Quality of Type I Portland Cement from Ghana and UK

Abstract

Type I Portland cement is general purpose cement found in many countries and it is manufactured by different companies. This study sought to compare the properties of Type I Portland cements from Ghana (less economically developed country) and United Kingdom (more economically developed country) to ascertain whether the quality of Ghana cement is a contributing factor for recent spate of building collapse in the country. The study adopted a laboratory-based experimental approach to determine the properties of three cement samples: one from Ghana and two from the United Kingdom (UK). It was identified that UK cements particles were the fineness, contained more Calcium oxide (CaO), recorded earlier setting times and achieved early strength. Ghana cement on the other hand, had more Alkali (Na₂O + K₂O) content, higher density, good resistance to water and achieved better late strength development than UK grey cement. The study has revealed that although there are some differences in the properties of Ghana and UK Type I Portland cements, they all meet international standard requirements and therefore, the quality of Ghana cement may not be one of the contributing factors of recent building collapse in the country.

Keywords: Portland cement, Particle size distribution, Chemical composition, Compressive strength, Water absorption, Building collapse, SEM