Development and analysis of high-performance green concrete in the urban infrastructure

Cement production accounts for approximately 5% of total global CO₂ emissions from all human activities. In addition, the consumption of virgin aggregates for concrete infrastructure has created virgin material scarcity issues in many areas of the USA. High-performance green concrete (HPGC) with fly ash and recycled aggregates can help reduce the demand for material inputs and reduce pollution outputs associated with bulk material flow of urban concrete. Structural and durability tests showed that HPGC containing fly ash and 50% recycled aggregate (100% of the coarse aggregate fraction) performed equally or better than 100% ordinary Portland cement concrete with the same cementitious content. Durability improvements were more significant with Class F than Class C fly ash. For both Class F and Class C fly ash, greater per cent replacement of Portland cement with fly ash led to slower and lower strength gain, but still within acceptable strength criteria for Colorado Department of Transportation Class B concrete. This paper quantifies the sustainability of HPGC in urban infrastructure by addressing structural performance, environmental, economic and resource depletion impacts.     

Properties of alkali-activated fly ash: high performance to lightweight

Alkali ash material (AAM) concrete is a unique material that is sustainable and cost-effective because it utilises waste fly ash, and has properties superior to other concrete products. The AAM concrete described here is produced from the addition of inexpensive chemicals to fly ash. AAM can be used to create a wide range of materials including high performance concrete (HPC-AAM) and lightweight (LW-AAM). The high performance AAM provides rapid strength gain along with high ultimate strengths of more than 110 MPa (16000 psi). LW-AAM can produce materials with densities ranging from 1200 to 2200 kg/m³ and compressive strengths from 2 (290 psi) to 65 MPa (9500 psi). Both HPC-AAM and LW-AAM have far better environmental resistance than Portland cement concrete, resisting attack from sulphuric acid (H₂SO₄), hydrochloric acid (HCl) and organic acids. AAMs resists freeze–thaw attack and high abrasion, possesses low chloride permeability and does not exhibit alkali silica reactivity.     

Mechanical performance and capillary water absorption of sewage sludge ash concrete (SSAC)

Disposal of sewage sludge from waste water treatment plants is a serious environmental problem of increasing magnitude. Waste water treatment generates as much as 70 g of dry solids per capita per day. Although one of the disposal solutions for this waste is through incineration, still almost 30% of sludge solids remain as ash. This paper presents results related to reuse of sewage sludge ash in concrete. The sludge was characterised for chemical composition (X-ray flourescence analysis), crystalline phases (X-ray diffraction analysis) and pozzolanic activity. The effects of incineration on crystal phases of the dry sludge were investigated. Two water/cement (W/C) ratios (0.55 and 0.45) and three sludge ash percentages (5%, 10% and 20%) per cement mass were used as filler. The mechanical performance of sewage sludge ash concrete (SSAC) at different curing ages (3, 7, 28 and 90 days) was assessed by means of mechanical tests and capillary water absorption. Results show that sewage sludge ash leads to a reduction in density and mechanical strength and to an increase in capillary water absorption. Results also show that SSAC with 20% of sewage sludge ash and W/C = 0.45 has a 28 day compressive strength of almost 30 MPa. SSAC with a sludge ash contents of 5% and 10% has the same capillary water absorption coefficient as the control concrete; as for the concrete mixtures with 20% sludge ash content, the capillary water absorption is higher but in line with C20/25 strength class concretes performance.     

Radon exhalation of cementitious materials made with coal fly ash: Part 2--testing hardened cement-fly ash pastes

Increased interest in measuring radionuclides and radon concentrations in fly ash (FA), cement and other components of building products is due to the concern about health hazards of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM). The paper focuses on studying the influence of FA on radon exhalation rate (radon flux) from cementitious materials. In the previous part of the paper the state of the art was presented, and the experiments for testing raw materials, Portland cement and coal fly ash, were described. Since the cement and FA have the most critical role in the radon release process relative to other concrete constituents (sand and gravel), and their contribution is dominant in the overall radium content of concrete, tests were carried out on cement paste specimens with different FA contents, 0-60% by weight of the binder (cement+FA). It is found that the dosage of FA in cement paste has a limited influence on radon exhalation rate, if the hardened material is relatively dense. The radon flux of cement-FA pastes is lower than that of pure cement paste: it is about approximately 3 mBq m(-2) s(-1) for cement-FA pastes with FA content as high as 960 kg m(-3).     

Radon exhalation of cementitious materials made with coal fly ash: Part 1--scientific background and testing of the cement and fly ash emanation

Increased interest in measuring radionuclides and radon concentrations in fly ash, cement and other components of building products is due to the concern of health hazards of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM). The current work focuses on studying the influence of fly ash (FA) on radon-exhalation rate (radon flux) from cementitious materials. The tests were carried out on cement paste specimens with different FA contents. The first part of the paper presents the scientific background and describes the experiments, which we designed for testing the radon emanation of the raw materials used in the preparation of the cement-FA pastes. It is found that despite the higher (226)Ra content in FA (more than 3 times, compared with Portland cement) the radon emanation is significantly lower in FA (7.65% for cement vs. 0.52% only for FA).     

Laboratory study on sustainable use of cement–fly ash–polypropylene fiber-stabilized dredged material

The major problem associated with gravity dam was siltation of reservoir which reduced its effective water storage capacity. In order to maintain effective storage capacity of reservoir, dredging of deposits was required and dredged material was disposed of haphazardly causing damage to the sensitive environment. A better alternative could be the possibility of utilization of dredged deposits in construction works involving large quantities of material. The dredged material consisted of very fine sandy silt possessing poor geotechnical characteristics and was required to be stabilized with suitable additives before use as construction material. This laboratory investigation evaluated geotechnical properties of dredged reservoir material stabilized with cement, fly ash and fiber for its probable use as subbase in lightly trafficked roads. Compaction, unconfined compressive strength and tensile strength tests were performed on appropriate combinations of the constituent materials. The results of study revealed significant improvement in unconfined compressive strength and split tensile strength after stabilization with cement and fly ash. The unconfined compressive strength and split tensile strength of cement–fly ash-stabilized dredged reservoir material improved further upon addition of polypropylene fiber. The composite possessed the potential to be utilized as sustainable material in subbase of roads subject to further validation before application in the field. The dredging of sediments improved effective storage capacity of reservoir and increased its sustainable life period. The utilization of fly ash could diminish the environmental and economic concerns arising out of its haphazard disposal.     

Bond behaviour of bamboo splints in cement-stabilised rammed earth blocks

This paper represents an effort to study the bond characteristics of plain and noded bamboo splints embedded in cement-stabilised rammed earth (CSRE) blocks. A series of CSRE pullout test specimens and two species of bamboo, namely Melocanna Baccifera and Bambusa Balcooa having an average tensile strength of 384 and 310 MPa, respectively, were fabricated using 4–10% Portland cement. These bamboo species are commonly available and widely used for construction in the north-eastern part of India. Besides considering the effects of soil strength, cement content, splint size and type on bond force and slip, the effect of embedded area was also briefly considered as part of the test programme. The test result showed that pullout bond resistance is correlated to rammed earth compressive strength, splint size and type, and embedded area.     

A review of steel slag usage in construction industry for sustainable development

Use of by-products from the steelmaking process can play an important role in achieving sustainable development. The available literature suggests that the use of iron and steel industry slags as mineral admixture or partial replacement of cement improves the microstructure of the concrete as well as its mechanical and durability characteristics. This paper reviews utilization of steel slag (SS) in the construction industry by considering current and possible future utilization fields, advantages of SS usage, and problems associated with its use. Strength and durability evolution of concretes or mortars containing SS in different ratios as aggregate or cement replacement material, combined use of ground granulated blast furnace slag with SS, and some relatively new fields of utilization of SS are also addressed. Improvements in and results of SS utilization in cement and concrete are discussed by addressing its beneficial effects. This article could help researchers to understand the recent developments in evaluation of SS in the construction industry.     

Sustainable monitoring of concrete structures: strength and durability performance of polymer-modified self-sensing concrete

Concrete structures all over the world are reaching the end of their service life sooner than expected. This is due to the fact that ordinary Portland cement-based concrete deteriorates under environmental actions and also that structural inspections and conservation actions are expensive. Besides, as they consume energy and non-renewable resources, they have negative environmental impacts. Self-sensing concrete provides an alternative way of monitoring concrete-reinforced structures at a much lesser cost and with lesser environmental impact. Although the short-term mechanical properties of these materials are usually well documented, the long-term durability issues about carbon fibre concrete still deserve further investigations. This paper reports some investigation of the strength and durability characteristics of several concrete mixtures modified with different percentages of polymer and carbon fibre addition. The results show that the addition of carbon fibre decreases the strength and increases water penetration under pressure and also increases chloride diffusion, whereas polymer addition is responsible for a denser microstructure and higher concrete durability.     

Effect of cement content and recycled rubber particle size on the performance of rubber-modified concrete

According to the Rubber Manufacturer’s Association, the United States generated 3664 thousand metric tons of scrap tires in 2015. While most waste tires are repurposed, approximately 409.5 thousand metric tons were disposed in landfills. This study investigates an alternative use of the waste tires as a replacement of natural aggregates in concrete mixtures. This study investigated fresh concrete properties and compressive strength. Different coarse and fine aggregate rubber particle sizes were evaluated: 19-mm tire chips (TCs) and 30-mesh crumb rubber (CR). TCs were used to replace coarse aggregates, while CR was used to replace fine aggregate in the concrete mixtures in increments of 10% by volume. Concrete strength loss was reduced with a fine aggregate replacement with CR as opposed to greater losses of strength exhibited by a coarse aggregate replacement with TCs. Adequate strengths were achieved at replacement levels as high as 40% by volume with CR, whereas satisfactory strengths were achieved with only a 10% replacement of coarse aggregates with TCs. Acceptable strengths were obtained from mixtures utilizing a combination of the two rubber sizes. Cement content was observed to have greater influence on rubberized concrete compressive strength at lower rubber contents than higher levels.     

高炉渣资源化生产绿色建材的环境效益评估——基于生命周期的视角

高炉渣是钢铁厂高炉炼铁产生的矿渣,具有较高的资源化价值,可用于生产多种绿色建材产品。熔融高炉渣经水急冷后形成的粒化高炉矿渣,粉磨成矿渣微粉可作为水泥混合材和混凝土掺合料。以高炉渣资源化过程为研究对象,采用生命周期清单分析方法,并基于GaBi 4软件平台,对我国某建材企业综合利用高炉渣生产矿渣硅酸盐水泥和商品混凝土全过程的能源消耗、原材料消耗和温室气体排放进行了分析,进而从节能、降耗和碳减排三方面评估其环境效益。结果表明,与普通硅酸盐水泥相比,矿渣硅酸盐水泥可分别实现节约能源1 911 MJ/t(节能26%),降低原材料消耗1 158 kg/t(降耗27%),减少碳排放236 kg/t(碳减排26%);与复合硅酸盐水泥相比,矿渣硅酸盐水泥可实现节约能源352 MJ/t(节能6%),降低原材料消耗278 kg/t(降耗8%),减少碳排放47 kg/t(碳减排7%)。与不掺加矿粉的普通商品混凝土比较,掺矿粉的商品混凝土可实现节约能源97 MJ/m3(节能5%),降低原材料消耗7 kg/m3(降耗0.3%),减少碳排放12 kg/m3(碳减排5%)。高炉渣资源化生产矿渣硅酸盐水泥和商品混凝土具有明显的环境效益。     

本钢发电厂粉煤灰综合利用途径和方案的探讨

本钢发电厂的粉煤灰是本溪环境污染源之一,同时粉煤灰又是一种资源。该厂建厂50余年,先后建成15台锅炉,经环保治理后灰渣年排放约50万t。由于锅炉型号、煤种、温度、排灰方式等不同,灰的物理、化学性质、粒度等也不同:而不同的粉煤灰制品对粉煤灰的技术指标要求也不同;因此,本文对该厂的粉煤灰按不同的炉子,不同的性质,研制出不同的利用途径,以及探讨制定出鼓励和扶植对粉煤灰综合利用的相应政策和措施。     

LCCA and environmental LCA for highway pavement selection in Colorado

The roadway network in the USA earned a grade of D representing poor condition in the latest report card from the American Society of Civil Engineers. To maintain economic and environmental sustainability during the roadway network development and rehabilitation, it is critical to apply sustainable materials and intelligent design. A good estimation on project-level life-cycle costs and environmental impacts is one of the important steps in the highway investment decision-making process. This article examines the current life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) practice employed by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) in their pavement investment decision-making process, and proposes a regional environmental life-cycle assessment (LCA) model to evaluate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with Colorado highway pavements. Both LCCA and LCA are performed for a highway reconstruction project with Portland cement concrete pavement (PCCP) and hot-mixed asphalt (HMA) alternatives. The LCCA is 7.4% in favour of HMA. Since the difference is less than 10%, it indicates equivalent designs. However, in the LCA, the GHG emission from PCCP is 26% less than the HMA over the 40-year analysis period. The vehicle fuel consumption will increase due to the deterioration of pavements. But the increased user cost is not included in the current LCCA employed by CDOT as well as user cost due to crashes and nonuser costs. The LCA can be an optional criterion for the selection of the preliminary pavement type.     

Escaping radioactivity from coal-fired power plants (CPPs) due to coal burning and the associated hazards: a review

Coal, like most materials found in nature, contains trace quantities of the naturally occurring primordial radionuclides, i.e. of ⁴⁰K and of ²³⁸U, ²³²Th and their decay products. Therefore, the combustion of coal results in the released into the environment of some natural radioactivity (1.48 TBq y⁻¹), the major part of which (99 %) escapes as very fine particles, while the rest in fly ash. The activity concentrations of natural radionuclides measured in coals originated from coal mines in Greece varied from 117 to 435 Bq kg⁻¹ for ²³⁸U, from 44 to 255 Bq kg⁻¹ for ²²⁶Ra, from 59 to 205 Bq kg⁻¹ for ²¹⁰Pb, from 9 to 41 Bq kg⁻¹ for ²²⁸Ra (²³²Th) and from 59 to 227 Bq kg⁻¹ for ⁴⁰K. Fly ash escapes from the stacks of coal-fired power plants in a percentage of 3-1% of the total fly ash, in the better case. The natural radionuclide concentrations measured in fly ash produced and retained or escaped from coal-fired power plants in Greece varied from 263 to 950 Bq kg⁻¹ for ²³⁸U, from 142 to 605 Bq kg⁻¹ for ²²⁶Ra, from 133 to 428 Bq kg⁻¹ for ²¹⁰Pb, from 27 to 68 Bq kg⁻¹ for ²²⁸Ra (²³²Th) and from 204 to 382 Bq kg⁻¹ for ⁴⁰K. About 5% of the total ash produced in the coal-fired power plants is used as substitute of cement in concrete for the construction of dwellings, and may affect indoor radiation doses from external irradiation and the inhalation of radon decay products (internal irradiation) is the most significant. The resulting normalized collective effective doses were 6 and 0.5 man-Sv (GW a)⁻¹ for typical old and modern coal-fired power plants, respectively.     

Sustainable ternary cement blends with high-volume ground granulated blast furnace slag–fly ash

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Coal fly ash and granulated ground blast furnace slag (GGBS) are more widely used as supplementary cementitious materials in cement production. This...     

Influence of crumb rubber on the geotechnical properties of clayey soil

The environmentally friendly and safe disposal of waste discarded rubber tyres are becoming a matter of serious concern across the globe because of its detrimental effect on health, environment and ecological systems. The paper aims at assessing the impact of waste rubber tyre inclusion on the geotechnical properties of clayey soil. Discarded rubber in the form of crumb rubber of size ranging between 0.8 and 2 mm varying from 0 to 10% was used in this investigation. Several tests, namely compaction, unconfined compressive strength, split tensile strength, California bearing ratio, consolidation and swelling pressure, along with microstructural studies have been carried out on different combinations of clayey soil and crumb rubber. The results of the study demonstrate that the inclusion of crumb rubber reduces the maximum dry unit weight and optimum moisture content of the clay. The addition of crumb rubber up to 5% in the clay causes an insignificant increase in the unconfined compressive strength and split tensile strength. Compared with the clayey soil, the inclusion of crumb rubber up to 5% improves the California bearing ratio of the clayey soil in unsoaked condition. It has also noticed that addition of crumb rubber helps in reducing the compression index and swelling pressure of the clayey soil.     

Uptake of Cs by berries, mushrooms and needles of Scots pine in peatland forests after wood ash application

Increasing use of wood fuels for energy production in Finland since the 1990s implies that large quantities of the generated ashes will be available for forest fertilization. The aim of this study was to analyse the effect of wood ash application on ¹³⁷Cs activity concentrations in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) needles and certain berries and mushrooms on drained peatlands. The study was based on field experiments carried out on two mires in Finland in 1997-1998. Two different types of wood ash were applied at dosages of 3500, 3700, 10 500 and 11 100 kg ha⁻¹. Wood ash did not increase ¹³⁷Cs activity concentration in plants in the second growing season following application. On the contrary, a decrease in ¹³⁷Cs activity concentration was seen in the plants of the ecosystem on drained peatlands. This result is of importance, for instance, when recycling of ash is being planned.     

Leachability of elements from sub-bituminous coal fly ash from India

Environmental concerns regarding the potential contamination of soil, surface and ground water due to the presence of soluble metal species in the ash pond leachate is of great importance. Serial batch leaching was carried out simulating the rainwater condition of the study area to understand the behaviour of elements during leaching. The leachates were analysed for the elements Al, Ca, K, Mg, Na, P, S, Si, As, Ba, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ti, V, Pb, Zn, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni and Cd by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES). It was found that Cd, Co, Cr and Ni did not leach from the ash while Cu and Pb concentrations were insignificant in the leachate regardless of liquid to solid (L/S) ratio. Most of the elements showed maximum concentrations at lower L/S ratio and then decreased with increasing L/S. The total cumulative concentrations of As, Mn and Mo were found to be higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended values for drinking water while the concentrations of Fe, Mn and As exceeded the maximum allowable concentrations prescribed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The pre and the post leached ash samples were analysed for morphology, specific surface area and mineralogical changes. Analysis of post-leached fly ash indicated changes in the specific surface area and morphology but no change in mineralogy.     

Delineation of groundwater contamination around an ash pond: geochemical and GIS approach

The study has investigated the levels of metal contamination in groundwater due to particulate matter fallout and leaching from ash pond and assigned contamination indices for the adjacent localities around an ash disposal site with application of geographic information systems (GIS). Fe, Ba, Cu, Mn, S, Pb, V, and Zn were found to be the major contaminants in groundwater. Enrichment factors (EF) of these elements with respect to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) maximum contaminant levels show high values for Mn, Fe, and Pb in groundwater. The zone of attenuation for Ba, Fe, Cu, Mn, S, and Zn in groundwater is about 600-900 m from the ash pond, while Pb did not show any significant attenuation even at a distance of 1200 m. Tube wells around Rankasingha and Kukurhanga villages are most contaminated whereas open wells of Lachhmanpur, Kaniapada, and Kurudul villages showed higher degrees of contamination.     

High-recycled-content hydraulic cements of alternative chemistry for concrete production

Sustainable hydraulic cements based on alkali aluminosilicate chemistry were developed with market-limited wastes acting as the primary aluminosilicate precursors. Two sets of formulations were developed with waste brick or impounded coal ash used at relatively large volume as aluminosilicate precursors. Supplementary materials were used to produce raw materials of viable chemistry. Blends of raw materials were transformed into hydraulic cements by input of mechanical energy without resorting to elevated temperatures. The resultant hydraulic cements exhibited viable strength development characteristics. FTIR, SEM, EDS and NMR analyses were conducted in order to gain insight into the structure of the hydraulic cements and their hydration products. The results pointed at the prevalence of calcium aluminosilicate hydrates among the products of hydration which thoroughly bound the non-hydrated cores of cement particles.