Cimento de alvenaria: uma abordagem sob a ótica da sustentabilidade

Abstract

The civil construction industry consumes, around the world, a significant annual volume of cement to produce concrete and mortar. However, a great part of the cement consumption would not need, depending on the type of application, to be as strong and rich in tricalcium silicate (C3S), but is effectively enough if is rich in dicalcium silicate (C2S). Cements with higher levels of C2S are more economic (lower firing temperature), cleaner (less CO2 reductions) and more philosophically agreed with the principles of sustainability, and for these reasons, some companiesaround the world followed this line of thought and eventually placed such products on the market, calling it masonry cement. In Brazil, the production of masonry cement began in the 80´s, but unfortunately, because it was being misuse in the production of concrete -, it was taken off the market. According to this context the present paper critically reviews the state of the art of masonry cement in Brazil and the world and proposes a standard layout to be used, based on raw materials adjusted to the principle of sustainability (slag blast furnace and limestone filler).This paper also addresses issues relating to the cost of the product, compared to the conventional cement, and indicated its importance for the social problem involving the lack of wall cladding (internal and external) of existing buildings in villages, slums and housing development.