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Recycling of Waste in Material Science and Building Engineering

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A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Materials, and Repair & Renovation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 7885

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yi Lu

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Guest Editor

School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Interests: waste; sustainability; stabilizer; cement; fly ash; lime; low carbon

Dr. Abolfazl (Nima) Baghbani

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Engineering, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3216, Australia
Interests: waste; soil; stabilizer; artificial intelligence; foundation; sludge

Dr. Wei Qin

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Guest Editor

College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
Interests: waste material; reinforced concrete damage; intelligent monitoring; life-cycle service performance of underground structures

Dr. Jiaxin Liang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

College of Civil Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Interests: recycled material; tunnel; building materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recycling waste materials in building materials and engineering is essential for promoting sustainability in construction. As volumes of construction and industrial waste increase, incorporating these materials into civil engineering offers significant environmental and economic benefits. Recycled waste such as crushed concrete, fly ash, reclaimed asphalt, soil spoils, etc. used in building materials reduces reliance on raw resources and lowers carbon emissions. This process also alleviates landfill pressures and fosters the development of eco-friendly, cost-effective alternatives to traditional building materials. In civil engineering, integrating waste materials enhances structural performance and durability. Moreover, recycling promotes a circular economy, ensuring continuous material reuse, which aligns with global efforts to reduce the construction industry's environmental impact. By transforming waste into valuable resources, recycling in building engineering is key to a more sustainable future.

Dr. Yi Lu
Dr. Abolfazl (Nima) Baghbani
Dr. Wei Qin
Dr. Jiaxin Liang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

construction waste
industry waste
recycling
building material
concrete
cement
civil engineering

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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27 pages, 9992 KB

Open AccessArticle

Study on Creep Behavior of Wenzhou Remolded Coastal Silt Under One-Dimensional and Triaxial Tests

by Yi Shi, Yongwei Chen, Xiaohui Yi, Wei Qin, Zhijin Zhou, Guoxiang Peng, Kun Lou and Yuanyuan Liu

Buildings 2025, 15(18), 3378; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15183378 - 18 Sep 2025

Viewed by 375

Abstract

This study investigates the creep behavior of remolded Wenzhou (China) coastal silt through one-dimensional (1D) and triaxial creep tests. Results show that the secondary consolidation coefficient exhibits a non-monotonic response to stress levels, while it decreases with increasing overconsolidation ratios (OCRs). The e-lgt curves reveal four distinct creep stages, and the soil exhibits significant time-dependent behavior that diminishes with depth. Triaxial tests highlight nonlinear stress–strain characteristics, where increasing confining pressure elevates the deviatoric stress required for creep acceleration. A proposed structural parameter exhibits an inverse correlation with creep deformation, which suggests that enhanced soil cementation can improve long-term stability. This finding provides critical insights for the management of silt foundations in Wenzhou. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recycling of Waste in Material Science and Building Engineering)

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19 pages, 4305 KB

Open AccessArticle

Laboratory Study on the Characteristics of Wetting-Induced Deformation for Compacted Granite Residual Soil

by Xiang Li, Xinran Chen, Jie Yuan, Huailei Cheng, Jianlong Ye, Liang Ren and Zengyi Wang

Buildings 2025, 15(18), 3372; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15183372 - 17 Sep 2025

Viewed by 304

Abstract

Granite residual soil is widely employed as subgrade fill material, but its tendency to undergo wetting-induced deformation under moisture infiltration poses significant challenges to pavement stability. To address this issue, this study introduces an innovative wetting device capable of precisely controlling moisture content increase, enabling multi-step wetting tests under controlled conditions. Saturated wetting tests were also conducted using both single-line and double-line methods, and the results were compared. Pore size distribution curves for granite residual soil samples with different initial states were measured using Mercury Intrusion Porosimeter (MIP) tests. Results indicate that for both the single-line method and the double-line method, the

ε_{V}

-lgp curve for samples subjected to different compaction efforts remains parallel across varying initial moisture content. The increase in vertical stress will constrain the water adsorption and swelling potential. Whereas an increase in compaction effort leads to greater swelling potential, which is mitigated by an increase in initial moisture content. By integrating the test results of the soil water characteristic (SWCC) curve, the relationship between normalized wetting deformation and matric suction is primarily influenced by the initial state of the soil sample and remains unaffected by vertical stress during multi-step wetting. Based on the test results, an empirical wetting prediction model was formulated, accounting for the influence of vertical stress, initial matric suction, and matric suction after wetting. Fitting results confirmed that the established model achieved high prediction accuracy (R² > 0.9), supporting its application in practical engineering endeavors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recycling of Waste in Material Science and Building Engineering)

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25 pages, 3593 KB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of the Usability of SCMs Produced by Adding Aluminum and Iron Oxide to Mortar Waste Powder Under Different Conditions

by Osman Hansu and Serkan Etli

Buildings 2025, 15(17), 3067; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15173067 - 27 Aug 2025

Viewed by 550

Abstract

The integration of recycled materials into cementitious systems presents a sustainable path to reducing environmental impact in construction. This study investigates the mechanical and durability performance of self-compacting mortars (SCMs) incorporating finely ground mortar waste powder (MWP) as a partial cement substitute, reinforced with aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) and iron oxide (Fe₂O₃). Eleven mixes were designed with MWP replacing cement at 0–50% by volume. Fresh-state tests showed that slump flow decreased moderately (from 259 mm to 240 mm), while V-funnel times improved (from 10.51 s to 7.01 s), indicating acceptable flowability. The optimum performance was observed in SCM2 (5% MWP + oxides), which achieved 75.62 MPa compressive and 13.74 MPa flexural strength at 28 days, outperforming the control mix. Durability under high temperature and freeze–thaw cycling revealed that oxide-reinforced mixes exhibited superior strength retention, with SCM2 maintaining over 87 MPa after 300 °C exposure and minimal degradation after 100 freeze–thaw cycles. Porosity remained low (16.1%) at optimal replacement levels but increased significantly beyond 25% MWP. The results confirm that low-level MWP replacement, when reinforced with reactive oxides, provides a viable strategy for producing durable, high-performance, and eco-efficient SCMs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recycling of Waste in Material Science and Building Engineering)

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20 pages, 39543 KB

Open AccessArticle

Management of Pile End Sediment and Its Influence on the Bearing Characteristics of Bored Pile

by Weibin Song, Zhengzhen Wang, Wentao Zhu, Junping Yang and Jianming Zeng

Buildings 2025, 15(8), 1389; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15081389 - 21 Apr 2025

Viewed by 865

Abstract

In order to study the influence of pile end sediment on the bearing characteristics of bored piles, the on-site bearing capacity test was conducted on a single pile. A mathematical model of bearing capacity and the settlement response of a single pile considering sediment effects and a finite element model of a single pile with pile end sediment were established. In addition, the influence of sediment thickness on the bearing capacity of bored piles was systematically analyzed. The results show that the compaction of sediment at the pile end could significantly improve the ultimate bearing capacity of the single pile. Compared with the single pile that did not consider the compaction of the sediment at the pile end, the load required to reach the ultimate bearing capacity of the pile after compaction of the sediment increases by 900 KN. The settlement of the pile under a maximum vertical load increases with an increase in the thickness of the sediment. The influence of sediment thickness on axial force transmission is mainly reflected in the linear to nonlinear transformation of axial force distribution from low to high during the process of load. The slight decrease in axial force at the bottom of the pile could also be caused by the increase in the thickness of sediment. The increase in sediment layer thickness means that the transfer efficiency of the pile end resistance decreases. However, with an increase in load, the compression effect of the pile end sediment becomes obvious, which will further change the distribution of load between the pile side resistance and the pile end resistance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recycling of Waste in Material Science and Building Engineering)

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19 pages, 3415 KB

Open AccessArticle

Recycling Waste Soils for Stability Enhancement in Bored Pile Construction

by Feng Li, Lei Zhang, Zhengzhen Wang, Qiqi Liu, Tiantao Su and Jinke Wang

Buildings 2025, 15(2), 272; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15020272 - 18 Jan 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 898

Abstract

Instability in the hole wall of bored pile may cause serious environmental problems. Therefore, using the small hole expansion theory and elastic–plastic theory, we studied the instability mechanism of the hole wall of bored pile, determined the stress expansion solution of the soil layer after the excavation of pile holes in the semi-infinite elastic soil layer, and established a mechanical model. Then, the stability of the hole wall of bored pile in the cohesive soil layer and sandy soil layer was analyzed, and a formula for calculating pile hole wall stability was obtained. Finally, the stability of the hole wall of bored pile under the action of mud slurry was calculated, and the stress on the pile hole wall was analyzed when local instability and overall instability occurred, respectively. The results show that in a sandy soil layer, the safety factor of the hole wall of bored pile has no connection with the depth of the pile hole but is related to the density of mud slurry in the pile hole. In unstable soil layers, the pile hole wall was prone to instability, and the stability of the hole wall could be improved by appropriately increasing the gravity of mud slurry. With the increase in pile diameter, the lateral displacement and deformation of the hole wall increase, and the displacement of the soil layer increases when the hole wall is unstable, increasing the possibility of forming variable cross-section piles correspondingly. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recycling of Waste in Material Science and Building Engineering)

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12 pages, 4087 KB

Open AccessArticle

Vertical Response of Stress Transmission Through Sand–Tire Mixture Under Impact

by Xingzhong Nong, Wenfeng Bai, Shixuan Yi, Xiangyun Huang, Yi Lu and Abolfazl Baghbani

Buildings 2024, 14(11), 3381; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14113381 - 24 Oct 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1098

Abstract

This study evaluates the vertical stress transmission through a sand–tire mixture layer under impact, focusing on this innovative blended material that can impact underground structures such as tunnels or pipelines. By conducting consolidated undrained triaxial tests, the friction angle (φ) of the sand–tire mixture was determined, ranging from 29° for pure tire to 41° for pure sand. The vertical stress factor (α), representing the ratio of response load to applied load, was found to decrease significantly with increased tire content, with a reduction of up to 50% for mixtures containing 20% tire. Additionally, the vertical stress response decreased from 35 kPa for pure sand to as low as 15 kPa for mixtures with a high tire content under a consistent applied load of 65 kPa. This study not only presents a methodological advancement in analyzing sand–tire mixtures under dynamic loads but also suggests a sustainable approach to utilizing waste tire material in civil engineering projects, thereby contributing to environmental conservation and improved material performance in geotechnical applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recycling of Waste in Material Science and Building Engineering)

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Review

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20 pages, 2051 KB

Open AccessReview

Unfired Bricks from Wastes: A Review of Stabiliser Technologies, Performance Metrics, and Circular Economy Pathways

by Yuxin (Justin) Wang and Hossam Abuel-Naga

Buildings 2025, 15(11), 1861; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15111861 - 28 May 2025

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2788

Abstract

Unfired bricks offer a sustainable alternative to traditional fired bricks by enabling the large-scale reuse of industrial, construction, and municipal wastes while significantly reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. This review contributes to eliminating knowledge fragmentation by systematically organising stabiliser technologies, performance metrics, and sustainability indicators across a wide variety of unfired brick systems. It thus provides a coherent reference framework to support further development and industrial translation. Emphasis is placed on the role of stabilisers—including cement, lime, geopolymers, and microbial or bio-based stabilisers—in improving mechanical strength, moisture resistance, and durability. Performance data are analysed in relation to compressive strength, water absorption, drying shrinkage, thermal conductivity, and resistance to freeze–thaw and wet–dry cycles. The findings indicate that properly stabilised unfired bricks can achieve compressive strengths above 20 MPa and water absorption rates below 10%, with notable improvements in insulation and acoustic properties. Additionally, life-cycle comparisons reveal up to 90% reductions in CO₂ emissions and energy use relative to fired clay bricks. Despite technical and environmental advantages, broader adoption remains limited due to standardisation gaps and market unfamiliarity. The paper concludes by highlighting the importance of hybrid stabiliser systems, targeted certification frameworks, and waste valorisation policies to support the transition toward low-carbon, resource-efficient construction practices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recycling of Waste in Material Science and Building Engineering)

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