Hydration mechanism of calcium chloride modified coal gasification slag-based backfill materials

To address the environmental pollution and resource wastage caused by the massive stockpiling of coal gasification slag (CGS), in this study, chlorine salt (CaCl2, CC) was adopted to stimulate the potential volcanic ash activity of CGS and to prepare a new modified CGS-based cementitious backfill material (MC-CPB). The optimum CC admixture was determined by comparing the compressive strength, and the effect of different admixtures on the strength of the MC-CPB was investigated. The effects of the CC content on the hydration properties and the composition and the micro-morphology of the hydration products of the MC-CPB were analyzed using hydration heat, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetry (TG) analyses. It was found that the addition of CC promoted the early and mid-strength of the MC-CPB, but an excessive amount of CC (>1%) inhibited the development of the strength in the later stages. A concentration of 1% CC had the best effect on the strength of the MC-CPB in the entire age range, increasing the compressive strength from 3 to 90 days by 65.8%, 56.1%, 80.6%, 30.9%, and 31% compared to the control group. The CC accelerated the hydration reaction process of the MC-CPB by shortening the durations of the induction and acceleration periods, and it enhanced the hydration reaction intensity of the MC-CPB by increasing the second release heat peak and forming a third release heat peak. The MC-CPB sample containing CC generated a new hydration product, Friedel's salt, which increased the compactness of the matrix and thus improved the compressive strength of the sample. However, excessive addition of CC reduced the amount of Ettringite (AFt) generated in the later stage, leading to a decrease in the strength of the high CC content samples in the later stage. The results of this study promote the large-scale and resourceful use of CGS in mine backfill and provide a theoretical basis for the field proportioning design and industrial application of MC-CPB for backfill.