American Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture, 2018, Vol. 6, No. 2, 46-53 Available online at http://pubs.sciepub.com/ajcea/6/2/1 ©Science and Education Publishing DOI:10.12691/ajcea-6-2-1 Physical Mechanical Properties and Durability of Mortars Containing Tuff from Burkina Faso as Partial Substitution of CEM I Sidiki KABRE, Nafissatou SAVADOGO, Abdou LAWANE, Adamah MESSAN * Institut International d’ingénierie de l’Eau et de l’Environnement (2iE), Laboratoire Eco-Matériaux de Construction (LEMC), Rue de la Science - 01 BP 594 Ouagadougou 01 - Burkina Faso *Corresponding author: adamah.messan@2ie-edu.org Abstract This paper presents the feasibility of using locally available limestone Tuff in Burkina Faso as a partial replacement for CEM I artificial Portland cement. To this end, standard tests were carried out in the laboratory on mortars containing variable proportions of Tuff in partial substitution of CEM I cement. These include heat of hydration, setting time, total shrinkage, compressive strength, capillary absorption and resistance to acid attack. The experimental results obtained show that Tuff can be used as a natural pozzolan. It is also noted that the incorporation of Tuff into cement has virtually no influence on the transfer properties of mortars. However, at a rate above 15% partial substitution of CEM I, the mechanical strength of mortars is considerably reduced. This is probably linked to the finesse of the Tuff used. A finer shredding improved the mechanical activity index. However, we note a better resistance to acid attack (sulphuric acid that can come from acid rain) of mortars containing Tuff compared to mortar based on artificial Portland cement. All these results have shown that the Tuff used in this work can be a solution for reducing CO 2 emissions in cement production and also in reducing the price of cement in Burkina Faso. Keywords: Tuff, Natural pozzolana, Eco-cement, Mortar, Durability Cite This Article: Sidiki KABRE, Nafissatou SAVADOGO, Abdou LAWANE, and Adamah MESSAN, “Physical Mechanical Properties and Durability of Mortars Containing Tuff of Boussouma (Burkina Faso) in Partial Substitution of CEM I Cement.” American Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture, vol. 6, no. 2 (2018): 46-53. doi: 10.12691/ajcea-6-2-1. 1. Introduction Throughout the world, people are increasingly concerned about their environment and its preservation to ensure quality of life. As well as, research is increasingly oriented towards solutions that could guarantee sustainable buildings ensuring a quality of life for their operators with a mastery of their impact on the environment and their energy performance. Africa, which remains the second most densely populated continent after Asia, with an annual urbanization rate of around 4% and according to UN-Habitat, 80% of the buildings that will be inhabited in 2050 are not yet built and Africa needs nearly 4 million dwellings per year, of which more than 60% to house city dwellers [1]. In Burkina Faso, for example, major construction projects such as interchanges, sustainable cities, administrative complexes, social housing, etc. are opening up. These constructions generate a significant consumption of cement, which is well known for its high cost and greenhouse gas emissions during its manufacture. Indeed, one tonne of cement produced is equivalent to one tonne of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere [1]. Cement industries are at the forefront of global atmospheric polluters [2]. It is therefore essential and topical to find innovative, local and ecological materials that can partially replace clinker in the cement manufacturing process. The literature shows that the use of pozzolans contributes to improving the mechanical strength of concrete through the manufacture of second generation C-S-H by consuming portlandite, reducing porosity and reducing alkali-silica reactions [3,4]. It is with this in mind that we thought of the Tuff, which is found in large quantities in Burkina Faso. The Tuff has already been the subject of some research which shows that it presents a pozzolanic reactivity [5,6]. In Burkina Faso, clay materials are already the subject of scientific work for their valorization [7,8,9] in construction. However, there is little literature on the use of Tuff in the cement industry, except in Algeria, where more than 50% of the cement plants that use calcareous Tuffs as pozzolans in the manufacture of cement are found [10]. However, several works have been devoted to the stabilization of calcareous Tuffs with cement in road construction in certain countries such as United States (USA), Argentina, Tunisia [7,11,12,13,14]. It should also be noted that Tuffs are used as a source of calcium carbonate for various industrial applications [15]. In one study, Balata et al. [16] showed the possibility of using Tuffs blocks as masonry elements.