Durability properties of mortar containing steel slag as supplementary cementitious material

The use of steel slag (SS) as supplementary cementitious material (SCM) is promising from the perspective of environmental protection and resource utilization. Previous studies have shown that using 20% SS replacement tends to decrease the strength of concrete. However, few studies have investigated the effect of SS on the durability properties of concrete, such as resistance to ammonium nitrate attack and resistance to sulfate attack. In this study, SS powder has been used as SCM with replacement ratio of 0, 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% to manufacture mortar. Compressive strength test, ammonium nitrate attack test and sulfate attack test have been conducted to investigate the properties of hardened mortar specimens. From this study, it is concluded that the increase in SS replacement ratio caused the decrease in mortar strength, the exposure to sulfate solution could increase the strength of mortar, and the exposure to ammonium nitrate solution led to the decrease in strength of mortar

An overview of the utilization and method for improving pozzolanic performance of agricultural and industrial wastes in concrete

The concept of utilizing industrial and agricultural waste materials in concrete contributes to recompensing lacking natural resources, solving the waste disposal problem, and finding alternative techniques to protect nature. Environmental awareness regarding potential harmful effects has significantly increased, and, thus, recycling or using agricultural and industrial waste by-products has become an increasingly attractive alternative for waste disposal. Several related studies investigated the utilization of waste materials and by-products like coal bottom ash, rice husk ash, coconut shells, plastic, glass, and wood. In this paper, a thorough assessment has been conducted about the industrial and agricultural waste substances that can be effectively utilized in concrete as an alternative to cement or aggregate in the concrete mixture. This paper also aims to promote utilizing wastes by improving pozzolanic performance and material properties as part of concrete constituents