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Portland cement–based materials represent the most widely used construction materials worldwide. However, their production and application are associated with significant environmental burdens, including high CO2 emissions and the depletion of natural aggregate resources. In response to the growing demand for environmentally responsible construction solutions, this study focuses on the development of building materials based on an alternative binder. Magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC) is considered a more sustai...

In an effort to develop binders with a reduced environmental impact, magnesium silicate hydrate (MSH) cement has recently attracted considerable attention. This binder belongs to the family of magnesium-based cements; however, unlike magnesium sulphate and magnesium oxychloride cements, it is classified as a hydraulic cement. It forms through the reaction of reactive magnesium oxide with silica sources in the presence of water, producing magnesium silicate hydrate (MSH) gel. Caustic-calcined magnesite, typically p...

Magnesium silicate hydrate (M-S-H) is a promising binder phase for the development of low carbon cementitious materials. However, its formation mechanisms, phase evolution, and dependence on curing conditions remain poorly understood, particularly during the early and intermediate stages of hydration. This study investigates the formation and development of M S-H in model systems using reactive MgO and diatomite as the silica source, focusing on Mg/Si molar ratios of 0.75, 0.90, 1.05, and 1.20 under controlled cur...

In addition to excellent mechanical, physical and chemical parameters, magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC) composites offer numerous environmental benefits, particularly with regard to the necessary reduction of carbon dioxide emissions associated with the production of Portland cement based building materials. However, the limitation to the wider use of MOC is its low water resistance. Therefore, the possibility of improving the water resistance of magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC) composites by nano-adjustment u...

In a view of the sustainable development principles, the development of advanced lowcarbon building materials represents one of the most important issues in the construction industry. To follow the current trends in research and development of building materials, special attention is paid to the reuse of all kinds of waste and industrial byproducts. One of the serious problems of today-s society is the huge production of sewage sludge from waste water treatment and its disposal. As one of the promising ways of sew...

In this study, magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC) mortars reinforced with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and graphene were prepared and analyzed. The lower CO2 footprint of MOC in comparison with the production of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) predestines MOC-based materials to be an environmentally sustainable alternative to OPC. However, the wider spread of MOC is hindered by its low water resistance. The combined influence of MWCNT and graphene as 1D and 2D carbon nanomaterials on properties of MOC morta...

Magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC) is a non-hydraulic binder produced in a more eco-efficient way than Portland cement and due to its favorable properties represents its promising alternative in the production of construction materials for specific applications. The specific advantage of MOC is the fact that it can accommodate organic as well as inorganic substances in the form of fillers, aggregates, additives, reinforcement, etc. which enables enriching properties and performance of the final composite material....

Graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), a cheap carbon-based material with large surface-to-volume ratio, are currently broadly investigated as a promising reinforcement for composite materials in building industry to enhance particularly their mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. However, the uniform dispersion of GNPs in composite material is a crucial factor to fully manifest their superior properties. This study is aimed at the design of environmentally friendly composite material based on magnesium oxychlor...

The magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC) as an alternative to commonly used Portland cement (PC) has been intensively studied in the past decade. Compared to PC it is more environmentally sustainable and it can be considered as CO2-neutral due to the low calcination temperature of the raw materials and its ability to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. The objective of this paper was to develop a composite material based on MOC, containing partially oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (partially oxidized MWCNTs) in o...

Natural zeolites having a structure with a large number of cavities allow design lightweight plasters with improved thermal insulation parameters. Focusing on the assessment of plasters’ durability, their resistance to salt damage should to be taken into consideration, especially in case of their application in repair of salt laden masonry. Although the crystallization of salts in plasters presents a serious problem, there is as yet no standard procedure for its evaluation. To predict salt damage of lime-based pla...

Cement manufacturing has been always ranked in the list of the main sources of carbon emissions among industrial activities. Almost 5-7% of global CO2 emissions are caused by cement plants, while about 900 kg CO2 is emitted to the atmosphere for producing one ton of cement. On this account, there is laid pressure to reduce cement consumption by the use of alternative binders. In this paper, we would like to show that wheat straw ash can be used for the fabrication of construction composites with lower cement conte...

The handling and disposal of voluminous sludge produced from water treatment plants poses difficulty to environmental scientist and engineers. In fact, its environmental friendly management and disposal is challenging task and requires careful consideration. In this study, sewage sludge ashes were examined as potentially supplementary cementitious materials. The raw sewage sludge was provided by two different municipal waste water treatment plants, coming from Poland and Greece respectively. The calcination of pre...