Effects of Various Amounts of Natural Pozzolans from Volcanic Scoria on Performance of Portland Cement Mortars

The aim of this paper is to assess the possibility of using natural pozzolans (NPs) from Cameroonian volcanic scoria as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) in the production of Portland cement mortars. Four natural pozzolans (Black Natural Pozzolan: BNP, Dark-Red Natural Pozzolan: DRNP, Red Natural Pozzolan: RNP and Yellow Natural Pozzolan: YNP) with 3600, 4500, 4700 and 5200 cm2/g Blaine fineness respectively were produced from different colors (Black, Dark red, Red and Yellow) volcanic scoria in a laboratory mill. Natural pozzolans were characterized with regard to particle size distribution, particle shape, electrical conductivity, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The calcium hydroxide consumption by NPs was assessed firstly by electrical conductivity measurements of calcium hydroxide/NPs suspensions with calcium hydroxide excess. Evidence of pozzolanic reactivity of NPs is revealed in hydrated lime pastes, and low reactivity was observed in aqueous suspensions. The effects of 15, 25, and 35 wt.% of NPs as cement substitution on the properties of Portland cement mortars were investigated. Different properties were studied such as setting time, consistency, mechanical strength, pozzolanic activity, absorption by capillarity and resistance to carbonation. The reactivity of NPs was also assessed by means of the mechanical strength development of mortars. The results obtained show that pozzolanic and hydraulic reactions take place in OPC systems. The correlation between mechanical strengths and physical properties of NPs has been established. The study concludes that using DRNP and RNP at 15 wt. % cement replacement can ameliorate globally the performance of mortar. Using all NPs at 35 wt. % has negative effect on the fundamental properties of cementitious mortars.