International Concrete Abstracts Portal

In July of 1983, the Canada Centre for Mineral and Energy Technology of Natural Resources Canada (CANMET), in association with the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, sponsored a 5-day international conference in Montebello, Quebec, Canada, on the use of fly ash, silica fume, slag, and other mineral by-products in concrete. The conference brought together representatives from industry, academia, and government agencies to present the latest information on these materials and to explore new areas of needed research. Since then, eight other such conferences have been held around the world (Madrid, Trondheim, Istanbul, Milwaukee, Bangkok, Madras, Las Vegas, and Warsaw). The 2007 Warsaw Conference was the last in this series. In 2017, due to the renewed interest in alternative and sustainable binders and supplementary cementitious materials, a new series was launched by Sherbrooke University (Professor Arezki Tagnit-Hamou), American Concrete Institute (ACI), and the International Union of Laboratories and Experts in Construction Materials, Systems and Structures (RILEM)—in association with a number of other organizations in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean—sponsored the 10th ACI/RILEM International Conference on Cementitious Materials and Alternative Binders for Sustainable Concrete (ICCM2017). The conference was held October 2-4, 2017, in Montréal, Canada. The conference proceedings, containing 50 reviewed papers from more than 33 countries, were published as ACI SP-320. In 2021, UdeS, ACI, and RILEM, in association with Université de Toulouse and a number of other organizations in Canada, the United States, and Europe, sponsored the 11th ACI/RILEM International Conference on Cementitious Materials and Alternative Binders for Sustainable Concrete (ICCM2021). The conference was scheduled to take place in Toulouse, but due to COVID, it was held online June 7-10, 2021. The conference proceedings, containing 53 reviewed papers from more than 21 countries, were published as ACI SP-349. In 2024, the conference was finally held in-person in Toulouse from June 23 to 26, 2024, with the support of UdeS, ACI, and RILEM in association with Université de Toulouse (Martin Cyr) and a number of other organizations in Canada, the United States, and Europe. The purpose of this international conference was to present the latest scientific and technical information in the field of supplementary cementitious materials and novel binders for use in concrete. The new aspect of this conference is to highlight advances in the field of alternative and sustainable binders and supplementary cementitious materials for the transition to low carbon concrete. The conference proceedings, containing 78 reviewed papers from more than 25 countries, have been published as ACI SP-362. Thanks are extended to the members of the International Scientific Committee who reviewed the papers. The cooperation of the authors in accepting the reviewers’ suggestions and revising their manuscripts accordingly is greatly appreciated. The involvement of the steering committee and the organizing committee is gratefully acknowledged. Special thanks go to Chantal Brien (Université de Sherbrooke) for the administrative work associated with the conference and for processing the manuscripts for both the ACI proceedings and the supplementary volume. Arezki Tagnit Hamou, Editor Chairman, 12th ACI/RILEM International Conference on Cementitious Materials and Alternative Binders for Sustainable Concrete (ICCM2024). Sherbrooke, Canada, 2024

Dredging of ports and waterways generates large quantities of sediments with limited applications that need to be disposed of. In the ports of Quebec, Canada, 450,000 m³ of sediments are dredged annually. The study focuses on the valorization of clay-rich port dredging sediments as a sustainable solution for the development of supplementary cementitious materials (SCM), which represents a significant environmental and economic solution. The research first characterized the sediments to better understand their physical and chemical composition. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) was used to determine the chemical composition and laser diffraction granulometry was used to determine the particle size distribution (PSD). The reactivity of the raw and calcined sediments was evaluated. Isothermal calorimetry on R³ paste and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to evaluate the reactivity of the sediments. A replacement rate of 20% of cement by sediments was used in the tested mixture. The mechanical performances were evaluated at 1, 7, 28, and 112 days. The conclusions of this study are promising as they suggest that port dredging sediments, which are often considered waste, could be valorized as a sustainable and environmentally friendly construction material. This approach could contribute to the sustainable management of port dredging sediments while offering an economic and ecological solution for the construction industry.

There is a growing concern regarding the accumulation of marine waste and the negative environmental impacts of cement-based materials. To address these issues, this study explores new possibilities for upcycling marine dredged sediments (MDS) from the Magdalen Islands in Quebec as an alternative to sand, which can be challenging to procure for islands. The characterization of these MDS showed their inert quartz nature. However, by employing packing density optimization methods, it was found that MDS can be effectively used as a partial replacement for sand. The study demonstrates that a 20% volumetric replacement of sand with MDS yields a maximum theoretical packing density of 0.796 and an experimental density of 0.747. The physical and mechanical properties of five mortar mixtures with varying volumetric ratios of MDS to sand from 0 to 50% were evaluated. The findings indicate that increasing the MDS dosage results in a slight reduction of slump flow. However, replacing 20% of the sand with MDS provides the maximum packing density and results in a 12% enhancement in 28-day compressive strength (with a slight increase in bulk electrical resistivity). These results highlight the importance of the development of closely packed granular skeletons in cementitious systems for the development of environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional cement-based materials.

High purity lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate for use in lithium-ion batteries are produced by the processing of spodumene ore from the Whabouchi mine (Northern Quebec, Canada). The main byproduct of this treatment is an aluminum silicate waste stream, which is produced in very large quantities and should be recycled to avoid its storage in landfills, which is not environmentally friendly. Previous research work by the authors on the characterization of this aluminum silicate waste stream showed its potential as a pozzolanic material and hence that it could be used by the cement and concrete industry, which would contribute to the sustainability of these industries. The purpose of this study was to assess the pozzolanic activity of this new material and its effects on the properties of concrete in its fresh and hardened states in order to evaluate the effects of replacing part of the cement with this aluminum silicate waste stream in various classes of concrete. Series of air-entrained and non-air entrained concrete mixtures were produced and tested in this study. Results from fresh state testing, mechanical and durability properties of the concrete made with this material were similar to those obtained with conventional supplementary cementitious materials and equal or superior to those obtained with reference concrete mixtures made with plain and ordinary portland cement.

Sponsors: American Concrete Institute, RILEM, Université de Sherbrooke, CRIB, Université Toulouse III, Lmdc Toulouse, Kruger Biomaterials, Euclid Chemical, Prodexim International inc., BASF Master Builders, ACAA Editor: Arezki Tagnit-Hamou In July 1983, the Canada Centre for Mineral and Energy Technology (CANMET) of Natural Resources Canada, in association with the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, sponsored a five-day international conference at Montebello, Quebec, Canada, on the use of fly ash, silica fume, slag and other mineral by-products in concrete. The conference brought together representatives from industry, academia, and government agencies to present the latest information on these materials and to explore new areas of needed research. Since then, eight other such conferences have taken place around the world (Madrid, Trondheim, Istanbul, Milwaukee, Bangkok, Madras, Las Vegas, and Warsaw). The 2007 Warsaw conference was the last in this series. In 2017, due to renewed interest in alternative and sustainable binders and supplementary cementitious materials, a new series was launched by Sherbrooke University (UdeS); ACI; and the International Union of Laboratories and Experts in Construction materials, Systems, and Structures (RILEM). They, in association with a number of other organizations in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean, sponsored the 10th ACI/RILEM International Conference on Cementitious Materials and Alternative Binders for Sustainable Concrete (ICCM2017). The conference was held in Montréal, QB, Canada, from October 2 to 4, 2017. The conference proceedings, containing 50 refereed papers from more than 33 countries, were published as ACI SP-320. In 2021, UdeS, ACI, and RILEM, in association with Université de Toulouse and a number of other organizations in Canada, the United States, and Europe, sponsored the 11th ACI/RILEM International Conference on Cementitious Materials and Alternative Binders for Sustainable Concrete (ICCM2021). The conference was held online from June 7 to 10, 2021. The conference proceedings, containing 53 peer reviewed papers from more than 14 countries, were published as ACI SP-349. The purpose of this international conference was to present the latest scientific and technical information in the field of supplementary cementitious materials and novel binders for use in concrete. The new aspect of this conference was to highlight advances in the field of alternative and sustainable binders and supplementary cementitious materials, which are receiving increasing attention from the research community. To all those whose submissions could not be included in the conference proceedings, the Institute and the Conference Organizing Committee extend their appreciation for their interest and hard work. Thanks are extended to the members of the international scientific committee to review the papers. Without their dedicated effort, the proceedings could not have been published for distribution at the conference. The cooperation of the authors in accepting reviewers’ suggestions and revising their manuscripts accordingly is greatly appreciated. The assistance of Chantal Brien at the Université de Sherbrooke is gratefully acknowledged for the administrative work associated with the conference and for processing the manuscripts, both for the ACI proceedings and the supplementary volume. Arezki Tagnit Hamou, Editor Chairman, eleventh ACI/RILEM International Conference on Cementitious Materials and Alternative Binders for Sustainable Concrete (ICCM2021). Sherbrooke, Canada 2021