural pozzolan specimens met
Insoluble Residue,% 0.74 -
all requirements for fly ash but did not meet the 85%
silicon dioxide requirement for silica fume. It is worth
Table 7. Comparison between pozzolan physical
noting that the ASTM specification for class F fly ash
properties and ASTM requirements
requires the sum of Fe2O3, Al2O3, and SiO2 to be at
Test Results ASTM C618-00 ASTM
least 70%. It also specifies SO3 less than 5%, moisture for Class N Pozzolan, C1240-00
content less than 3%, and loss on ignition less than 6%. Pozzolan Class F and C Fly Silica
S1 Ash Fume
Blaine Fineness 359 - 15
Table 3. Strength activity index results (m2/kg) (min.)
Property Control Activity
specimen specimen Pct. wt. 10.8 34 10
remaining on (max.) (min.)
Shear Strength at 7 45-micron
29.5 22.6
days (N/mm2) sieve
Strength Activity Strength 76.6 75 85
76.6
Index at 7days,% Activity Index (min.) (min.)
Shear Strength at 7 days,%
(N/mm2) at 28 36.0 28.0 Strength 77.8 75 -
days Activity Index (min.)
Strength Activity at 28 days,%
77.8
Index at 28 days,% Autoclave 0.02 0.8 -
expansion/ (max.)
contraction,%
Pct. Drying -0.009 0.03 -
Shrinkage at 28 (max.)
days
 Table 8. Comparison between pozzolan properties and 4.2 Pozzolan S1 as a silica fume substitute
ASTM requirements
Test Results ASTM C618-00 Pozzolan S1 did not meet the ASTM C1240-00 chemi-
for Natural Fly ash Silica cal and physical requirements for silica fume. Its
Pozzolan Pozzolan fume
S1 strength activity index at 7 days was less than 85%, and
Class N Class Class the percentage of silicon dioxide was not met. Howev-
F C
er, it met the requirements for the percentage remaining
Fe2O3 + 77.61 70 (min.) 70 50 -
on the 45 micron sieve at greater than 10%, moisture
Al2O3 + (min.) (min.)
SiO2 content less than 3%, loss on ignition less than 6%, and
(%) Blaine fineness greater than 15 m2/kg.
0.34 4 (max.) 5 5 -
SO3 (%)
(max.) (max.)
Based on the above findings, it is concluded that
Moisture 0.1 3 (max.) 3 3 -
content (max.) (max.) Pozzolan S1 is not a suitable replacement for ASTM
(%) C1240-00 silica fume despite meeting the requirements
Loss on 1.26 10 6 6 6 for fineness, moisture content, and loss on ignition.
ignition (max.) (max.) (max.) (max.)
(%)
SiO2 48.44 - - - 85 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
(%) (min.)
The authors would like to acknowledge the assistance
of Kevin O’Connor, civil engineering graduate student
4. CONCLUSIONS at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, for his
assistance with the construction of this paper.
This report has documented a program of physical and
chemical laboratory tests of some natural pozzolans REFERENCES
and concrete mixes containing them. Analysis of test
results has yielded the following conclusions. [1] ASTM Standard C109/C109M-08. Test Method for
Compressive Strength of Hydraulic Cement Mortars
(Using 2-in. or 50-mm Cube Specimens). West
4.1 Pozzolan S1 as a Fly Ash Substitute Conshohocken, PA: ASTM International. 2008.

Pozzolan S1 was found to provide a satisfactory substi-
tute for fly ash and other natural pozzolans when tested
against ASTM C618-00. It was clearly found to be
effective in controlling ASR. It also produces about
15% less heat of hydration than Class F fly ash, where-
as Class F fly ash produces about 30% less heat of hy-
dration than Portland cement only.
[2] ASTM Standard C150-07. Specification for Portland
Cement. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM International.
2007.
[3] ASTM Standard C157-08. Standard Test Method for
Length Change of Hardened Hydraulic-Cement Mortar
and Concrete. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM
International. 2008.

[4] ASTM Standard C186-98. Standard Test Method for Heat

Pozzolan specimens ground to a size of 20 microns met
the chemical and physical requirements for fly ash. The
fineness values were less than 34%, and the strength
activity indexes at 7 and 28 days were greater than
75%. Volume stabilities were less than 0.8%, and the
increase in drying shrinkage at 28 days was less than
0.03%. The percentage of total iron oxide, aluminum
oxide, and silicon dioxide was greater than 70%. The
percentage of sulfur trioxide was less than 5%. Mois-
ture content was less that 3%. Loss on ignition was less
than 6%.
Based on the above findings, it is concluded that the
chemical and physical properties of Pozzolan S1 are
comparable to fly ash, and that one can be substituted
for the other.
of Hydration of Hydraulic Cement. West Conshohocken,
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