Materiales activados alcalinamente porosos con liberación lenta de álcalis. Efecto de la composición

Alkali activated materials (AAM) based on calcined metakaolin or illite clay together with waste by-products, such as waste glass or aluminium scrap recycling waste, were tested as value-added materials for pH stabilization in biogas technology where decrease of pH should be avoided. Porous materials with ability to slowly leach alkalis in the water media thus providing continuous control of the pH level were obtained. XRD, FTIR, SEM and titration methods were used to characterize AAM and their leaching properties. It is clear that composition of the material has an important effect on the diffusion of alkali from structure. Namely, higher Si/Al and Na/Al molar ratios may increase pore solution transfer to the leachate. The leaching rate of alkalis from the structure of AAM is high for the first few days, decreasing over time. It was possible to calculate the buffer capacity from the mixture design of AAM.En este estudio se han ensayado materiales activados alcalinamente (AAM) basados en metacaolín o arcilla de ilita junto con subproductos tales como residuos de vidrio o aluminio reciclado, como materiales con valor añadido para la estabilización del pH en tecnologías de biogás donde se debe evitar la disminución del pH . Se obtuvieron materiales porosos con capacidad para lixiviar lentamente los álcalis en medios acuosos, proporcionando así un control continuo del nivel de pH. Se utilizaron técnicas de DRX, FTIR, SEM y métodos de tritación para caracterizar los AAMs y sus propiedades de lixiviación. La composición del material tiene un efecto importante en la difusión del álcali de la estructura. Es decir, mayores relaciones molares de Si / Al y Na / Al pueden aumentar la transferencia de la solución del poro al lixiviado. La tasa de lixiviación de los álcalis desde la estructura de los AAMs es alta durante los primeros días, disminuyendo con el tiempo. Se ha calculado la capacidad del efecto tampón a partir del diseño de mezcla de AAM

Concrete Sawing Waste Recycling As Microfiller in Concrete Production

The main idea of the presented work is to find the ways of recycling the sawing waste/sludge in production of the new concrete. The aim of the study is to examine application of the dust-water suspension as micro filler in self-compacting concrete. In the process of sawing concrete elements a lot of dust waste is produced, the average amount being approximately 0.5-1% of the total amount of concrete. To avoid dust pollution in a production plant the sawing process is accompanied by a water stream, as a result, concrete dust as dust-water suspension is stored in special reservoirs. Recycling of such concrete dust suspension and its utilization as a material pose a significant challenge

Addressing the need for standardization of test methods for self-healing concrete: an inter-laboratory study on concrete with macrocapsules.

Development and commercialization of self-healing concrete is hampered due to a lack of standardized test methods. Six inter-laboratory testing programs are being executed by the EU COST action SARCOS, each focusing on test methods for a specific self-healing technique. This paper reports on the comparison of tests for mortar and concrete specimens with polyurethane encapsulated in glass macrocapsules. First, the pre-cracking method was analysed: mortar specimens were cracked in a three-point bending test followed by an active crack width control technique to restrain the crack width up to a predefined value, while the concrete specimens were cracked in a three-point bending setup with a displacement-controlled loading system. Microscopic measurements showed that with the application of the active control technique almost all crack widths were within a narrow predefined range. Conversely, for the concrete specimens the variation on the crack width was higher. After pre-cracking, the self-healing effect was characterized via durability tests: the mortar specimens were tested in a water permeability test and the spread of the healing agent on the crack surfaces was determined, while the concrete specimens were subjected to two capillary water absorption tests, executed with a different type of waterproofing applied on the zone around the crack. The quality of the waterproofing was found to be important, as different results were obtained in each absorption test. For the permeability test, 4 out of 6 labs obtained a comparable flow rate for the reference specimens, yet all 6 labs obtained comparable sealing efficiencies, highlighting the potential for further standardization

Evaluation of Methodologies for Assessing Self-Healing Performance of Concrete with Mineral Expansive Agents: An Interlaboratory Study

Self-healing concrete has the potential to optimise traditional design approaches; however, commercial uptake requires the ability to harmonize against standardized frameworks. Within EU SARCOS COST Action, different interlaboratory tests were executed on different self-healing techniques. This paper reports on the evaluation of the effectiveness of proposed experimental methodologies suited for self-healing concrete with expansive mineral additions. Concrete prisms and discs with MgO-based healing agents were produced and precracked. Water absorption and water flow tests were executed over a healing period spanning 6 months to assess the sealing efficiency, and the crack width reduction with time was monitored. High variability was reported for both reference (REF) and healing-addition (ADD) series affecting the reproducibility of cracking. However, within each lab, the crack width creation was repeatable. ADD reported larger crack widths. The latter influenced the observed healing making direct comparisons across labs prone to errors. Water absorption tests highlighted were susceptible to application errors. Concurrently, the potential of water flow tests as a facile method for assessment of healing performance was shown across all labs. Overall, the importance of repeatability and reproducibility of testing methods is highlighted in providing a sound basis for incorporation of self-healing concepts in practical applications

Waste glass from end-of-life fluorescent lamps as raw material in geopolymers

Nowadays the stunning volume of generated wastes, the exhaustion of raw materials, and the disturbing greenhouse gases emission levels show that a paradigm shift is mandatory. In this context, the possibility of using wastes instead of virgin raw materials can mitigate the environmental problems related to wastes, while reducing the consumption of the Earth’s natural resources. This innovative work reports the incorporation of unexplored waste glass coming from end-of-life fluorescent lamps into geopolymers. The influence of the waste glass incorporation level, NaOH molarity and curing conditions on the microstructure, physical and mechanical properties of the geopolymers was evaluated. Results demonstrate that curing conditions are the most influential factor on the geopolymer characteristics, while the NaOH molarity is less important. Geopolymers containing 37.5% (wt) waste glass were successfully produced, showing compressive strength of 14 MPa (after 28 days of curing), suggesting the possibility of their use in non-structural applications. Porous waste-based geopolymers for novel applications were also fabricated