Sustainable magnesium phosphate micromortars formulated with PAVAL® alumina by-product as micro-aggregat

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Publication Highlights

1. Sustainable Magnesium Phosphate Cement (sust-MPC) shows potential as an attractive alternative to Portland cement (PC) and can be obtained using by-products and waste materials, reducing CO₂ emissions in its production.
2. The incorporation of the by-product PAVAL®(PV), obtained from the aluminum recycling process, into sust-MPC micromortars improves their mechanical behavior, indicating successful inclusion of PV particles in the K-struvite matrix.
3. Sust-MPC micromortars with 17.5 wt.% PV and a W/S ratio of 0.25 demonstrate the best mechanical performance, achieving approximately 40 MPa of compressive strength at 28 days of curing.
4. The addition of PV slightly increases the open porosity of the sust-MPC-PV micromortars without compromising their overall mechanical performance, suggesting successful matrix reinforcement.
5. The sust-MPC-PV micromortars pass the leaching test, confirming their environmental safety and potential for application in urban elements, architectural concrete, and precast blocks.

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