The Characterization of Ukrainian Volcanic Tuffs from the Khmelnytsky Region with the Theoretical Analysis of Their Application in Construction and Environmental Technologies

(1) The mineral deposits are the base resources of materials used in building and environmental engineering applications, especially available locally. Two wells of volcanic tuff deposits in the Khmelnytsky region of Ukraine were investigated in this regard. (2) Physical-mechanical, chemical, and mineralogical analyses of the core samples were carried out. (3) The tuff samples were characterized by visible colour, low compressive strength (4.34–11.13 MPa), and high water absorption (30%). The dominant minerals of the upper horizon were chlorite, pyroxene, kaolinite, quartz, hematite, and calcite, while those of the lower horizon included analcime, quartz, hematite, and calcite. (4) The studied volcanic tuffs seem to be only partly useful for construction applications, and considering their visible colour, the exterior decoration of engineering objects could be possible. The peculiarity of the minerals of the upper horizon is that their crystals consist of Fe2+. An analysis of existing scientific data made it possible to say that these minerals can be considered as an alternative to expensive metallic iron in reducing the toxicity of chromium, uranium, and halogenated organic compounds. The significant presence of hematite allows the application of tuffs to technologies of water purification from As5+, As3+, Cr6+, Cr3+, U6+, Sb5+, and Se4+ oxyanions.

Review on Strengthening the Characteristics of Concrete Using Oil Coated Coconut Fibre

Sustainability is a widely acknowledged concept in modern day construction scenario. Although the construction industry is transforming in a substantial way in terms of the material used and the equipment used, the construction cost has risen steeply along with the worse impact on the environment due to this it has resulted in the acceptance of method like the use of natural fiber for example Coconut fibre for improving the strength of concrete. Coconut fiber is easily and widely available in abundance, which makes it fairly sustainable as form of reinforcement material in concrete. The use of coconut fibre as in form of reinforcement has also emerged as new source of income for the coconut producer. In addition, it can also be seen as a new effective way for the discarding of coir mattress wastage. The major problem of coconut fibre i.e. high water absorption rate of the fibre can be reduced to certain extent by coating the fibres with appropriate oil. In addition to this, the fibres which are naturally occurring is also ecologically sustainable and can lower the global carbon track effectively. This study aims to analyse the difference in strength of coconut fibre (processed fibres coated with oil and oil raw fibres coated with oil) reinforced concrete at various fibre contents and to collate it with the traditional concrete. The different strength aspects which are analysed in this study are the tensile, compressive and flexural strength of the concrete reinforced with coconut fibre at different percentages like 4%, 5% & 6% by the weight of cement of fibre. The optimum percentage of the raw fibre meshes and processed fibre were found and the optimum percentage of super-plasticizer required for the desired workability was also examined.

ASPHALT CONCRETE MIXTURE PRODUCED USING RECLAIMED ASPHALT PAVEMENT AND FLY ASH AS ARTIFICIAL AGGREGATE AND FILLER

This study presents the use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), and fly ash as artificial aggregate and filler in asphalt concrete. Because of the limited availability of natural materials, infrastructure development has become a concern. Therefore, it is necessary to reuse and recycle waste materials. One such innovation is artificial aggregates. The disadvantage of RAP is that its gradation exceeds the standard; its asphalt penetration and ductility exceed the requirements. The weaknesses of artificial aggregate are high water absorption, spherical shape, and low aggregate interlocking. In this study, the artificial aggregate was produced using the fly ash and alkali activator. Alkali activator consisted of Na2SiO3 and 8M NaOH at a ratio of 2.5. The mixtures containing different percentages of artificial aggregate (45, 55, 65, and 75%) were produced, and the fly ash filler content was 5%. Different tests including XRF, SEM, and Marshall tests were conducted. The artificial aggregate is hydrophilic owing to the high silica content; thus, it has high water absorption. This results in a low adhesion between the asphalt and aggregate. The best composition of asphalt concrete is 55% artificial aggregate, RAP, fly ash filler, and asphalt. The asphalt concrete containing artificial aggregate has high stability and is stiff and light. However, it requires a high asphalt content because of high water absorption. It is unsuitable for application in high traffic roads but suitable for medium traffic ones.

Modern assessment of bakery properties of Russian wheat

The paper presents an analysis of the quality of soft wheat grown in different soil and climatic conditions of the Russian Federation and having a wide range of quality indicators (the amount of gluten - from 15.3 to 29.4%, the quality of gluten - from 29 to 84 units. IIR, falling number - from 134 to 475 sec). Revealed significant differences in the quality of modern Russian wheat from the wheat of the late XX century. The interrelationships of indicators of quality of grain, flour obtained from it, rheological properties of dough with indicators of quality of bread on a modern instrument base using an alveograph, valorigraph and mixolab have been established. The study of the rheological properties of the dough on the mixolab was carried out in the classical "Chopin Wheat +" mode. According to the profiler parameters (radial diagram), it was found that the analyze grain was characterized by increased rates of starch retrogradation, which characterizes the carbohydrate-amylase complex of flour, a high water absorption index, and increased amylolytic activity; low viscosity and gluten +. To differentiate the strength of wheat, a test laboratory baking of bread was carried out using two methods - the remix method and the reduced-remix method, which showed that the most stable relationships were revealed when baking bread with the remix method. When baking with the abbreviated method, higher indicators of bread quality were obtained, but there are fewer stable relationships, moreover, both for wheat containing less than 25% gluten and more than 25%.

ARSITEKTUR PANGGUNG DAN PERMAKULTUR DEKAT KAMPUNG MARLINA

In 2050, several areas in Jakarta are predicted to sink, especially in the Northern, that have experienced significant subsidence in the ground level. One of the inhabited areas that need to be considered in the future is Kampung Kota in a coastal area. Most of the Kampung Kota currently have a high building density and minimal green space. Here, the place to face the overflowing water from the sea, Kampung Marlina. Marlina is an extension of the residential area for people working in the Sunda Kelapa and Kota Tua areas (1980). In the past, the residents' houses were the Stilt Houses, residents can preserve fish under the house and it became the habit of the residents there, then it dissapear by time. Stilt Architecture is designed to accommodate the activities of the citizens of Jakarta in facing the phenomenon of the Jakarta Sinking in 2050 with the issue of tidal flooding from the sea. Using permaculture design theory, the site pattern was studied and then placed the waterways to adjust to the drainage in Kampung Marlina. Then using the Urbanism Landscape Method, Program Method and raising the habits of the residents, the building is designed like a stage by presenting the concept of a pond below, so that it serves to anticipate flooding from the sea, as well as a means for residents to cultivate seagrass beds and small fish and shrimp. In areas equipped with permaculture gardens on the edges of these airways. The garden is planted with plants with high water absorption. In the area there is a research building and lodging for researchers or students.Keywords: coastal; kampung kota residents; kampung marlina; permaculture; rob floodAbstrakPada tahun 2050, beberapa daerah di Jakarta diprediksi akan tenggelam, khususnya pada bagian Utara. Hal ini ditandai oleh daerah-daerah yang telah mengalami turunnya permukaan tanah secara signifikan. Salah satu kawasan berhuni yang perlu diperhatikan di masa depan adalah Kampung Kota di daerah pesisir. Sebagian besar Kampung Kota saat ini memiliki kepadatan bangunan yang tinggi serta minim ruang hijau. Di sini, tempat yang pertama kali akan menghadapi luapan air dari arah laut, Kampung Marlina. Kampung Marlina merupakan perluasan daerah bermukim untuk masyarakat yang bekerja di daerah Sunda Kelapa dan Kota Tua (1980). Dahulu rumah-rumah warga merupakan Rumah Panggung, yang di bawah rumah tersebut warga dapat memelihara ikan dan menjadi suatu kebiasaan warga di sana, kemudian ditinggalkan seiring berjalannya waktu. Arsitektur Panggung ini dirancang demi tujuan mewadahi aktivitas warga Jakarta dalam menghadapi fenomena Tenggelamnya Jakarta di tahun 2050 dengan isu luapan air/banjir rob dari arah laut. Menggunakan teori desain permakultur, pola tapak distudi dan kemudian menempatkan jalur-jalur air menyesuaikan dengan drainase pada Kampung Marlina. Kemudian menggunakan metode Landscape Urbanism, metode Program dan mengangkat kebiasaan dahulu warga, bangunan dirancang seperti panggung dengan menghadirkan konsep kolam di bawahnya, sehingga selain berfungsi mengantisipasi banjir rob dari laut, juga sebagai sarana warga membudidayakan padang lamun serta ikan kecil dan udang. Pada kawasan dilengkapi dengan kebun permakultur pada tepi jalur-jalur air tersebut. Kebun tersebut ditanami tanaman dengan penyerapan air yang tinggi. Pada kawasan terdapat bangunan riset serta tempat penginapan untuk para periset ataupun pelajar.

Soybean-based polymers and composites

Development and evaluation of new bio-based sustainable plastics to replace the petroleum-based materials in different industrial applications has both environmental and economic benefits. Bio-based polymers can be widely used in biomedical and agriculture applications due to their excellent biodegradability and biocompatibility. Soy protein is a natural material that can be isolated from soybean, which is a major agricultural crop in the U.S. The viability of soybean-based polymers and composites is questioned due to their high-water absorption and poor mechanical properties. There have been many environmentally friendly attempts to improve the properties of soybean polymers as soybeans and their extracts are widely available worldwide. Soy protein, hulls, and oils all find use in the development of different biodegradable polymers. While the development looks promising, there is still more work to do to make the soybean polymers useful and economically viable. Blending soy protein with other biodegradable polymers, such as polylactide (PLA) and polyurethane dispersion is a valid approach to improve the mechanical properties of soy protein and reduce its water sensitivity.

Development of Kraft Lignin Chemically Modified as a Novel Crosslinking Agent for the Synthesis of Active Hydrogels

In this research a chemical modification of kraft lignin was carried out using a basic nucleophilic substitution reaction (NSA) in order to functionalize it as a novel crosslinking agent for the synthesis of active hydrogels. The chemical modification success of the synthesized crosslinker was demonstrated by using several techniques such as volumetry probes, FTIR, 1H-NMR and DSC. Thus, the obtained materials were employed during the synthesis of acrylic acid-based hydrogels, due to its high-water absorption capacity to evaluate their retention potential of heavy metal ions. Characterization of the active hydrogels were performed by FTIR and SEM, showing the specific signals corresponding to the base monomers into the polymer skeleton and the efficiency of modified kraft lignin as a novel crosslinking agent. Additionally, to demonstrate the potential use of these hydrogels in wastewater treatment, metal ions adsorption experiments were conducted, showing adsorption percentages higher than 90% and 80% for Pb2+ and Cu2+, respectively.

Effect of Polypropylene Fiber on the Strength and Dry Cracking of Mortar with Coal Gangue Aggregate

Fine coal gangue aggregate (CGA) has a high water absorption, which increases the cracking risk of mortar caused by dry shrinkage. The effects of polypropylene (PP) fiber on the fluidity, strength, dry shrinkage, and cracking of CGA mortar were studied in this paper. The results show that PP fiber reduces the fluidity of CGA mortar, but PP fiber improves compressive and flexural strengths, especially at the early stages. PP fiber also effectively decreases dry shrinkage and the risk of cracking. Overall, PP fiber can effectively improve the properties of CGA mortar.

Influence of wood pretreatment and fly ash particle size on the performance of geopolymer wood composite

In search for greener building materials, geopolymer wood composites (GWC) were produced through alkali activation of fly ash, using pine and eucalypt wood particles. The study examined the influence of grinding fly ash, wood species and hot water treatment of wood particles on the physical properties and specific compressive strength of GWC before and after 200 cycles of soaking and drying. Ash-grinding affected particle size distribution, as the hot water pretreatment of the wood affected its extractives. The particle size analysis showed that grinding decreased the mean particle size of raw ash by 55% and played a major role in the composite’s properties, as lower densities and specific strength with high water absorption were recorded for GWC from raw ash than from ground ash. The ash-grinding step doubled the specific strength of the composites before the aging test. A decrease in specific strength (15–32%) was observed for all composites after the soaking and drying cycles. Hot water washing of the wood resulted in a 47% and 67% reduction in the extractive content of the pine and eucalypt particles, respectively. An improvement of 27% and 3% was noted in specific strength values respectively for GWC with treated pine and eucalypt particles. In general, lower specific strength was recorded for pine-based composites than eucalypt ones, due to the fast impregnation and high water absorption from the mixture by pine particles. It was revealed that hot water treatment of wood improves GWC properties less compared to wood species or fly ash particle size.

Cellulose Nanofibrils/Xyloglucan Bio-Based Aerogels with Shape Recovery

Bio-based aerogels containing cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) are promising materials due to the inherent physical properties of CNF. The high affinity of cellulose to plant hemicelluloses (xyloglucan, xylan, pectin) is also an opportunity to develop biomaterials with new properties. Here, we prepared aerogels from gelled dispersions of CNFs and xyloglucan (XG) at different ratios by using a freeze-casting procedure in unidirectional (UD) and non-directional (ND) manners. As showed by rheology analysis, CNF and CNF/XG dispersions behave as true gels. We investigated the impact of the freezing procedure and the gel’s composition on the microstructure and the water absorption properties. The introduction of XG greatly affects the microstructure of the aerogel from lamellar to cellular morphology. Bio-based aerogels showed high water absorption capacity with shape recovery after compression. The relation between morphology and aerogel compositions is discussed.