Index Properties of Alkali-Activated Cement Mortar Affected by the Addition of Phosphatic Clay

Phosphatic clay (PhC) is a by-product waste released from beneficiation processes during phosphatic mining. This study presents an analysis of the effects of PhC on the characteristics of the alkali-activated aluminosilicate mixture to formulate a cement mortar. The mix proportion of cement mortar was prepared from aluminosilicate materials (kaolin and silica sand). PhC was added to the mix proportion with an appropriate ratio. The quality-indicating parameters were tested. The results indicated that, the bulk density of hardened mortar increased from 2 g/cm3 to 2.21 g/cm3. The compressive strength accounted for the 12.5% improvement. The cement mortar absorbed less amount of water and showed less shrinkage behavior. This study found that using PhC as admixture in activated aluminosilicate cement mortar shows a tendency to improve the index properties of the activated mortar.