# Research on the Effect of Calcium Alginate-Red Mud Microspheres on the Performance of Cement Mortar by Partially Replacing Standard Sand

## TL;DR

This paper explores using calcium alginate-red mud microspheres as a sustainable alternative to river sand in cement mortar, improving performance and reducing environmental impact.

## Contribution

A new method is introduced for preparing calcium alginate-red mud microspheres to enhance cement mortar performance and reduce hazardous element transfer.

## Key findings

- CMC-RM-SiO2-2.5% improved mechanical properties by 13.9% compared to benchmark cement mortar.
- Calcium alginate encapsulation reduced hazardous element transfer from red mud.

## Abstract

With the depletion of river sand resources and increasing environmental concerns, the development of alternative materials has become an urgent need in the construction industry. Waste concrete and non-waste concrete materials have been widely studied as alternatives to river sand. Although recycled concrete fine aggregates are close to natural sand in terms of mechanical properties, their surface cement adheres and affects the performance of cement, whereas non-recycled concrete fine aggregates perform superiorly in terms of ease of use and compressive properties, but there are challenges of supply stability and standardization. Red mud, as an industrial waste, is a potential alternative material due to its stable supply and high alkaline characteristics. In this paper, a new method is proposed for utilizing the cross-linking reaction between sodium alginate and calcium chloride by the calcium alginate-red mud microsphere preparation technique and the surface modification of red mud to enhance its bonding with cement. The experimental results showed that the mechanical properties of CMC-RM-SiO2-2.5% were improved by 13.9% compared with those of the benchmark cement mortar, and the encapsulation of red mud by calcium alginate significantly reduced the transfer of hazardous elements in red mud.