Pozzolanic activity of Jordanian oil shale ash

Abstract

The ash of the retort residue of the oil shale from central Jordan has been further tested to evaluate its pozzolanic activity. According to the preliminary experiments the ash had cementive properties. Thermogravimetric analyses were performed on ash, cement, ash blended cement and ash-lime pastes. In the blended pastes, addition of ash seemed to decrease the amount of lime generated. In the ash-lime paste the lime consumption by ash with time followed a similar trend to the reactions of trass and silica fume with lime. The ash-lime reaction was mainly a diffusion controlled process obeying the Ginstling-Brounshtein equation. The pozzolanic activity of the ash, as indicated by its lime activity and rate constant, was not as high as the other pozzolans compared, mainly due to its lower fineness. Tests on compressive strengths of cement and lime mortars blended with ash confirmed the findings, indicating that up to 20% of cement could be replaced by ash used as an admixture. Ash-lime mortars could gain moderate strengths under accelerated curing, suitable for some building units.