Reactive transport modeling of acetic acid-induced degradation in portland cement paste

A reactive transport model was employed to investigate the influence of multiple hydrate phases during
acetic acid attack on Portland cement paste. The simulation accounted for the dissolution of primary cement
hydrates like Ettringite, Portlandite and C-S-H, along with the formation of silica gel products impacting
diffusivity. The simulations primarily utilized independent material parameters, though the effective specific
surface area of C-S-H phases required adjustment, indicating that only a small fraction is active in bulk paste
compared to experimental values obtained from powders. Experiments involved exposing hardened cement
paste samples to acetic acid (pH = 3) for durations ranging from 35 to 84 days. The model predicted changes
in mineral assemblages, porosity, and pore solution chemistry versus degradation depth and time. Comparison
of calculated Ca and Si-contents with experimentally obtained values from 𝜇XRF analysis demonstrated good
agreement of within 6% error, highlighting the importance of considering multiple minerals.