Prediction of Long-Term Chemical Evolution of a Low-pH Cement Designed for Underground Radioactive Waste Repositories

Low-pH cements, also referred as low-alkalinity cements, are binders with a pore solution pH ≤ 11. They can be designed by replacing significant amounts of Portland cement (OPC) (≥40 %) by silica fume, which can be associated in some cases to low-CaO fly ash and/or ground granulated blast furnace slag to decrease the heat output during hydration by dilution of OPC and improve the mechanical strength of the final material. With the prospect of using these materials in a geological repository, it is of main importance to estimate their long-term properties and the influence of external and internal factors (chemical composition of the binder, storage temperature) on their characteristics. For…