Combined Use of Ladle Furnace Slag and Rice Husk Ash as a Supplementary Cementitious Material

Ladle Furnace Slag (LFS) is a solid waste from steel production that can be used in civil construction due to its high content of calcium oxides (> 50% CaO), contributing to the sustainability of both industries. Seeking to study its function as a supplementary cementitious material, the objective of this work was to determine the properties of coating mortars with the replacement of Portland Cement (PC) by 30% LFS combined with the pozzolanic effect of Rice Husk Ash (RHA). Prismatic specimens were produced in a 1:6 mixture proportion (PC:sand) and subjected to mechanical tests and determination of the dynamic modulus of elasticity. The results indicated that the replacement provided a reduction in mechanical strength, however the presence of LFS+RHA was beneficial to improve water retention. These changes were caused by the bigger surface area of RHA grains and the higher CaO content, in relation to the reference mixture.