Title: Assessing Pozzolanic Reactivity of Reclaimed Fired Clay Roof Tiles and Bricks in Presence of Ground Limestone

Author(s): Bernadin Guillaume, Théodore Serbource, Sandrine Gauffinet, Marie-Noëlle de Noirfontaine, and Laurent Izoret

Publication: Symposium Paper

Volume: 362

Issue:

Appears on pages(s): 783-793

Keywords: fired clay roofing tiles and bricks, pozzolanicity assessment, R³ tests, potential cement constituent

DOI: 10.14359/51742009

Date: 6/17/2024

Abstract:

Due to the drastic necessity to reduce cement and binder carbon footprint and because of the increasing scarcity of traditional supplementary cementitious material, there is an increasing interest in non-traditional reactive materials with low CO₂ footprint, eventually coming from the circular economy.

There are several emerging opportunities that need to be investigated before confirming their aptitude to substitute clinker, alone or in combination with other materials. Among these opportunities, reclaimed fired clay roof tiles and bricks represent a good candidate not only because they were historically used by the antic Romans but also because they represent a significant part of demolition wastes.

These materials, gathered from different locations in France with different ages, were chemically and mineralogically characterized. Their potential pozzolanic character was assessed by mean of R³ tests with a follow-up of the evolution of hydrates suite (consumption and precipitation), doubled with mechanical strength on mortar for different formulated binders, combining materials to simulate standardized cement types according to European standards EN197-1 and -5. The overall results indicate their reactivity was good enough to conclude that these materials can be considered as potential alternative SCMs.