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Query: "keywords" (efflorescence) .

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1.
Investigating efflorescence in salt-cement composites : the impact of surface inclination and salt waste types on resource-efficient construction materials
Vesna Pungerčar, Yee Wu, Clarimma Sessa, Thomas Kränkel, 2025, original scientific article

Abstract: Disposing of excess salt from seawater desalination and the potash industry presents substantial ecological risks worldwide. This underscores the pressing need to explore reuse possibilities to mitigate environmental damage. One potential solution involves incorporating salt waste into building construction, especially in environments with low air humidity. However, this integration affects composite materials’ mechanical and hydrothermal properties and results in efflorescence on the material surface. This study investigates how different surface inclinations and two types of salt waste affect efflorescence in salt cement mixtures. The primary goal of this research is to design more resource-efficient building materials by reducing cement usage while improving understanding of optimized surface design in indoor construction applications. Experimental in-situ measurements employing Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) and Macro X-ray fluorescence scanning (MA-XRF) were conducted to examine salt crystallization accumulation on the salt cement surface. Our findings indicate higher efflorescence on concrete- salt surfaces with steeper inclinations (30–60 %). Furthermore, salt waste from the potash industry exhibits greater efflorescence than desalination salts, attributed to its higher sodium chloride content. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the interactions among salt waste, cement, and surface characteristics, providing valuable insights for future advancements in construction materials science.
Keywords: salt waste, surface inclination, efflorescence sustainable concrete, non-destructive methods
Published in DiRROS: 11.06.2025; Views: 84; Downloads: 26
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2.
Rapid immobilisation of chemical reactions in alkali-activated materials using solely microwave irradiation
Anže Tesovnik, Barbara Horvat, 2024, original scientific article

Abstract: Efflorescence, a time-dependent and water-driven phenomenon, is a major concern inalkali-activated materials (AAMs), impacting their practical use and preservation in a time-frozen state for post-characterisation. Although a method for stopping chemical reactions in conventional cements exists, it is time-consuming and not chemical-free. Therefore, this study explored the effects of low-power microwave-induced dehydration on efflorescence, mechanical performance, and structural integrity in AAMs, to create an alternative and more “user-friendly” dehydration method. For this purpose, several mixtures based on secondary raw (slag, fly ash, glass wool, and rock wool) and non-waste (metakaolin) materials were activated with a commercial Na-silicate solution in ratios that promoted or prevented efflorescence. Characterisation techniques, including Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, showed that microwave dehydration effectively removed water without altering crystallinity, while mercury intrusion porosimetry and compressive strength tests confirmed increased porosity. In addition to being an efficient, time-saving, and solvent-free manner of stopping the reactions in AAMs, microwave irradiation emerged as an innovative, chemical-free method for evaluating curing finalisation and engineering foams in a stage when all other existing methods fail. However, the artificially provoked efflorescence in aged dehydrated AAMs connected the slipperiness of AAM with the instant extraction of Na, which raised the need for further research into alternative alkali replacements to evaluate the practical use of AAM.
Keywords: materials chemistry, alkali-activated materials, geopolymers, slag, fly ash, rock wool, glass wool, metakaolin, microwave irradiation, dehydration, stopping chemical reactions, efflorescence
Published in DiRROS: 23.12.2024; Views: 451; Downloads: 270
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3.
Dehydration with microwave irradiation
Anže Tesovnik, Barbara Horvat, 2024, complete scientific database of research data

Abstract: The dataset supports the results shown in the tables and figures in the article entitled “Rapid immobilisation of chemical reactions in alkali-activated materials using solely microwave irradiation” (doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/min14121219). It contains measurements of mechanical and structural evaluation, as well as chemical and mineralogical analysis.
Keywords: measurments, alkali-activated materials, geopolymers, slag, fly ash, rock wool, glass wool, metakaolin, microwave irradiation, dehydration, stopping of chemical reactions, efflorescence
Published in DiRROS: 12.08.2024; Views: 617; Downloads: 11493
.xlsx Research data (4,87 MB)
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