Diatomite as a Partial and Sustainable Cement Replacement: Chemical, Mechanical, and Thermal Properties
Younes El Miski,
Oussama Zine,
Mohamed Ameur,
Yassine Kharbouch and
Driss Taoukil
Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology, 2025, vol. 15, issue 3, 394-408
Abstract:
This study investigated the use of Moroccan diatomite in its raw and calcined forms in mortar as a partial replacement for cement to reduce the primary energy consumption in cement production. For this purpose, a thermophysical and mechanical study was carried out. In addition, the energy consumption and global warming potential (GWP) associated with the production of these materials were assessed using a cradle‐to‐gate life cycle assessment analysis. Several samples were prepared by replacing up to 40% of the cement with diatomite, while maintaining the same sand and water content in the mortar. The study found that diatomite reduced thermal conductivity and diffusivity owing to its high insulating potential. However, calcining diatomite up to 850°C altered the quality of the produced silica, resulting in lower values compared with raw diatomite mortars. The mortars’ compressive and flexural strengths slightly decreased when diatomite was used as a substitute, with reductions of up to 10%. Calcined diatomite mortars demonstrated a higher water absorption capacity than raw diatomite mortars. The study concluded that mortars in which 40% of the cement has been partially replaced by either raw diatomite or calcined diatomite offer the most satisfactory thermal performance, while retaining sufficient mechanical strength to enable them to be classified as construction mortars. Calcined diatomite mortars offer favorable performance compared to raw diatomite, suggesting the potential of calcined diatomite to reduce the environmental impact and improve mortar quality, opening prospects for environment‐friendly mortars and cost optimization.
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:
Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.1002/ghg.2352
Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.
Export reference: BibTeX
RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan)
HTML/Text
Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wly:greenh:v:15:y:2025:i:3:p:394-408
Access Statistics for this article
More articles in Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology from Blackwell Publishing
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Wiley Content Delivery ().