2025 Internship Project Overview

Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) is a widely used construction material, but manufacturing its main component, clinker, emits significant CO2. To address this, we studied two cement systems that reduce clinker usage with calcined clays, which are heated at 650–850°C to increase reactivity.

In alkali-activated calcined clay cements (AAC), calcined clay fully replaces clinker and reacts with an alkaline activator solution to produce an amorphous aluminosilicate gel, contributing to high stress tolerance. In limestone calcined clay cements (LC3), calcined clay and limestone partially substitute clinker, reacting to create hydration products that provide durability and strength.

As calcined clays vary in structure and reactivity, we explored mix designs for each system with six calcined clays, observing reactivity with isothermal calorimetry and strength development via compressive strength testing. We also conducted a material carbon assessment using information from the literature. Overall, there were comparable compressive strength results between systems while demonstrating emissions reductions, with one AAC design producing ~47% less carbon emissions than OPC.

ORGANIZATION/RESEARCH GROUP

Sustainable Cements Group, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University

LOCATION

Princeton, New Jersey

 

Interns

Callisto Lim ’28
Major: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Minor(s): Gender and Sexuality Studies
"The combination of completely novel research with the intense hands-on experience gave me a feeling of complete immersion within the research. I loved the generation of new questions from every discovery. I can see myself continuing independent research, most certainly using the methods of thinking and inquiry that I practiced."
Abigail Zhang ’28
Major: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Minor(s): Materials Science and Engineering, Sustainable Energy
"This internship has encouraged me to pursue a minor in materials science, as I found our lab work and research content very interesting, and I look forward to participating in research about sustainable materials in the future."

Click to view the end-of-project presentation

 

Claire White
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment

Mentors

  • Abdelrahman Hamdan, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment