Adjusting curing parameters for innovative and durable vegetable fibre-cement composites

This work adjusts curing parameters for innovative and durable vegetable fibre-cement composites produced by a slurry vacuum dewatering process. The raw materials used for the cementitious composite mix designs applied in this investigation include: Portland cement, ground silica as an inert filler and vegetable fibre reinforcement. The curing conditions were conducted on eight sets of samples studying the effects of: initial hydration duration (10 h or 24 h); accelerated carbonation exposure (0.035% or 20% of CO₂ concentration); and accelerated aging tests (before and after 200 soak & dry cycles). The mechanical properties of cementitious composites subjected to eight different curing and aging conditions, with a statistical significance increase in carbonated composite strength that is attributed to the packing density of the mixture containing an inert filler (silica quartz).The use of unbleached pulp with silica as a mineral addition in combination with 10 h of initial hydration prior to CO₂ curing is indicated to improve the efficiency of the operational steps in the carbonated fibre-cement industry.