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Abstract: Radon (222Rn) and progenies emanate from soil and building components and can create an indoor air quality hazard. In this study, nine concrete constituents, including the supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) fly ash and metakaolin, were used to create eleven different concrete mixtures. We investigated the effect of constituent radium specific activity, radon effective activity and emanation fraction on the concrete emanation fraction and the radon exhalation rate. Given the serious health effects associated with radionuclide exposure, experimental results were coupled with Monte Carlo simulations to demonstrate predictive differences in the indoor radon concentration due to concrete mixture design. The results from this study show that, on average, fly ash constituents possessed radium specific activities ranging from 100Bq/kg to 200Bq/kg and emanation fractions ranging from 1.1% to 2.5%. The lowest emitting concrete mixture containing fly ash resulted in a 3.4% reduction in the concrete emanation fraction, owing to the relatively low emanation that exists when fly ash is part of concrete. On average, the metakaolin constituents contained radium specific activities ranging from 67Bq/kg to 600Bq/kg and emanation fractions ranging from 8.4% to 15.5%, and changed the total concrete emanation fraction by roughly ±5% relative to control samples. The results from this study suggest that SCMs can reduce indoor radon exposure from concrete, contingent upon SCM radionucleotide content and emanation fraction. Lastly, the experimental results provide SCM-specific concrete emanation fractions for indoor radon exposure modeling. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The uptake of pollutants by building surfaces can potentially improve both indoor and outdoor air quality. Cement renders provide a unique opportunity for passive pollutant removal because they can cover large surface areas. This study investigated the passive removal of carbon dioxide and ozone by cement renders having varied binder compositions and curing durations. The results from this study demonstrated shorter curing durations resulted in greater pollutant uptake. However, the use of the supplementary cementitious material, metakaolin, in the cement render increased the carbon dioxide ingress while decreasing the ozone uptake. Therefore, the adaptation of the render composition for the best effective application may result in valuable indoor air quality or carbon savings consequences. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study aimed to improve the reactivity of metakaolin-cement mixtures using ZnO additions. Kaolinite samples with 0.1–1wt% ZnO were calcined at temperature intervals of 50°C from 500 to 650°C for 1h. The resulting metakaolins were examined for structural changes after calcination and for their pozzolanic reactivity, influence on the hydration behavior of cement pastes, and impact on the compressive strength of mortar cubes. ZnO behaved as a delayed accelerator for cement paste. However, when ZnO was combined with highly amorphous metakaolin, chemical retardation was eliminated while acceleration was maintained. Such systems also had increased 28-day compressive strengths. ZnO additions did not affect the degree of dehydroxylation or the pozzolanic reactivity of the metakaolin. These results could facilitate the use of less pure calcined clays as SCM by providing a mechanism for improving reactivity and may also impact the ability to use zinc-contaminated materials in concrete. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]