Preparation of new cementitious system using fly ash and dehydrated autoclaved aerated concrete

We experimentally studied the interaction between pozzolanic material (fly ash) and dehydrated autoclaved aerated concrete (DAAC). The DAAC powder was obtained by grinding aerated concrete waste to particles finer than 75μm and was then heated to temperatures up to 900 °C. New cementitious material was prepared by proportioning fly ash and DAAC, named as AF. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was employed to identify the crystalline phases of DAAC before and after rehydration. The hydration process of AF was analyzed by the heat of hydration and non-evaporable water content (Wn). The experimental results show that the highest reactivity of DAAC can be obtained by calcining the powder at 700 °C and the dehydrated products are mainly β-C2S and CaO. The cumulative heat of hydration and Wn was found to be strongly dependent on the replacement level of fly ash, increasing the replacement level of fly ash lowered them in AF. The strength contribution rates on pozzolanic effect of fly ash in AF are always negative, showing a contrary tendency of that of cement-fly ash system.