Hydration of Ordinary Portland Cement in Presence of Lead Sorbed on Ceramic Sorbent

Lead, a highly toxic element, is frequently present in various solid wastes as well as in industrial effluents. Sorption with a low cost sorbent is a simple way of Pb removal from liquid streams, but stabilization of spent sorbent has to be ensured in order to prevent Pb leaching out and possible environmental contamination. In previous research, ceramic sorbent, generated as waste product in brick industry, was tested as sorbent and proved high sorption capacity for lead. Lead was sorbed partially as hydrocerussite and partially as adsorbed surface layer. The Pb leaching from sorbent was very high and thus further immobilization of sorbent was necessary. Lead, as well as other heavy metals, is known as retarder of the hydration process of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), used for the immobilization. In this paper, influence of sorbed Pb and PbO, as reference compound, on cement hydration was studied by calorimetry, thermogravimetry and Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MAS NMR). The sorbed lead was found to be less detrimental to hydration retardation due to the lower solubility of precipitated hydrocerussite in basic environment compared to PbO, which forms plumbate anion.