Cement equivalence factor evaluations for fluid catalytic cracking catalyst residue

Fluid catalytic cracking catalyst residue (FC3R) is a waste material that can be used as a Portland cement replacement in pastes, mortars, and concrete. The flow table results show that FC3R is a water demanding addition; nevertheless, this effect can be compensated with the use of superplasticizers. The pozzolanic activity of FC3R was studied observing the mechanical strength evolution with time. Pastes and mortars with FC3R incorporated show higher mechanical strengths than control specimens, indicating the pozzolanic activity of the waste. Cement equivalence factor (k-factor) evaluations were carried out. The k-factor values for the FC3R pastes and mortars were always greater than one, indicating that in order to maintain the same compressive mechanical strength of the control specimen it is sufficient to replace cement with a smaller amount of catalyst residue, due to the high pozzolanic activity of FC3R. There is a strong agreement between the k-factor values obtained in pastes and mortars.