Effect of Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag in Limecrete with Added Natural Admixtures

Portland cement is typically used as the binder in concrete, which is a widely used building material. The high energy required as well as the CO₂ emissions associated with the production of cement are considered to be serious environmental issues. The present paper considers concrete with lime binder (limecrete) which completely avoids the usage of cement. Mineral admixtures (pozzolanic materials) such as ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), Rice Husk Ash, and Surkhi are used along with fermented organic admixtures such as Kadukkai and Jaggery. Brickbats are used as coarse aggregate and M-sand is used as fine aggregate. The focus of the present study is on finding the effect of GGBS on the properties of the limecrete considered. Compositions with different percentages of GGBS are used with lime along with natural admixtures. The different compositions of GGBS considered are 40, 60, 80, and 100 percentages by dry weight of lime. The liquid-fines ratio is fixed at 0.58 by trial and error. Four combinations of limecrete specimens are cast in standard cubic and cylindrical moulds. To assess the influence of the GGBS on various properties of the mix, specimens are tested for mechanical strength using destructive and non-destructive testing. Increase in GGBS content has found to increase the workability of limecrete. However, the 28^th day compressive strength of limecrete is found to be low for structural applications.