The influence of sulphates on chloride binding and pore solution chemistry

Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and OPC/ground granulated blastfurnace slag (GGBS) 65% cements containing 2.0 to 9.0% sulphates derived from sodium sulphate and calcium sulphate were investigated in respect to their chloride binding properties and the concentrations of chloride and hydroxyl ions in the pore solutions. Chlorides derived from sodium and calcium chlorides were introduced at the time of mixing. The results indicate that calcium sulphate has a different effect on chloride binding and the pore solution chemistry than sodium sulphate. The slag cement has higher chloride binding capacities as a result of simple replacement for OPC, but at the same sulphate contents, the slag cement does not give the expected higher binding capacities, suggesting that the difference in sulphate content between the two cements may be the main reason for their different chloride binding behaviour.