Hydration of calcium sulfoaluminate cements — Experimental findings and thermodynamic modelling

Calcium sulfoaluminate cements (CSA) are a promising low-CO₂ alternative to ordinary Portland cements and are as well of interest concerning their use as binder for waste encapsulation. In this study, the hydration of two CSA cements has been investigated experimentally and by thermodynamic modelling between 1 h and 28 days at w/c ratios of 0.72 and 0.80, respectively.The main hydration product of CSA is ettringite, which precipitates together with amorphous Al(OH)₃ until the calcium sulfate is consumed after around 1-2 days of hydration. Afterwards, monosulfate is formed. In the presence of belite, strätlingite occurs as an additional hydration product. The pore solution analysis reveals that strätlingite can bind a part of the potassium ions, which are released by the clinker minerals. The microstructure of both cements is quite dense even after 16 h of hydration, with not much pore space available at a sample age of 28 days.The pore solution of both cements is dominated during the first hours of hydration by potassium, sodium, calcium, aluminium and sulfate; the pH is around 10-11. When the calcium sulfate is depleted, the sulfate concentration drops by a factor of 10. This increases pH to around 12.5-12.8.Based on the experimental data, a thermodynamic hydration model for CSA cements based on cement composition, hydration kinetics of clinker phases and calculations of thermodynamic equilibria by geochemical speciation has been established. The modelled phase development with ongoing hydration agrees well with the experimental findings.