The paper showed relevance and potential for the development of clinkerless alkaline activation, since at the present the production of currently leading “constructional” binder, Portland cement, has been increasing, and carbon dioxide released during cement production has a negative effect on the ecological situation of separate countries and the whole world. The world community has long been concerned about the problem of switching to clinkerless binders and building composites to replace resource-intensive cement, at least in those areas of construction that do not need its high technical and functional properties. We gave formulations and properties of clinkerless alkaline activation based on highly dispersed mineral components, effective compositions of fine concretes based on the use of the proposed clinkerless alkaline activation cements were obtained. It was theoretically substantiated and practically proved that Brønsted acid sites on the surface of highly active powders accelerated synthesizing silica gel, supported polymerization of silicon-oxygen anions, enhanced ion exchange reactions and stabilized intergranular contact formation.

The scale of consumption of raw materials is large, and to a greater extent, it is the building materials industry that has a detrimental effect on the environment, thereby disturbing the pristine appearance and landscape of nature. Production volumes of Portland cement clinker have exceeded the mark of 5 billion tons per year. But the key dilemma lies in the emission of greenhouse gases, because during the high-temperature processing of raw materials to produce clinker, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are released into the atmosphere. At the same time, slag-alkali and geopolymer binders can be considered as an alternative to resource-intensive Portland cement; they have found practical application in many developed countries of the world. A large backlog of research has allowed the authors of the work to model materials of both technogenic and natural origin “technogenic reaction powder – natural component – alkaline activator” in one binder system. Microanalysis confirmed the effectiveness of the integrated use of sodium silicofluoride and finely dispersed bentonite additives in the binder system, which had a beneficial effect on the pore structure of the stone and the properties of the cement stone. Using a properly designed binder composition “aspiration dust – finely dispersed bentonite – sodium silicofluoride – alkaline binder”, it is possible to obtain high-quality and durable composites with a low carbon footprint, thereby solving many environmental problems.

The development and implementation of “green” technologies in the construction sector, which ensure natural resource conservation, reduce harmful emissions and provide utilization of industrial waste, are key issues in material engineering of the XXI century. Extensive research has been devoted to solving these issues, including research in the field of concrete science. Still, the issue of developing concrete compositions with increased corrosion resistance remains much less studied. At the same time, reactive aggregates from industrial waste can have positive effect on durability of concrete, and the best result can be achieved by means of modification of a concrete mixture with highly effective additives. The article presents the research data in two lines—the study of applicability of reactive aggregates from waste products of nonmetallic and ceramic industries, mineral wool production and concrete scrap for production of corrosion-resistant concretes, as well as the assessment of possibility of Portland cement quantity reduction in a concrete mixture on local raw materials due to the introduction of additives based on polycarboxylates. The article presents the research evidence of the effect of dust and clay particles content on the quality of concrete with a polycarboxylate additive. The article describes the studies of corrosion resistance of concrete samples based on production wastes in sulfate environments and under the influence of carbon dioxide. The developed concrete compositions with waste use can be recommended for widespread application, rational use of resources, and production of durable high-quality concretes. The application of additives based on polycarboxylates makes it possible to produce concretes with the reduction of cement consumption in the mixture by 10–20% and decrease in the mode of thermo-wet treatment by two times.

The concept of the sustainable development of the world economy is currently aimed at achieving carbon neutrality, and this is due to the global warming of the planet. Energy and construction make a significant contribution to the release of carbon emissions into the environment and atmosphere. According to statistics, simply burning one ton of Portland cement clinker provokes the release of at least half a ton of carbon dioxide. In this study, the prepared samples were subjected to electron diffraction studies, as well as the X-ray phase analysis of the zone (XRF) using an ARLX’TRA diffractometer. Studies of macro- and microstructures were carried out using a Quanta 3D 200i scanning microscope. The obtained spectra were processed using EDAX TEAM software. The study of the microstructure of the samples showed that the bulk of the heterogeneous systems consisted of volumetric aggregates and intergrowths, i.e., small accumulations on their surfaces with pronounced cleavage, features of the microstructure indicating mineral formation processes. Therefore, the development of low-carbon construction models will make it possible to make a contribution and open an effective path to the implementation of climate policy through the rational use of natural resources and the involvement of industrial waste and nature-like technologies in the production process. In this regard, one of the options for solving the identified problems is to revise existing technologies and develop low-carbon, low-clinker binders using industrial waste and substandard raw materials.

Modern materials science is aimed towards abandoning Portland cement in the production of building materials. The scientific novelty of this study lies in its being the first time a comprehensive study of the structure formation of alkali-activated materials (AAM) based on thermally treated marl and Na₂SiO₃ is carried out. The tasks for achieving this goal were to characterize the thermally treated marl as a new binder, and to comprehensively research the microstructure, fresh, physical, and mechanical properties of the AAM based on the binder. Received active particles of marl with a smaller size than Portland cement have a specific surface area of 580–590 m²/kg. The mineral composition of heat-treated marl is characterized by calcium silicates, which guarantee good binding properties. The results of X-ray diffraction analysis of the samples based on the clinker-free binder of alkaline activation using opoka-like marl confirmed the presence of calcite, quartz, and feldspar close to albite, micas, and zeolites. The obtained products of the chemical interaction of the components of the binder confirm the effectiveness of the newly developed AAM. As a result of comparing several binders, it was found that the binder “thermally treated marl—Na₂SiO₃” is the most effective, since for specimens based on it, a maximum compressive strength of 42.6 MPa, a flexural strength of 4.6 MPa, and minimum setting time were obtained (start 26 min, end 32 min) as well as a water absorption of 10.2 wt.%. The research results will be of interest to specialists in the construction industry, since the proposed recipes for clinker-free cements are an alternative to expensive and energy-intensive Portland cement and provide the creation of strong and durable concrete and reinforced concrete composites.

ObjectivesIn the process of firing Portland cement clinker in electrostatic precipitators, in rotary kilns, a large amount of harmful substances, both clinker and aspiration, accumulates, therefore rational use of these products leads to certain shares of a full-fledged river resource, which are derived from industrial cement. It should be noted that the reuse of dust electrostatic precipitators is impossible.MethodThe basis for obtaining durable and more resource-efficient composites is based on modern technological methods that contribute to the improvement of technical and physicomechanical properties, with the integrated application of technogenic raw materials and liquid sodium binder.ResultThe basis for obtaining durable and more resource-efficient composites is based on modern technological methods that contribute to the improvement of technical and physicomechanical properties, with the integrated application of technogenic raw materials and liquid sodium binder.ConclusionThe developed clinker-free binder formulations using the cement industry wastes and sodium-based sludge glass will make it possible to produce less expensive, durable, and durable composites that will partially replace traditional concrete with expensive portland cement.