materials-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Properties and Novel Applications of Recycled Aggregates

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction and Building Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2020) | Viewed by 38942

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Construction, Campus de Gijón, University of Oviedo, 33203 Gijón, Spain
Interests: sustainable construction materials; recycled aggregates; concrete technologies; ultra-high-performance concrete; computational modeling of concrete
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The aggregates used in construction are the natural resource more consumed in the world after the air and water. Due to the overexploitation, all the environmental laws reward the use of recycled materials to guarantee the reduction of the consumption of natural aggregates. The use of reclaimed aggregates, reused aggregates and recycled aggregates increase the sustainability in the construction activities. Nowadays, they are strategic materials in the manufacturing of green concrete and mortars and as road construction eco-efficient materials. In addition, the use of recycled aggregates from industrial or mining by-products present great potential in the construction activities as recycled aggregates and/or supplementary cementitious materials.

This Special Issue is open to new experiences in construction materials and/or works made with recycled aggregates, including:

-Reclaimed aggregates from returned concrete waste from the washed of the mixer truck (reclaimed aggregates);

-Recycled concrete aggregates from crushed old concrete of construction and demolition waste;

-Recycled ceramic aggregates from brick and tiles waste and/or ceramic sanitary waste;

-Recycled mixed waste of concrete and ceramic waste from construction and demolition waste;

-Recycled glass aggregates from cullet glasses;

-Recycled plastic aggregates from plastic waste, for example, recycled polycarbonate particles waste from electric wires;

-Recycled aggregates from iron and steel industry waste (granulated blast furnace slag, electric furnace slag, Steel furnace slag);

-Recycled aggregates from processed scrap tires like tire chips and crumb rubber;

-Fly ash;

-Furnace bottom ash and incinerator bottom ash;

-Recycled mine aggregates from mine waste (coal washer rejects, fluorite waste, granite cutting waste, etc);

-Others recycled aggregates like rice husk, woodchip, etc.

Prof. Fernando Lopez Gayarre
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (14 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

21 pages, 7000 KiB  
Article
Complete Real-Scale Application of Recycled Aggregates in a Port Loading Platform in Huelva, Spain
by Francisco Agrela, Francisco González-Gallardo, Julia Rosales, Javier Tavira, Jesús Ayuso and Manuel Cabrera
Materials 2020, 13(11), 2651; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13112651 - 10 Jun 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2343
Abstract
The application of recycled aggregates (RA) from construction and demolition waste and crushed concrete blocks is a very important challenge for the coming years from the environmental point of view, in order to reduce the exploitation of natural resources. In Spain, the use [...] Read more.
The application of recycled aggregates (RA) from construction and demolition waste and crushed concrete blocks is a very important challenge for the coming years from the environmental point of view, in order to reduce the exploitation of natural resources. In Spain, the use of these recycled materials in the construction of road bases and sub-bases is growing significantly. However, presently, there are few studies focused on the properties and behavior of RA in civil works such as road sections or seaport platforms. In this work, two types of RA were studied and used in a complete real-scale application. Firstly, recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) were applied in the granular base layer under bituminous superficial layers, and secondly mixed recycled aggregates (MRA) which contain a mix of ceramic, asphalt, and concrete particles were applied in the granular subbase layer, under the base layer made with RCA. Both RA were applied in a port loading platform in Huelva, applying a 100% recycling rate. This civil engineering work complied with the technical requirements of the current Spanish legislation required for the use of conventional aggregates. The environmental benefits of this work have been very relevant, and it should encourage the application of MRA and RCA in civil engineering works such as port platforms in a much more extended way. This is the first and documented real-scale application of RA to completely build the base and sub-base of a platform in the Huelva Port, Spain, replacing 100% of natural aggregates with recycled ones. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties and Novel Applications of Recycled Aggregates)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

13 pages, 3815 KiB  
Article
Use of Mining Waste to Produce Ultra-High-Performance Fibre-Reinforced Concrete
by Jesús Suárez González, Iñigo Lopez Boadella, Fernando López Gayarre, Carlos López-Colina Pérez, Miguel Serrano López and Flavio Stochino
Materials 2020, 13(11), 2457; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13112457 - 28 May 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2300
Abstract
This research work analyses the influence of the use of by-products from a fluorite mine to replace the fine fraction of natural aggregates, on the properties of Ultra-High-Performance Fibre-Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC). Replacing natural aggregates for different kinds of wastes is becoming common in [...] Read more.
This research work analyses the influence of the use of by-products from a fluorite mine to replace the fine fraction of natural aggregates, on the properties of Ultra-High-Performance Fibre-Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC). Replacing natural aggregates for different kinds of wastes is becoming common in concrete manufacturing and there are a number of studies into the use of waste from the construction sector in UHPFRC. However, there is very little work concerning the use of waste from the mining industry. Furthermore, most of the existing studies focus on granite wastes. So, using mining sand waste is an innovative alternative to replace natural aggregates in the manufacture of UHPFRC. The substitutions in this study are of 50%, 70% and 100% by volume of 0–0.5 mm natural silica sand. The results obtained show that the variations in the properties of consistency, compressive strength, modulus of elasticity and tensile strength, among others, are acceptable for substitutions of up to 70%. Therefore, fluorite mining sand waste is proved to be a viable alternative in the manufacturing of UHPFRC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties and Novel Applications of Recycled Aggregates)
Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 2637 KiB  
Article
Mechanical Behavior of Masonry Mortars Made with Recycled Mortar Aggregate
by René Sebastián Mora-Ortiz, Emmanuel Munguía-Balvanera, Sergio Alberto Díaz, Francisco Magaña-Hernández, Ebelia Del Angel-Meraz and Álvaro Bolaina-Juárez
Materials 2020, 13(10), 2373; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13102373 - 21 May 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2604
Abstract
Recycling is an important habit to avoid waste. This paper evaluates the performance of masonry mortar, elaborated by replacing natural sand with recycled fine aggregate (RFA) obtained from mortar. Five families of mixtures were prepared with different replacement proportions: 20%, 40%, 60%, and [...] Read more.
Recycling is an important habit to avoid waste. This paper evaluates the performance of masonry mortar, elaborated by replacing natural sand with recycled fine aggregate (RFA) obtained from mortar. Five families of mixtures were prepared with different replacement proportions: 20%, 40%, 60%, and 100%. A 1:4 volumetric cement-to-aggregate ratio was used for all mixtures by experimentally adjusting the amount of water to achieve the same consistency of 175 ± 5 mm. The effects of the following procedures were analyzed: (1) the use of a deconstruction technique to collect the RFA, (2) pre-wetting of the aggregates, and (3) the use of a commercial plasticizer. Experimental results show that it is possible to use this type of recycled fine aggregate as a substitute for natural sand by up to 60% in the manufacture of masonry mortar without significantly affecting its properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties and Novel Applications of Recycled Aggregates)
Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 3276 KiB  
Article
Study on the Microstructure of the New Paste of Recycled Aggregate Self-Compacting Concrete
by Kheira Zitouni, Assia Djerbi and Abdelkader Mebrouki
Materials 2020, 13(9), 2114; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13092114 - 02 May 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2040
Abstract
Previous literature indicates a decrease in the mechanical properties of various concrete types that contain recycled aggregates (RA), due to their porosity and to their interface of transition zone (ITZ). However, other components of the RA concrete microstructure have not yet been explored, [...] Read more.
Previous literature indicates a decrease in the mechanical properties of various concrete types that contain recycled aggregates (RA), due to their porosity and to their interface of transition zone (ITZ). However, other components of the RA concrete microstructure have not yet been explored, such as the modification of the new paste (NP) with respect to a reference concrete. This paper deals with the microstructure of the new paste of self-compacting concrete (SCC) for different levels of RA. The water to binder ratio (w/b) was kept constant for all concrete mixtures, and equal to 0.5. The SCC mixtures were prepared with percentages of coarse RA of 0%, 30%, 50% and 100%. Mercury intrusion porosimetry test (MIP) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations were conducted on the new paste of each concrete. The results indicated that the porosity of the new paste presents a significant variation for replacement percentages of 50% and 100% with respect to NP0 and NP30. However, RA contributed to the refinement of the pore structure of the new paste. The amount of macrospores the diameter of which is in the 50–10,000 nm range was reduced to 20% for NP50 and NP100, while it was about 30% for NP0 and NP30, attributed to the water released by RA. Compressive strength loss for SCC50 and SCC100 concretes are both influenced by porosity of RA, and by the NP porosity. The latter is similar for these two concretes with the 26% increase compared to a reference concrete. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties and Novel Applications of Recycled Aggregates)
Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 4287 KiB  
Article
Recycling Aggregates for Self-Compacting Concrete Production: A Feasible Option
by Rebeca Martínez-García, M. Ignacio Guerra-Romero, Julia M. Morán-del Pozo, Jorge de Brito and Andrés Juan-Valdés
Materials 2020, 13(4), 868; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13040868 - 14 Feb 2020
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 3124
Abstract
The use of construction and demolition wastes (C&DW) is a trending future option for the sustainability of construction. In this context, a number of works deal with the use of recycled concrete aggregates to produce concrete for structural and non-structural purposes. Nowadays, an [...] Read more.
The use of construction and demolition wastes (C&DW) is a trending future option for the sustainability of construction. In this context, a number of works deal with the use of recycled concrete aggregates to produce concrete for structural and non-structural purposes. Nowadays, an important number of C&DW management plants in the European Union (EU) and other countries have developed robust protocols to obtain high-quality coarse recycled aggregates that comply with different European standards in order to be used to produce new concrete. The development of self-compacting concrete (SCC) is another way to boost the sustainability of construction, due to the important reduction of energy employed. Using recycled aggregates is a relatively recent scientific area, however, studies on this material in the manufacture of self-compacting concrete have proven the feasibility thereof for conventional structural elements as well as high-performance and complex structural elements, densely reinforced structures, difficult-to-access formwork and difficult-to-vibrate elements. This paper presents an original study on the use of coarse recycled concrete aggregate (CRA) to obtain self-compacting concrete. Concrete with substitution ratios of 20%, 50% and 100% are compared with a control concrete. The purpose of this comparison is to check the influence of CRA on fresh SCC as well as its physical and mechanical properties. The parameters studied are material characterization, self-compactability, compressive strength, and tensile and flexural strength of the resulting concrete. The results conclude that it is feasible to use CRA for SCC production with minimal losses in the characteristics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties and Novel Applications of Recycled Aggregates)
Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 2696 KiB  
Article
Feasible Use of Cathode Ray Tube Glass (CRT) and Recycled Aggregates as Unbound and Cement-Treated Granular Materials for Road Sub-Bases
by M. Cabrera, P. Pérez, J. Rosales and F. Agrela
Materials 2020, 13(3), 748; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13030748 - 06 Feb 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2985
Abstract
In the last 15 years, new types of display technologies have increasingly replaced cathode ray tube (CRT) screens, which has led to an increase in landfill of old discarded CRT televisions, which present a great environmental challenge throughout the world due to their [...] Read more.
In the last 15 years, new types of display technologies have increasingly replaced cathode ray tube (CRT) screens, which has led to an increase in landfill of old discarded CRT televisions, which present a great environmental challenge throughout the world due to their high lead content. In addition, environmental awareness has led to greater use of recycled aggregates to reduce the exploitation of existing reserves. This document aims to study the feasibility of incorporating CRT glass waste with recycled aggregate (RA) in combinations for use in civil engineering, more specifically in road bases and sub-bases. For the mechanical and environmental assessment of all of the samples and materials, the following procedures have been performed: the compliance batch test of UNE-EN 12457-4:2004 for RA, CRT, and mixtures; the Percolation Test according CEN/TS 14405 for the mixtures, CRT, and RA; Modified Proctor and load capacity (the California Bearing Ratio, or CBR) in all mixtures without cement addition, and finally, compressive strength of the material treated with cement at different ages of curing. The analysis of the mechanical and environmental properties through different techniques of lixiviation was positive, showing the ability to use CRT for certain dosage percentages mixed with recycled aggregates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties and Novel Applications of Recycled Aggregates)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

14 pages, 5131 KiB  
Article
Numerical Studies on Damage Behavior of Recycled Aggregate Concrete Based on a 3D Model
by Yao Wang, Huawei Zhao, Minyao Xu, Chunyang Wu, Jiajia Fu, Lili Gao and Mahmoud M. A. Kamel
Materials 2020, 13(2), 355; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13020355 - 12 Jan 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1987
Abstract
This paper develops a 3D base force element method (BFEM) based on the potential energy principle. According to the BFEM, the stiffness matrix and node displacement of any eight-node hexahedral element are derived as a uniform expression. Moreover, this expression is explicitly expressed [...] Read more.
This paper develops a 3D base force element method (BFEM) based on the potential energy principle. According to the BFEM, the stiffness matrix and node displacement of any eight-node hexahedral element are derived as a uniform expression. Moreover, this expression is explicitly expressed without a Gaussian integral. A 3D random numerical model of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) is established. The randomness of aggregate was obtained by using the Monte Carlo random method. The effects of the recycled aggregate substitution and adhered mortar percentage on the elastic modulus and compressive strength are explored under uniaxial compression loading. In addition, the failure pattern is also studied. The obtained data show that the 3D BFEM is an efficient method to explore the failure mechanism of heterogeneous materials. The 3D random RAC model is feasible for characterizing the mesostructure of RAC. Both the substitution of recycled aggregate and the percentage of adhering mortar have a non-negligible influence on the mechanical properties of RAC. As the weak points in the specimen, the old interfacial transition zone (ITZ) and adhered mortar are the major factors that lead to the weakened properties of RAC. The first crack always appears in these weak zones, and then, due to the increase and transfer of stress, approximately two-to-three continuous cracks are formed in the 45°direction of the specimen. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties and Novel Applications of Recycled Aggregates)
Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 2876 KiB  
Article
Properties of Mortar with Recycled Aggregates, and Polyacrylonitrile Microfibers Synthesized by Electrospinning
by Manuel J. Chinchillas-Chinchillas, Manuel J. Pellegrini-Cervantes, Andrés Castro-Beltrán, Margarita Rodríguez-Rodríguez, Víctor M. Orozco-Carmona and Héctor J. Peinado-Guevara
Materials 2019, 12(23), 3849; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12233849 - 22 Nov 2019
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2306
Abstract
Currently it is necessary to find alternatives towards a sustainable construction, in order to optimize the management of natural resources. Thus, using recycled fine aggregate (RFA) is a viable recycling option for the production of new cementitious materials. In addition, the use of [...] Read more.
Currently it is necessary to find alternatives towards a sustainable construction, in order to optimize the management of natural resources. Thus, using recycled fine aggregate (RFA) is a viable recycling option for the production of new cementitious materials. In addition, the use of polymeric microfibers would cause an increase in the properties of these materials. In this work, mortars were studied with 25% of RFA and an addition of polyacrylonitrile PAN microfibers of 0.05% in cement weight. The microfibers were obtained by the electrospinning method, which had an average diameter of 1.024 µm and were separated by means of a homogenizer to be added to the mortar. Cementing materials under study were evaluated for compressive strength, flexural strength, total porosity, effective porosity and capillary absorption, resistance to water penetration, sorptivity and carbonation. The results showed that using 25% of RFA causes decreases mechanical properties and durability, but adding PAN microfibers in 0.05% caused an increase of 2.9% and 30.8% of compressive strength and flexural strength respectively (with respect to the reference sample); a decrease in total porosity of 5.8% and effective porosity of 7.4%; and significant decreases in capillary absorption (approximately 23.3%), resistance to water penetration (25%) and carbonation (14.3% after 28 days of exposure). The results showed that the use of PAN microfibers in recycled mortars allowed it to increase the mechanical properties (because they increase the tensile strength), helped to fill pores or cavities and this causes them to be mortars with greater durability. Therefore, the use of PAN microfibers as a reinforcement in recycled cementitious materials would be a viable option to increase their applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties and Novel Applications of Recycled Aggregates)
Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 2946 KiB  
Article
Estimation of Recycled Concrete Aggregate’s Water Permeability Coefficient as Earth Construction Material with the Application of an Analytical Method
by Wojciech Sas, Justyna Dzięcioł and Andrzej Głuchowski
Materials 2019, 12(18), 2920; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12182920 - 10 Sep 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2127
Abstract
Creating models based on empirical data and their statistical measurements have been used for a long time in the economic sciences. Increasingly, these methods are used in the technical sciences, such as construction and geotechnical engineering. This allows for reducing the costs of [...] Read more.
Creating models based on empirical data and their statistical measurements have been used for a long time in the economic sciences. Increasingly, these methods are used in the technical sciences, such as construction and geotechnical engineering. This allows for reducing the costs of geotechnical research at the design stage. This article presents the research carried out on Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA) material with is reclaimed crushed concrete rubble. Permeability tests were carried out using the constant head method. Tests were conducted on blends of RCA with the following particle size ranges: 0.02–16 mm, 0.05–16 mm, 0.1–16 mm, and 0.2–16 mm. The gradients used during the tests were between 0.2 to 0.83, which corresponds to gradients encountered in earth construction and are below the critical gradient. Directly from the tests, the flux velocity for the range of tested gradients were calculated based on filtered water volume measurements. The values of the permeability coefficient (k) were then recalculated. Finally, statistical methods were used to determine which physical parameters of the tested material affect the permeability coefficient. The physical parameters selected from the statistical analysis were used to create a model describing the phenomenon. The model can be used to determine the permeability coefficient for a mixed RCA material. The article ends with conclusions and proposals concerning the use of models and the limits of their applicability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties and Novel Applications of Recycled Aggregates)
Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 2407 KiB  
Article
Slag Substitution as a Cementing Material in Concrete: Mechanical, Physical and Environmental Properties
by María Eugenia Parron-Rubio, Francisca Perez-Garcia, Antonio Gonzalez-Herrera, Miguel José Oliveira and Maria Dolores Rubio-Cintas
Materials 2019, 12(18), 2845; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12182845 - 04 Sep 2019
Cited by 44 | Viewed by 3286
Abstract
A circular economy is a current tenet that must be implemented in the field of construction. That would imply the study of the possibilities of the use of waste generated, for obtaining materials the used in construction as replacements for the raw material [...] Read more.
A circular economy is a current tenet that must be implemented in the field of construction. That would imply the study of the possibilities of the use of waste generated, for obtaining materials the used in construction as replacements for the raw material used. One of these possibilities is the substitution of the cement by slag, which contributes to the reduction of cement consumption, decreasing CO2 emissions, while solving a waste management problem. In the present paper, different types of concrete made by cement substitution with different type of slags have been studied in order to evaluate the properties of these materials. Cement is replaced by slag from different steel mills, both blast furnace and ladle furnace slag. The percentages of slag substitution by cement are 30%, 40% and 50% by weight. Mechanical, physical and environmental properties have been evaluated. Compressive and flexural strength have been analysed as the main mechanical properties. As far as physical properties go, density and porosity tests were be reported and analysed, and from an environmental point of view, a leachate study was performed. It has been found that some kinds of slag (blast furnace slag) are very suitable as substitutes for cement, providing properties above those of the reference concrete, while other types (ladle furnace slag) could be valid for non-structural applications, contributing in both cases to a circular economy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties and Novel Applications of Recycled Aggregates)
Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 1485 KiB  
Article
Lime Treatment of Coal Bottom Ash for Use in Road Pavements: Application to El Jadida Zone in Morocco
by Souad El Moudni El Alami, Raja Moussaoui, Mohamed Monkade, Khaled Lahlou, Navid Hasheminejad, Alexandros Margaritis, Wim Van den bergh and Cedric Vuye
Materials 2019, 12(17), 2674; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12172674 - 22 Aug 2019
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2402
Abstract
Industrial waste causes environmental, economic, and social problems. In Morocco, the Jorf Lasfar Thermal Power Station produces two types of coal ash with enormous quantities: fly ash (FA) and Bottom ash (BA). FA is recovered in cement while BA is stored in landfills. [...] Read more.
Industrial waste causes environmental, economic, and social problems. In Morocco, the Jorf Lasfar Thermal Power Station produces two types of coal ash with enormous quantities: fly ash (FA) and Bottom ash (BA). FA is recovered in cement while BA is stored in landfills. To reduce the effects of BA disposal in landfills, several experimental studies have tested the possibility of their recovery in the road construction, especially as a subbase. In the first phase of this study, the BA underwent a physicochemical and geotechnical characterization. The results obtained show that the BA should be treated to improve its mechanical properties. The most commonly used materials are lime and cement. In the selected low-cost treatment, which is the subject of the second phase of the study, lime is used to improve the low pozzolanicity of BA while calcarenite sand is used to increase the compactness. Several mixtures containing BA, lime, and calcarenite sand were prepared. Each of these mixtures was compacted in modified Proctor molds and then subjected to a series of tests to study the following characteristics: compressive strength, dry and wet California Bearing Ratio (CBR), dry density and swelling. The composition of each mixture was based on an experimental design approach. The results show that the values of the compressive strength, the dry density, and the CBR index have increased after treatment, potentially leading to a valorization of the treated BA for use in a subbase. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties and Novel Applications of Recycled Aggregates)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

19 pages, 5840 KiB  
Article
SEM Image Analysis in Permeable Recycled Concretes with Silica Fume. A Quantitative Comparison of Porosity and the ITZ
by Manuel J. Chinchillas-Chinchillas, Carlos A. Rosas-Casarez, Susana P. Arredondo-Rea, José M. Gómez-Soberón and Ramón Corral-Higuera
Materials 2019, 12(13), 2201; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12132201 - 08 Jul 2019
Cited by 45 | Viewed by 5437
Abstract
Recycled aggregates (RA) from construction and demolition can be used in permeable concretes (PC), improving the environment. PCs have a significant porous network, their cement paste and the interaction between the paste and the RA establishing their strength. Therefore, it is important to [...] Read more.
Recycled aggregates (RA) from construction and demolition can be used in permeable concretes (PC), improving the environment. PCs have a significant porous network, their cement paste and the interaction between the paste and the RA establishing their strength. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the porosity in the interfacial transition zones. The porosity of the cement paste, the aggregate and the interfacial transitional zones (ITZ) of a PC with recycled coarse aggregates (RCA) and silica fume (SF) is measured by means of image analysis–scanning electron microscope (IA)-(SEM) and by mapping the chemical elements with an SEM-EDS (energy dispersive spectrometer) detector microanalysis linked to the SEM and, as a contrast, the mercury intrusion porosimetry technique (MIP). In the IA process, a “mask” was created for the aggregate and another for the paste, which determined the porosity percentage (for the anhydrous material and the products of hydration). The results showed that using SF caused a reduction (32%) in the cement paste porosity in comparison with the PC with RA. The use of RA in the PC led to a significant increase (190%) in the porosity at different thicknesses of ITZ compared with the reference PC. Finally, the MIP study shows that the use of SF caused a decrease in the micropores, mesopores and macropores. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties and Novel Applications of Recycled Aggregates)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

11 pages, 1862 KiB  
Article
Recycled Mineral Raw Materials from Quarry Waste Using Hydrocyclones
by Menéndez-Aguado L.D., Marina Sánchez M., Rodríguez M.A., Coello Velázquez A.L. and Menéndez-Aguado J.M.
Materials 2019, 12(13), 2047; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12132047 - 26 Jun 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2789
Abstract
Mining activities in general, and quarrying processes in particular, generate huge amounts of tailings with a considerable presence of fine particles and with a variable composition of minerals, which could limit the direct application of those wastes. Under the paradigm of a circular [...] Read more.
Mining activities in general, and quarrying processes in particular, generate huge amounts of tailings with a considerable presence of fine particles and with a variable composition of minerals, which could limit the direct application of those wastes. Under the paradigm of a circular economy, more effort has to be made to find adequate applications for those secondary raw materials. In this study, a process was proposed and tests were performed to valorise fine particle product as a raw material for the building and construction industry. Samples were taken from wastes in several aggregate production plants, being characterized and processed to remove the clayey components to obtain the cleanest quartz fraction. Then, different characterization and validation tests were carried out to analyse the application of these products as raw materials in the building and construction industry (cement and ceramics). Results showed that with no complex technologies, the tailings can be considered as a mineral raw material in different applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties and Novel Applications of Recycled Aggregates)
Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 5909 KiB  
Article
Chloride Induced Reinforcement Corrosion in Mortars Containing Coal Bottom Ash and Coal Fly Ash
by Esperanza Menéndez, Cristina Argiz and Miguel Ángel Sanjuán
Materials 2019, 12(12), 1933; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12121933 - 15 Jun 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2573
Abstract
Coal bottom ash is normally used as aggregate in mortars and concretes. When it is ground, its characteristics are modified. Therefore, the assessment of its long-term durability must be realized in depth. In this sense, an accelerated chloride ingress test has been performed [...] Read more.
Coal bottom ash is normally used as aggregate in mortars and concretes. When it is ground, its characteristics are modified. Therefore, the assessment of its long-term durability must be realized in depth. In this sense, an accelerated chloride ingress test has been performed on reinforced mortars made of Portland cement with different amounts of coal bottom ash (CBA) and/or coal fly ash (CFA). Corrosion potential and corrosion rate were continuously monitored. Cement replacement with bottom and fly ash had beneficial long-term effects regarding chloride penetration resistance. Concerning corrosion performance, by far the most dominant influencing parameter was the ash content. Chloride diffusion coefficient in natural test conditions decreased from 23 × 10−12 m2/s in cements without coal ashes to 4.5 × 10−12 m2/s in cements with 35% by weight of coal ashes. Moreover, the time to steel corrosion initiation went from 102 h to about 500 h, respectively. Therefore, this work presents experimental evidence that confirms the positive effect of both types of coal ashes (CBA and CFA) with regard to the concrete steel corrosion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties and Novel Applications of Recycled Aggregates)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Back to TopTop