Disadvantages of Portland-Limestone Cement | Explained in Details

Portland Limestone Cement or PLC is nowadays widely used worldwide as a construction material due to its eco-friendly nature. PLC is also known as green cement and it helps to reduce the carbon emission. Using PLC is beneficial and has a lot of advantages. But did you have ever thought about the disadvantages of this cement?

Well, there aren’t that many disadvantages but there is one major disadvantage of this cement. However, if you can take care of that issue then you won’t face any issues in the future while using Portland Limestone cement.

In this article, we have discussed the disadvantage of Portland limestone cement and also have shared the consequences of it. So, be with us till the end and learn about the drawback and how to handle that. Let’s begin then.

Is there Any Disadvantage of Portland Limestone Cement?

While producing regular or traditional cement, the process increases the emission of carbon which is harmful to the environment. For that reason, Portland limestone was introduced which helps to reduce the emission of cement. PLC has a lot of advantages but it has a major disadvantage and if you overlook this then it can create threats to the structure.

After completing concrete casting, during the hydration process, the cement generates excessive heat. Because of excessive amounts of heat, there will be consequences in the structure.

What are The Consequences and How to Prevent Them?

Due to excessive heat during the hydration process, the structure will be able to gain higher compressive strength but in the later stage, it will gain less compressive strength. Due to this, durability will decrease and the lifespan of the structure will be reduced as well. 

Another issue will occur which is forming thermal cracks in the concrete as well as it will reduce the mechanical properties.

To avoid this, you will need to be sincere while casting the concrete. If you provide instant curing facilities, then the drawback of Portland limestone cement will be able to mitigate easily.

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers (FAQs)

What are the disadvantages of ordinary Portland cement?

There are a lot of disadvantages of Ordinary Portland Cement or OPC. It has a high carbon footprint, slower settings time, can form cracks during the curing process, and so on. 

What is the difference between limestone cement and Portland cement?

There are several differences between limestone cement and Portland cement. The main difference is, a higher percentage is used in PLC cement whereas in Portland cement, there is no limestone material present. Compared to Portland cement, PLC cement reduce carbon emission by 10%.

What are the advantages of Portland-limestone cement?

There are a lot of advantages of Portland limestone cement. Such as it helps to improve the cement properties, make the concrete greener, reduce carbon emissions, able to provide sustainable concrete, and so on.

What is the influence of limestone in Portland-limestone cement on the durability of concrete?

Limestone in Portland limestone cement helps to densify the microstructure to improve the early-stage strength. It also helps to improve the cement properties which helps to increase the durability of concrete.

Conclusion

To sum up, undoubtedly using Portland Limestone Cement will be beneficial for you. And it will provide you with a lot of benefits. But while using this, you will need to cure the concrete properly to avoid generating high temperatures by the cement. Maintain this properly and then you won’t have any issues in the future and will have a sustainable structure.