Use of Alkaline-Activated Energy Waste Raw Materials in Geopolymer Concrete.

Silica fly ash, Certyd aggregate, and an alkaline solution were used to produce lightweight geopolymer concretes. The compressive strength, water absorption, and bulk density results, along with SEM photos showing the structure of the obtained composite, were obtained. Tests conducted on the specifications of lightweight geopolymer concretes have revealed significant chemical interactions between the ash aggregate and the geopolymer mortar, particularly when the coarse aggregate surface has been pre-treated with an alkaline solution. A statistical analysis of the experimental data, which investigated the influence of three key variables on the compressive strength, water absorption, and bulk density of lightweight geopolymer concrete (LBG), identified the following factors as having the most substantial impact: the quantity of alkali used, the curing temperature, and the concentration of alkali in the mixture. The optimal test series exhibited a commendable compressive strength of 20.14 megapascals (MPa), accompanied by a water absorption rate of 14.72%, and a bulk density of 1486.6 kg per cubic meter (kg/m³). These findings underscore the importance of alkali content, curing temperature, and alkali concentration in tailoring the properties of lightweight geopolymer concrete to meet specific performance requirements.

Geopolymer Concrete with Lightweight Artificial Aggregates.

This article presents the physical and mechanical properties of geopolymer concrete with lightweight artificial aggregate. A research experiment where the influence of fly ash-slag mix (FA-S), as part of a pozzolanic additive, on the properties of geopolymers was carried out and the most favorable molar concentration of sodium hydroxide solution was determined. The values of three variables of the examined properties of the geopolymer lightweight concrete (GLC) were adopted: X1-the content of the pozzolanic additives with fly ash + flay ash-slag (FA + FA-S) mix: 200, 400 and 600 kg/m3; X2-the total amount of FA-S in the pozzolanic additives: 0, 50 and 100%; X3-the molarity of the activator NaOH: (8, 10 and 12 M). In order to increase the adhesion of the lightweight artificial aggregate to the geopolymer matrix, the impregnation of the NaOH solution was used. Based on the obtained results for the GLC's compressive strength after 28 days, water absorption, dry and saturated density and thermal conductivity index, it was found that the most favorable parameters were obtained with 400 kg/m3 of pozzolanic additives (with 50% FA-S and 50% FA) and 10 NaOH molarity. Changes in the activator's concentration from 8 to 10 M improved the compressive strength by 54% (for a pozzolana content of 200 kg/m3) and by 26% (for a pozzolana content of 600 kg/m3). The increase in the content of pozzolanic additives from 200 to 400 kg/m3 resulted in a decrease in water absorption from 23% to 18%. The highest conductivity coefficient, equal to 0.463 W/m·K, was determined, where the largest amount of pozzolanic additives and the least lightweight aggregate were added. The structural tests used scanning electron microscopy analysis, and the beneficial effect of impregnating the artificial aggregate with NaOH solution was proved. It resulted in a compact interfacial transition zone (ITZ) between the lightweight aggregate and the geopolymer matrix because of the chemical composition (e.g., silica amount), the silica content and the alkali presoaking process.

The Performance of Concrete Made with Secondary Products-Recycled Coarse Aggregates, Recycled Cement Mortar, and Fly Ash-Slag Mix.

The properties of cement concrete using waste materials-namely, recycled cement mortar, fly ash-slag, and recycled concrete aggregate-are presented. A treatment process for waste materials is proposed. Two research experiments were conducted. In the first, concretes were made with fly ash-slag mix (FAS) and recycled cement mortar (RCM) as additions. The most favorable content of the concrete additive in the form of RCM and FAS was determined experimentally, and their influence on the physical and mechanical properties of concrete was established. For this purpose, 10 test series were carried out according to the experimental plan. In the second study, concretes containing FAS-RCM and recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) as a 30% replacement of natural aggregate (NA) were prepared. The compressive strength, frost resistance, water absorption, volume density, thermal conductivity, and microstructure were researched. The test results show that the addition of FAS-RCM and RCA can produce composites with better physical and mechanical properties compared with concrete made only of natural raw materials and cement. The detailed results show that FAS-RCM can be a valuable substitute for cement and RCA as a replacement for natural aggregates. Compared with traditional cement concretes, concretes made of FAS, RCM, and RCA are characterized by a higher compressive strength: 7% higher in the case of 30% replacement of NA by RCA with the additional use of the innovative FAS-RCM additive as 30% of the cement mass.

The Influence of Heat and Mechanical Treatment of Concrete Rubble on the Properties of Recycled Aggregate Concrete.

Concrete is a building material commonly used for ages. Therefore, in the result of repairs or demolition of building structures, large amounts of concrete rubble are created, which requires appropriate management. The aim of the realized research was to determine the influence of heat and mechanical treatment of concrete rubble on the properties of recycled aggregate concrete. The research experiment included 12 series, with three variables: X1-roasting temperature (300, 600, 900 °C), X2-time of mechanical treatment (5, 10, 15 min), X3-content of coarse recycled aggregates (20, 40, 60% by volume). Two additional series containing recycled aggregate without treatment and natural aggregate were also prepared. Established properties of individual aggregates have confirmed a positive effect of thermo-mechanical treatment. Then, based on the results of compressive strength, flexural strength, Young's modulus, volumetric density, water absorption, water permeability and capillarity, the most favourable parameters of heat and mechanical treatment of concrete were determined. The test results showed that appropriate treatment of concrete rubble allows to obtain high-quality coarse aggregate and valuable fine fraction. This was also confirmed by the macro- and microscopic observations of the aggregate and separated cement paste. Works realized on the concrete recycling method resulted in obtaining a patent PAT.229887.