Evaluation of sustainable Portland cement composites modified with diatomaceous earth, fly ash, and Spirulina
By partially replacing cement in concrete formulations with sustainable alternatives, emissions from cement utilization are reduced. In this work, the cement binder of Portland concrete was replaced (by wt%) with diatomaceous earth, fly ash, or freshly pressed Spirulina biomass. Samples were characterized via compression strength over an 84 day test period. Compression strength results for 15% diatomaceous earth retained 75%, 15% fly ash increased by 16%, and 3% Spirulina samples retained 68% of their respective compression strengths. In conclusion, partial cement replacement with sustainable materials retains sufficient compression strength for certain applications while offering potential environmental benefits.
Authors
- Marcos M. Hernandez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6481-1193)
- Babetta L. Marrone (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5002-1289)
- Joseph H. Dumont
- Brannette Marie Mejia Castro
- Cesar Raul Gonzalez Esquer
Institutions
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- MRS Communications
- Published
- 2026-07-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1557/s43579-026-01010-0
- Primary Topic
- Concrete and Cement Materials Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- U.S. Department of Energy
- National Nuclear Security Administration
- Laboratory Directed Research and Development
- Los Alamos National Laboratory