Application of Zeolite as a Partial Replacement of Cement in Concrete Production

Natural zeolite rocks are known to be able to act as Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCM) in Portland cement based concrete. Generally SCMs are reacting with portlandite and providing binding hydration products just as Portland cement does. In this way an SCM can substitute certain amount of Portland cement in concrete and thus reduce the related energy consumption and CO2 generation. Due to a large variability of SCMs composition and properties there is not any general rule for an optimum Portland cement substitution level. In this paper, the influence of natural zeolite rock on selected mechanical, hygric and thermal properties of concrete is studied. Experimental results show that the analyzed zeolite is acting as a pozzolan but for higher amounts its application leads to an increase in concrete porosity which affects its properties in a significant way.