Report: Sustainable Concrete Development Using Waste Mine Materials

This report comprehensively examines the utilization of waste mine materials in the development of sustainable concrete. It begins by outlining the hydration process of Portland cement and the role of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) in enhancing concrete properties, including strength, water permeability, and resistance to carbonation, sulphate attacks, and freeze-thaw cycles. The report then delves into the influence of SCMs on concrete properties and characteristics, highlighting their impact on workability, strength gain, and durability. Furthermore, the report discusses the application of various waste materials, particularly waste mining materials, in concrete production to promote environmental sustainability. It explores the benefits of incorporating these materials, such as reducing the demand for virgin resources and minimizing waste disposal. Overall, the report provides a detailed analysis of the techniques and benefits associated with using waste mine materials to create sustainable concrete.

The use of waste mine
materials for the
development of sustainable
concrete

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................2
2.1.1 Hydration reaction of Portland cement...................................................................................2
2.2 Supplementary Cementious Materials ......................................................................................3
2.3 Properties & Characteristics of Concrete...................................................................................4
2.3.1 Strength..........................................................................................................................4
2.3.2 Water Permeability........................................................................................................4
2.3.3 Carbonation...................................................................................................................5
2.3.4 External Sulphate Attack...............................................................................................5
2.3.5 Freezing and Thawing...................................................................................................5
2.4 Influence of SCMs on properties of Concrete...........................................................................5
2.5 Influence of SCMs on characteristics of Concrete....................................................................6
2.6 Waste Materials.........................................................................................................................7
2.6.1 Use of waste materials in Concrete...............................................................................7
2.6.2 Use of waste mining materials in concrete....................................................................7
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................9
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INTRODUCTION
Concrete is a material that is made up of various aggregate materials like sand, crushed
stones etc. and added together with a fluid cement which becomes hard after the mixture of all
these, over a time. This report is based on the use of waste mine materials in order top develop
sustainable concrete. The report will highlight the Hydration of Portland cement as well as
include the use supplementary cementious material. It will also mention the properties and
characteristics of concrete including its strength, water permeability, carbonization, attack of
external sulphate as well as Freezing and Thawing of concrete. The report will also include the
influence of SCMs on properties of concrete as well as the SCMs influence on concrete
characteristics. Further the report will include the use of waste materials in concrete as well as
use of waste mining materials in order to develop a sustainable concrete.
2.1.1 Hydration reaction of Portland cement
According to Nuaklong and et.al., (2016)Portland Cement is the most common cement
used in general. The cement is a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar and other plasters. The
cement was named as Portland cement as due to the similarity of its colour to Portland limestone.
As per the views of Özbay and et.al., (2016)when water is mixed with the cement, it
forms a paste that brings together aggregate materials. Water hardens the concrete through a
process called hydration. On the other hand Al-Tulaian and et.al., (2016)argues that Hydration is
a process of chemical reaction where the elements in the cement form chemical bonds with the
water molecules and tuns out to be hydrates or hydrate products. The role of water is much
important for the formation of concrete as the ratio of water to the cement is much more critical
factor for producing “perfect concrete”. According to Jangand Lee, (2016) concrete is the
mixture of cement, water and other aggregates and later formed into a paste which is then
moulded and consolidated and later kept to dry so that it turns out to be hard concrete. Concrete
needs a moisture for hydrating and becoming harder. Concrete when starts to dry up it actually
stops getting stronger. Concrete with too less water may be dry but it wont be strong enough or
fully reacted. The properties of such concrete would be probably less than wet concrete. On the
other side Kannan and et.al., (2017) argues that adding up of too much water in the cement will
probably reduce the strength of the concrete. Hence the reaction of water with the cement is
extremely important as for the characteristics and properties of concrete which will continue for
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many years in future. According to Shahi and et.al., (2016)Portland Cement consists of Five
major compounds and various minor compounds. The composition of Portland Cement is
mentioned by weight percentage of all its compounds in the following table-
Composition of Portland Cement compounds with chemical composition and weight percentage.
2.2 Supplementary Cementious Materials
As per the views of Kurda and et.al., (2017), Supplementary cementing materials are the
ones that contributes to the properties of concrete in hardening and strength. These materials can
be used individually with Portland cement in different combinations. Supplementary cementing
materials are added to the concrete in order to make the concrete mixtures more economical,
reduce permeability, increase the strength as well as influencing other concrete properties. The
following are the types of concrete materials-
Fly Ash, the most common used material in concrete, it is a by-product of thermal power
generating stations. Fly ash is commercially available through a division of substance that results
from the burning of powdered coal and is also carried by burning the furnace through exhaust
gases.
Slag Cement, it is a best cementious material which is obtained from crushing the molten
iron slag that is a by-product of iron and steel making through blast furnace in water and steam in
order to make a granular glassy product which is further dried and grounded into a fine powder.
Slag cement generates less heat during hydration than that of fly ash and is also used for
improving the durability as well as mechanical properties of the concrete.
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Silica fume also known as condensed silica fume or micro silica are the finely divided
substances resulting from the production of silicon or ferro-silicon alloys being extracted from
the furnace by the exhaust gases. Silica fume is mainly used for making a high strength
concrete(Brand and Roesler,2015).
Rice Husk Ash- Rice Husk is an external covering of rice which is generated while de-
husking of rice. As per the statistical data 600 million tons of rice with the husk is produced
every year in the world and out of which 20% comprises the husk that totals to 120 million tons.
Rice Husk Ash is rich in silica content and is obtained by burning the rice husk. It is assumed
that the amorphous silica powders consisting higher surface are more reactive than that of crystal
form of silica and hence the fineness of ash will affect the reactivity of Rice Husk Ash and can
be used in mortar or concrete mix.
2.3 Properties & Characteristics of Concrete
The following are the different properties as well as characteristics of concrete-
2.3.1 Strength
According to Gdoutos and et.al., (2016) Concrete are of high compressive strength but
low tensile strength. The strength of a concrete is determined by the water-cementious ratio and
also proper adding up of different constituents in proper proportion and mixing them. Phoo-
ngernkham and et.al., (2015) states that all things in equal proportion except the lower water-
cement ratio make the concrete stronger than that of higher ratio of water and cement. According
to American Concrete Institute the concrete blocks with high strength of between 340 and 410
Mpa lasts up to 28 days. Reactive powder concrete has the highest strength of 800 Mpa and are
also known as ultra-high performance concrete.
2.3.2 Water Permeability
As per the views of Trauchessec and et.al., (2015) Water permeability refers to the
amount of water migrated through a concrete when the water is under immense pressure and also
the ability of concrete to resist the penetration of water. Lower water permeability can be a result
of low water-cement ratio that further leads to less durability of concrete. The elements and the
pores used in the concrete mixture must be interconnected in order to posses high water-
permeability and durability of a concrete.
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2.3.3 Carbonation
According to Alahrache and et.al., (2016) Carbonation of concrete is concerned with
shrinkage and corrosion of steel reinforcements. It increases the compressive as well as tensile
strength of concrete. Carbonation is a result of dissolution of carbon in the concrete fluid which
further reacts with calcium hydroxide and calcium silicate to form the calcite. The
phenolphthalein indicator solution is used for testing carbonation of concrete which is applied to
the fresh concrete structure and surface and if the indicator turns purple the pH is above 8.6 and
if it remains colourless then the pH of concrete is below 8.6. Ideal carbonated concrete paste is
8.4.
2.3.4 External Sulphate Attack
As per the views of Shi and et.al., (2017) external sulphate attack on concrete occurs
while the water containing the dissolved sulphates enters the concrete. It results in extensive
cracking of concrete, expansion, loss of bond between cement paste and the aggregate materials
etc.
2.3.5 Freezing and Thawing
According to Paris and et.al., (2016)Freezing of water leads top its expansion of about
9% . if the water in the concrete freezes it produces pressure in the pores of the concrete and this
pressure results in the exceeding of tensile strength of concrete. Excessive freeze-thaw cycles can
lead to disruption of the paste and eventually can lead to expansion, cracking, scaling and
crumbling of the concrete. Hence it is necessary to prevent all these activities for the perfect
concrete formation.
2.4 Influence of SCMs on properties of Concrete
As per the views of __ supplementary concrete materials are of great importance for the
formation of concrete and its basic properties. These materials influence the concrete formation
in several ways. The following are the the factors that supports this statement-
Fresh Concrete- As per the views of Hewlett and Liska, (2019) supplementary cementious
material improve the consistency and working of a fresh concrete as it involves adding up of
additional volume of fines to the mixture. Fly as and slag concrete generally reduce the water
demand as well as the concrete setting times can also be reduced with the use of supplementary
cementious material. This can be generally beneficial during hot weather. Also with the use of
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supplementary concrete material the bleeding of the concrete is often reduced to greater extent.
This mostly done when there is a use of silica fumes.
Strength- Concrete materials helps to achieve the required strength gain of the concrete as per
the requirements and the application. Without the use of silica fume, the strength rate can be
lower initially but it continues to gain the strength for longer period as compared to mixture with
Portland cement. Scrivener and et.al., (2015) states that silica fume is used to generate a strength
of 70 Mpa. Hence it can be observed that the use of concrete materials strengths the concrete and
make it stronger for use.
2.5 Influence of SCMs on characteristics of Concrete
As per the views of Salesa and et.al., (2017) Supplementary concrete material can be
used for improving the performance as well as hardening of the concrete. The following are the
influences of Supplementary concrete materials on characteristics of concrete-
Durability- According to Ebead and et.al., (2016)Supplementary materials are used to
reduce the generation of heat associated with hydration process of cement as well as reduce the
thermal cracking in the massive structure components. These elements are responsible for
modifying the microstructure of concrete as well as reducing its permeability and also reducing
the the water penetration and salts into the concrete. The supplementary cementious materials
can also reduce the internal expansion of concrete due to chemical reactions like sulphate attack
and alkali aggregation reaction. This in turn increase the durability of the concrete and makes it
long lasting for the use.
The proper combination of SCMs will vary the different performances requirements as
well as the type of SCMs. Restrictions and monitoring on the mixture of the materials can lead to
optimization of the economy. Hence it can be observed that the use of supplementary cementious
materials in the formation and mixture of concrete posses immense important in various factors
like cost saving, durability of the concrete, strength of the concrete, performance and
requirements of the concrete and many other things that results out to be positive outcomes after
the concrete is being produced and used in construction etc.
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2.6 Waste Materials
2.6.1 Use of waste materials in Concrete
In order to attain the sustainability of the environmental resources there has been various
techniques used to make an alternative use of supplementary cementious materials in the
concrete making and formation. The following are the elements of the waste materials that can
be used in concrete formation-
Recycled concrete- According to Zhou and et.al., 2017, These are the constriction and
demolition waste and contains a major proportion of generated solid waste. The demolition of
the buildings may contain various solid materials that can be used in the place of supplementary
cementious materials and can be used in the formation of the concrete. This will eliminate the
extinction and scarcity of the required elements for concrete formation and create an alternative
way of replacing the SCMs top be used in production of concrete.
Post-Consumer Glass- As per the views of Yoo and Yoon, (2015) post consumer glass is an
another suitable element for the replacement of aggregates in concrete production. Due to high
water absorption of the glass and its hardness as well as good abrasion, excellent durability and
resistance it can be used in the crushed form for the mixture of concrete and can be also used as
an replacement of other elements proportion like cement and other components.
2.6.2 Use of waste mining materials in concrete
Due to various environmental constraints in construction industry there are various
elements popularly known as mine tailings that can be used in the formation of the concrete and
cementing materials. As per the views of Arezoumandi and et.al., (2015)tailings that includes the
waste rocks, sands and other materials can be used as replacement for SMCs. The replacement
can result very much beneficial in improvement of compressive and flexural strengths. For the
production of M25 concrete the use of copper tailing can be done as a partial use of sand. Also
the use of iron and tungsten as well as their mechanical properties have replaced the previously
used supplementary cementious materials and also have shown the improved results.
Lampropoulos and et.al., (2016), states that the use of mining wastes has been a lot economical
and feasible in relation to the sustainable development and production of sustainable concrete out
of those wastes. Lead-zinc tailings out of the mining were mainly used for the wide range of
building products like concrete beams, tiles, bricks and other elements used in construction
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industry. Some of the significant economical benefits have been arised from the use of tailings
out of gold mines and the manufacture of silicate bricks, lightweight- building products etc.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it is summarized regarding the learning of making concrete and
what all elements and activities are been required and performed to design and form a concrete.
The report stated the hydration process of Portland Cement and also stated the supplementary
Cementious materials used in the concrete mixture. The report also stated the properties and
characteristics of the concrete comprising of its strengths, permeability, carbonation, external
sulphate attack and freezing and thawing of water etc. Further the report included the influence
and importance of supplementary cementious material for the concrete formation and properties
as well as stated their influence on characteristics of concrete. The report concluded by stating
the waste materials and the waste mining materials that are and can be used for the sustainable
development of new concrete and without affecting the environment through its hazardous
elements used in formation.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Al-Tulaian and et.al., 2016. Recycled plastic waste fibers for reinforcing Portland cement
mortar. Construction and Building Materials. 127. pp.102-110.
Alahrache and et.al., 2016. Chemical activation of hybrid binders based on siliceous fly ash
and Portland cement. Cement and Concrete Composites. 66. pp.10-23.
Arezoumandi and et.al., 2015. An experimental study on flexural strength of reinforced
concrete beams with 100% recycled concrete aggregate. Engineering Structures. 88.
pp.154-162.
Brand, A.S. and Roesler, J.R., 2015. Steel furnace slag aggregate expansion and hardened
concrete properties. Cement and Concrete Composites. 60. pp.1-9.
Ebead and et.al., 2016. Effectiveness of fabric-reinforced cementitious matrix in
strengthening reinforced concrete beams. Journal of Composites for
Construction. 21(2). p.04016084.
Gdoutos and et.al., 2016. Portland cement mortar nanocomposites at low carbon nanotube and
carbon nanofiber content: A fracture mechanics experimental study. Cement and
Concrete Composites. 70. pp.110-118.
Hewlett, P. and Liska, M. eds., 2019. Lea's chemistry of cement and concrete. Butterworth-
Heinemann.
Jang, J.G. and Lee, H.K., 2016. Microstructural densification and CO2 uptake promoted by
the carbonation curing of belite-rich Portland cement. Cement and Concrete
Research. 82. pp.50-57.
Kannan and et.al., 2017. High performance concrete incorporating ceramic waste powder as
large partial replacement of Portland cement. Construction and Building Materials. 144.
pp.35-41.
Kurda and et.al., 2017. Combined influence of recycled concrete aggregates and high contents
of fly ash on concrete properties. Construction and Building Materials. 157. pp.554-
572.
Lampropoulos and et.al., 2016. Strengthening of reinforced concrete beams using ultra high
performance fibre reinforced concrete (UHPFRC). Engineering Structures. 106. pp.370-
384.
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Nuaklong and et.al., 2016. Influence of recycled aggregate on fly ash geopolymer concrete
properties. Journal of Cleaner Production. 112. pp.2300-2307.
Özbay and et.al., 2016. Utilization and efficiency of ground granulated blast furnace slag on
concrete properties–A review. Construction and Building Materials. 105. pp.423-434.
Paris and et.al., 2016. A review of waste products utilized as supplements to Portland cement
in concrete. Journal of Cleaner Production. 121. pp.1-18.
Phoo-ngernkham and et.al., 2015. High calcium fly ash geopolymer mortar containing
Portland cement for use as repair material. Construction and building materials. 98.
pp.482-488.
Salesa and et.al., 2017. Physico–mechanical properties of multi–recycled concrete from
precast concrete industry. Journal of cleaner production. 141. pp.248-255.
Scrivener and et.al., 2015. Advances in understanding hydration of Portland cement. Cement
and Concrete Research. 78. pp.38-56.
Shahi and et.al., 2016. Effect of different mixing methods on the physical properties of
Portland cement. Journal of clinical and experimental dentistry. 8(5). p.e475.
Shi and et.al., 2017. Role of calcium on chloride binding in hydrated Portland cement–
metakaolin–limestone blends. Cement and Concrete Research. 95. pp.205-216.
Trauchessec and et.al., 2015. Hydration of ordinary Portland cement and calcium
sulfoaluminate cement blends. Cement and Concrete Composites. 56. pp.106-114.
Yoo, D.Y. and Yoon, Y.S., 2015. Structural performance of ultra-high-performance concrete
beams with different steel fibers. Engineering Structures. 102. pp.409-423.
Zhou and et.al., 2017. Investigation on interfacial defect criticality of FRP-bonded concrete
beams. Composites Part B: Engineering. 113. pp.80-90.
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