Cellulose Phosphate as Additive in Mortar. I: Development and Application

Mortar industries are seeking innovative alternatives to improve the performance of their products and reduce production costs. In this work, the influence of cellulose phosphate additive on physicochemical properties of mortars was assessed. Mortar formulations with different proportions of cellulose phosphate and commercial additive based on hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose (HEMC) were prepared, keeping the proportions of sand, cement and water constant. These mortars were characterized in the fresh and hardened state. The incorporated air content in the fresh state decreased significantly with the increasing concentration of cellulose phosphate, and promoted a substantial increase in the mortar apparent mass density in the hardened state. Regarding compressive and flexural strength, the presence of cellulose phosphate in partial substitution for commercial additive improved the mortar strength. The results showed that the increase of cellulose phosphate concentration in mortar acted substantially on its properties, mainly, when added in conjunction with the commercial additive.