Aurubis iron-silicate fines: universal sustainable construction material: a state-of-the-art review

Concrete has been the world’s most consumed construction material, with over 10 billion tons of concrete annually. This is mainly due to its excellent mechanical and durability properties plus high mouldability. However, one of its major constituents; Ordinary Portland Cement is reported to be expensive and unaffordable by most low-income earners. Its production contributes about 5%–8% of global CO2 greenhouse emissions. This is most likely to increase exponentially with the demand of Ordinary Portland Cement estimated to rise by 200%, reaching 6000 million tons/year by 2050. Therefore, different countries are aiming at finding alternative sustainable construction materials that are more affordable and offer greener options reducing reliance on non-renewable sources. Therefore, this study aimed at assessing the possibility of utilizing sugarcane bagasse ash from co-generation in sugar factories as supplementary material in concrete. Physical and chemical properties of this sugarcane bagasse ash were obtained plus physical and mechanical properties of fresh and hardened concrete made with partial replacement of Ordinary Portland Cement. Cost-benefit analysis of concrete was also assessed. The study was carried using 63 concrete cubes of size 150cm3 with water absorption studied as per BS 1881-122; slump test to BS 1881-102; and compressive strength and density of concrete according to BS 1881-116. The cement binder was replaced with sugarcane bagasse ash 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% and 30% by proportion of weight. Results showed the bulk density of sugarcane bagasse ash at 474.33kg/m3, the specific gravity of 1.81, and 65% of bagasse ash has a particle size of less than 0.28mm. Chemically, sugarcane bagasse ash contained SiO2, Fe2O3, and Al2O3 at 63.59%, 3.39%, and 5.66% respectively. A 10% replacement of cement gave optimum compressive strength of 26.17MPa. This 10% replacement demonstrated a cost saving of 5.65% compared with conventional concrete.

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Oil Palm Kernel Shell – A Potential Sustainable Construction Material

Encyclopedia of Renewable and Sustainable Materials ◽

10.1016/b978-0-12-803581-8.11541-3 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 137-143

Author(s):

Timothy Z.H. Ting ◽

Muhammad E. Rahman ◽

Hieng H. Lau ◽

Matthew Z.Y. Ting ◽

Vikram Pakrashi

Keyword(s):

Oil Palm ◽

Construction Material ◽

Palm Kernel ◽

Sustainable Construction ◽

Palm Kernel Shell

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The transport of liquids in softwood: timber as a model porous medium

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-019-55811-6 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

H. C. Burridge ◽

G. Wu ◽

T. Reynolds ◽

D. U. Shah ◽

R. Johnston ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Experimental Data ◽

Porous Medium ◽

Fluid Flow ◽

Transport Properties ◽

Pore Space ◽

Construction Material ◽

Sustainable Construction ◽

Natural Material ◽

Full Potential ◽

Treatment Processes

AbstractTimber is the only widely used construction material we can grow. The wood from which it comes has evolved to provide structural support for the tree and to act as a conduit for fluid flow. These flow paths are crucial for engineers to exploit the full potential of timber, by allowing impregnation with liquids that modify the properties or resilience of this natural material. Accurately predicting the transport of these liquids enables more efficient industrial timber treatment processes to be developed, thereby extending the scope to use this sustainable construction material; moreover, it is of fundamental scientific value — as a fluid flow within a natural porous medium. Both structural and transport properties of wood depend on its micro-structure but, while a substantial body of research relates the structural performance of wood to its detailed architecture, no such knowledge exists for the transport properties. We present a model, based on increasingly refined geometric parameters, that accurately predicts the time-dependent ingress of liquids within softwood timber, thereby addressing this long-standing scientific challenge. Moreover, we show that for the minimalistic parameterisation the model predicts ingress with a square-root-of-time behaviour. However, experimental data show a potentially significant departure from this $$\sqrt{{\boldsymbol{t}}}$$t behaviour — a departure which is successfully predicted by our more advanced parametrisation. Our parameterisation of the timber microstructure was informed by computed tomographic measurements; model predictions were validated by comparison with experimental data. We show that accurate predictions require statistical representation of the variability in the timber pore space. The collapse of our dimensionless experimental data demonstrates clear potential for our results to be up-scaled to industrial treatment processes.

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State of the art on geopolymer concrete

International Journal of Structural Integrity ◽

10.1108/ijsi-05-2020-0050 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Zoi G. Ralli ◽

Stavroula J. Pantazopoulou

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Performance ◽

State Of The Art ◽

Construction Materials ◽

Cementitious Materials ◽

Sustainable Construction ◽

Geopolymer Concrete ◽

Critical Material ◽

Content Type ◽

Critical Requirement

PurposeImportant differentiating attributes in the procedures used, the characteristic mineral composition of the binders, and the implications these have on the final long term stability and physico-mechanical performance of the concretes produced are identified and discussed, with the intent to improve transparency and clarity in the field of geopolymer concrete technologies.Design/methodology/approachThis state-of-the-art review covers the area of geopolymer concrete, a class of sustainable construction materials that use a variety of alternative powders in lieu of cement for composing concrete, most being a combination of industrial by-products and natural resources rich in specific required minerals. It explores extensively the available essential materials for geopolymer concrete and provides a deeper understanding of its underlying chemical mechanisms.FindingsThis is a state-of-the-art review introducing the essential characteristics of alternative powders used in geopolymer binders and the effectiveness these have on material performance.Practical implicationsWith the increase of need for alternative cementitious materials, identifying and understanding the critical material components and the effect they may have on the performance of the resulting mixes in fresh as well as hardened state become a critical requirement to for short- and long-term quality control (e.g. flash setting, efflorescence, etc.).Originality/valueThe topic explored is significant in the field of sustainable concrete technologies where there are several parallel but distinct material technologies being developed, such as geopolymer concrete and alkali-activated concrete. Behavioral aspects and results are not directly transferable between the two fields of cementitious materials development, and these differences are explored and detailed in the present study.

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Thermal properties of fired clay bricks from waste recycling. A review of studies

Fire Research ◽

10.4081/fire.2019.71 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ana Ramos ◽

M. Paz Sáez ◽

M. Ascensión Rodríguez ◽

M. Natividad Antón ◽

Jesús Gómez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Characteristics ◽

Construction Material ◽

Clay Content ◽

Green Buildings ◽

Waste Recycling ◽

Sustainable Construction ◽

Waste Materials ◽

Clay Bricks ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Mineral Waste

The large waste volumes globally generated have increased environmental awareness, promoting waste recycling as a sustainable construction material. This study presents a review of researches that analyze the thermal behavior of eco-friendly clay bricks incorporating organic and mineral waste materials as an addition. Many of these works also provide data related to the composition of the material, and its physical, micro-structural and mechanical characteristics. Most of eco-friendly clay units increase the porosity of the ceramic, improving the energy efficiency of masonry enclosures, reducing the clay content and the energy consumption during the fire process. The positive effects of lightweight ceramics are an opportunity to improve the fire resistance inside green buildings.

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Cement-Stabilized Waste Sand as Sustainable Construction Materials for Foundations and Highway Roads

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma12040600 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 600 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Faisal Shalabi ◽

Javed Mazher ◽

Kaffayatullah Khan ◽

Mohammed Alsuliman ◽

Ibrahim Almustafa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Compressive Strength ◽

Laser Scanning ◽

Cement Content ◽

Construction Material ◽

Laser Scanning Microscopy ◽

Tangent Modulus ◽

Sustainable Construction ◽

Dry Density ◽

X Ray ◽

Initial Tangent Modulus

In this study, cement-treated waste sand as a by-product material produced from Al-Ahsa quarries (Saudi Arabia) was experimentally tested and investigated as a base course material for the foundation of structures and roads. The study aimed to use the waste sand as a construction material by improving its strength, bearing capacity, and stiffness. The waste sand was mixed with different percentages of Portland cement content (0, 2, 4, 6, and 8%) at the maximum dry density and optimum water content of the standard Proctor compaction conditions of a non-treated sample. Unconfined compressive strength and California Bearing Ratio (CBR) tests for different curing times were conducted. X-ray diffraction (XRD), laser-scanning microscopy (LSM), and X-ray spectroscopy (XPS) were used to explore the microstructure and composition of the treated sand. The results showed that the compressive strength, initial tangent modulus, and CBR of the treated sand increase with the increase in cement content and curing time. Furthermore, good correlations were established among the strength, initial tangent modulus, and CBR. Based on the obtained results, cement-stabilized waste sand is a potential material for use in construction. This is expected to save the environment and reduce the cost of road construction.

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State-of-the-Art Green Roofs: Technical Performance and Certifications for Sustainable Construction

Coatings ◽

10.3390/coatings10010069 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 69 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Alejandra Naranjo ◽

Andrés Colonia ◽

Jaime Mesa ◽

Heriberto Maury ◽

Aníbal Maury-Ramírez

Keyword(s):

Environmental Assessment ◽

State Of The Art ◽

Green Roof ◽

Green Roofs ◽

Assessment Method ◽

Assessment System ◽

Sustainable Construction ◽

Runoff Water ◽

Technical Performance ◽

The Impact

Green roof systems, a technology which was used in major ancient buildings, are currently becoming an interesting strategy to reduce the negative impact of traditional urban development caused by ground impermeabilization. Only regarding the environmental impact, the application of these biological coatings on buildings has the potential of acting as a thermal, moisture, noise, and electromagnetic barrier. At the urban scale, they might reduce the heat island effect and sewage system load, improve runoff water and air quality, and reconstruct natural landscapes including wildlife. In spite of these significant benefits, the current design and construction methods are not completely regulated by law because there is a lack of knowledge of their technical performance. Hence, this review of the current state of the art presents a proper green roof classification based on their components and vegetation layer. Similarly, a detailed description from the key factors that control the hydraulic and thermal performance of green roofs is given. Based on these factors, an estimation of the impact of green roof systems on sustainable construction certifications is included (i.e., LEED—Leadership in Energy and Environment Design, BREEAM—Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method, CASBEE—Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency, BEAM—Building Environmental Assessment Method, ESGB—Evaluation Standard for Green Building). Finally, conclusions and future research challenges for the correct implementation of green roofs are addressed.

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