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Calcined clays as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) have been identified and credited to be a viable solution in mitigating the CO₂ emissions related to cement production and consumption. Calcined clays range from a variety of different clay types based on an assortment of varying minerals and compositions. While extensive data is available on kaolinitic clays (based on the 1:1 clay type), other clays such as brick clays (based on the 2:1 clay type) are currently understudied, although such clays are largely more available than the kaolinitic clays.
The aim of this thesis is to draw attention to the varying compositions present in two selected brick clays in Germany and elaborate on how such compositions affect their suitability to be used as SCMs in blended cement systems. The novelty of this thesis explains the relationship between the reactivity of the bricks to their varying compositions and their suitability for their employment as SCMs. This was based on their chemical and physical transformations in the calcination temperature range 650–900 or 950 °C, and the performance of the calcined brick clays in blended cement systems measured by their heat evolution, strength development and durability-related properties. The results of their performance were compared to two kaolinitic clays with varying compositions. While the kaolinitic clays generally exhibited the best performance as SCMs, the brick clay with a lower Fe₂O₃ content showed promising results similar to the kaolinitic clays when an optimum calcination temperature is applied and when substituted at a moderate cement substitution rate. Thus, this finding promoted further efforts made to improve the reactivity of the brick clay by producing a mixed clay composed of 50 % brick clay (with Fe₂O₃ content) and 50 % kaolinitic clay. The mixed clay was compared to the two individual brick clays and one kaolinitic clay, whereby optimum calcination conditions were performed in large-scale simulating an industrial-scale production of SCMs. All calcined clays exhibited pozzolanic reactivity, with the performance of the brick clays inferior to the kaolinitic clay, however, the mixed clay performed very similar to the kaolinitic clay.
At a similar degree of hydration compared to plain Portland cement, the good performance of the mixed clays was especially evident in the strength development and improved chloride penetration resistance, which was caused by a refinement in the pore structure in the cementitious systems. Moreover, it was deduced that not only the high surface area, but also, the solubility of Si and Al ions in the resulting calcinate of the mixed clays plays a significant role when calcined at ~600–700 °C, which points to viable options for optimal employment of brick clays in cementitious systems.