Silica fume as an industrial by-product modifier for reducing quicklime demand in earthen building materials: mechanical, microstructural and carbon-performance assessment
Abstract
Abstract This study investigates silica fume as a partial substitute for quicklime in earthen building materials, with the aim of improving material performance while reducing quicklime demand. Five mixtures with increasing silica-fume replacement levels, denoted as S0–S4, were prepared under a controlled substitution design. Fresh-state behavior, 28-day compressive strength, XRD phase characteristics, SEM morphology, EDS elemental composition, and simplified binder-related carbon performance were evaluated together. The results showed that increasing silica-fume content progressively reduced slump and flowability, indicating lower fresh-state mobility but improved shape-retention capacity. In terms of mechanical performance, low-to-moderate substitution levels were beneficial. S1 achieved the highest compressive strength of 1.199 MPa, approximately 9.6% higher than the reference mixture S0, while S2 reached 1.172 MPa, corresponding to an increase of approximately 7.1%. However, further replacement in S3 and S4 reduced compressive strength, suggesting that excessive silica fume disturbed the balance between fine-particle filling, workability, and lime-based stabilization. XRD results indicated that the main crystalline phases remained similar across all mixtures, with no clearly detectable new crystalline phase formed after silica-fume substitution. SEM and EDS observations further showed that low-to-moderate substitution improved particle packing and matrix compactness,…
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