Evaluation of sustainable concrete incorporating ceramic hybrid binders.

Abstract

Concrete incorporating ceramic hybrid binders is a sustainable material prepared by partial replacement of Portland cement with a proper dosage of ceramic powder and mineral admixtures or pozzolanic materials. On one hand, the production of Portland cement causes depletion of natural resources, consumes large amounts of energy, and has negative environmental impact since it is responsible for around 5 to 7percent of the global carbon dioxide emissions. On the other hand, the ceramic industry which produces tiles, bricks, and sanitary ware generates 3 to 5percent waste in the different production stages. Recycling ceramics waste in the production process in the ceramic plant is costing more than producing ceramics from raw materials, the reason such wastes are dumped in landfills and causing environmental pollution. The problem persists in Lebanon and world-wide. Recycling the ceramic waste material by reusing it in the concrete industry has been investigated in many research studies that were reported in the literature in the last 10 to 15 years. It was found that the replacement of different percentages of Portland cement with ground ceramic powder decreased the mechanical strength properties of concrete. The hypothesis to be tested in this research is whether a certain percentage of replacement of Portland cement with blast furnace slag would overcome the reduction in the mechanical properties of concrete incorporating ceramic powder. The proposed research program will be conducted on four stages: microstructure and powder characterization, pozzolanic performance, mortar scale and concrete-scale. The microscale aims at studying the physical properties of the powders though specific gravity and BET tests as well as the mineralogical properties by performing XRD and the morphological properties through SEM and TGA tests. The assessment of the pozzolanic activity of the pozzolans will be tackled through direct methods (Frattini test, saturated lime test, XRD, TGA, and SEM) and indirect methods (Strength index and electrical