Experimental Study on a GGBFS Activator Using a By-Product Salt

The activator is very important for the use of high volume fraction slag in cement so that the compressive strength of cement complying with the requirements of codes. A new slag activator, which is from the by-product of magnesium chloride industry, is investigated experimentally. The test results show that the addition of the new activator increases the compressive strength of cement containing 69% slag effectively. Compared to the compressive strength of the reference cement (no activator added), the compressive strength of the cement with the new activator increases about 40%. The new activator has the similar performance as calcium chloride, which is a conventional slag activator. With the new activator, the compressive strength of cement containing 69% slag meets the requirements of standard GB1344-1999.