Effect of red mud and citric acid on the mechanical properties and water resistance of magnesium oxychloride cement

Effect of red mud and citric acid on the mechanical properties and water resistance of magnesium oxychloride cement | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Effect of red mud and citric acid on the mechanical properties and water resistance of magnesium oxychloride cement Yanrong Wang, Zhilei Zhen, Yuanyuan Zhao, Runfang Zhou, Haitao Mao This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8726009/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted 18 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Methods The effect of varying RM/C 6 H 8 O 7 contents on the setting time, compressive strength, water resistance, and microstructure of RM-MOC was analyzed. Results: The addition of RM/C6H8O7 prolonged the setting time and enhanced water resistance, though it reduced mechanical strength. Mechanistic analysis revealed that RM reduced Phase 5 formation in RM-MOC, whereas C 6 H 8 O 7 facilitated the generation of M-S-H and Mg-Cl-Si-Al-H gels with homogeneous structure and high polymerization. These gel refine the pore structure and densify RM-MOC, thereby improving water resistance and compensating for the strength loss due to reduced Phase 5. Under the synergistic action of RM and C 6 H 8 O 7 , RM-MOC achieves a compressive strength of 59 MPa and softening coefficients of 0.8 (7 d) and 0.78 (14 d) even at a high RM proportion of 60%, demonstrating effective waste valorization and simultaneous enhancement of material properties. Conclusions: This study provides a novel strategy for developing high-performance, low-cost, and environmentally friendly magnesium cement materials. Physical sciences/Engineering Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences Physical sciences/Materials science Magnesium oxychloride cement Citric acid Water resistance Mechanical properties Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files datas.rar Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 27 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 25 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 24 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 24 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 20 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 25 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 09 Feb, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 09 Feb, 2026 Editor invited by journal 08 Feb, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 05 Feb, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 05 Feb, 2026 First submitted to journal 28 Jan, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8726009","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":588654576,"identity":"a2a667af-53d7-436a-b4a2-3a3e0587be8e","order_by":0,"name":"Yanrong Wang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shanxi Agricultural University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yanrong","middleName":"","lastName":"Wang","suffix":""},{"id":588654577,"identity":"89955783-cc9e-4837-bbdf-38d86cb7b169","order_by":1,"name":"Zhilei Zhen","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shanxi Agricultural 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Citric acid, Water resistance, Mechanical properties","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8726009/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8726009/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe effect of varying RM/C\u003csub\u003e6\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e8\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e7\u003c/sub\u003e contents on the setting time, compressive strength, water resistance, and microstructure of RM-MOC was analyzed. Results: The addition of RM/C6H8O7 prolonged the setting time and enhanced water resistance, though it reduced mechanical strength. Mechanistic analysis revealed that RM reduced Phase 5 formation in RM-MOC, whereas C\u003csub\u003e6\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e8\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e7\u003c/sub\u003e facilitated the generation of M-S-H and Mg-Cl-Si-Al-H gels with homogeneous structure and high polymerization. These gel refine the pore structure and densify RM-MOC, thereby improving water resistance and compensating for the strength loss due to reduced Phase 5. Under the synergistic action of RM and C\u003csub\u003e6\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e8\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e7\u003c/sub\u003e, RM-MOC achieves a compressive strength of 59 MPa and softening coefficients of 0.8 (7 d) and 0.78 (14 d) even at a high RM proportion of 60%, demonstrating effective waste valorization and simultaneous enhancement of material properties. Conclusions: This study provides a novel strategy for developing high-performance, low-cost, and environmentally friendly magnesium cement materials.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Effect of red mud and citric acid on the mechanical properties and water resistance of magnesium oxychloride cement","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-02-12 23:07:45","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8726009/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-04-27T09:07:17+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-04-25T15:22:36+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-04-25T02:07:53+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-04-24T15:10:33+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"179099353361788826459738250615926875033","date":"2026-04-24T13:23:32+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"67212503509155347315045440164334193844","date":"2026-04-23T08:12:13+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-04-21T03:10:39+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"54931567773059771696458766012025509816","date":"2026-04-21T01:52:30+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"241392546687665846641257987280164966114","date":"2026-04-20T15:29:46+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"203378465919074501653716891451956257775","date":"2026-04-20T13:31:41+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"236539204338295268264833815571297782763","date":"2026-04-20T13:18:40+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-02-26T02:26:04+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"238046927100924994736524260474809822873","date":"2026-02-10T03:04:54+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-02-10T01:36:18+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2026-02-09T04:53:31+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-02-05T06:45:20+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-02-05T06:41:49+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Scientific Reports","date":"2026-01-29T01:45:00+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"716d33a9-3d26-440e-9617-f4956ef8e9e9","owner":[],"postedDate":"February 12th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"in-revision","subjectAreas":[{"id":62625960,"name":"Physical sciences/Engineering"},{"id":62625961,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences"},{"id":62625962,"name":"Physical sciences/Materials science"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-18T16:24:12+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-02-12 23:07:45","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8726009","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8726009","identity":"rs-8726009","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}