ALTERNATIVES TO CEMENT IN CONCRETE

In the present world, concrete has become a vital part of our lives. With each passing day, the utilization of concrete is increasing at a very high rate. One of the most constituents of concrete is hydraulic cement . With the rise in use of concrete, the manufacturing and consumption of cement has increased drastically. Although cement has exceptional binding properties and is extremely suitable to be used in concrete, the manufacturing of cement leads to emission of huge amounts of CO2. Due to this, researchers have started finding alternatives to cement that are economical also as environment friendly. Fly ash, Silica Fume, Metakaolin and Ground granulated blast furnace. furnace slag are industrial by-products which give excellent binding properties to concrete and function a replacement of cement. These alternatives are generally termed as Supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). The use of these materials not only helps in reducing the consumption of cement but also serves as an efficient method for their safe disposal. This paper reviews the effect of using the various alternatives which will be utilized in concrete as partial replacement of cement. The literature review of various researchers reveals that one alternative cannot provide all the advantages that cement does. Rather, a suitable combination of these products can be incorporated in concrete to provide properties similar to or better than that of Portland cement concrete.