Volume 74 of Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry contains a selection of papers on the applied mineralogy of cement and concrete, by far the most popular modern building material by volume, with an annual production exceeding 9 billion cubic meters, and steadily growing. Not even all 'concrete' topics can be covered by a single volume, but an interesting assortment was finally obtained. The seven chapters deal with mineralogy and chemistry of (alumina) clinker production and hydration (Pöllmann), alternative raw clinkering materials to reduce CO2 emission (Justnes), assessment of clinker constituents by optical and electron microscopy (Stutzman), industrial assessment of raw materials, cement and concrete using X-ray methods in different applications (Meier et al.), in situ investigation of clinker and cement hydration based on quantitative crystallographic phase analysis (Aranda et al.), characterization and properties of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) to improve cement and concrete properties (Snellings et al.), and deleterious alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR) in concrete (Broekmans).

Autorentext

Maarten A.T.M. Broekmans, Geological Survey of Norway, Norway and Herbert Pöllmann, Martin Luther Universität Halle, Germany.