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Dr. Marco Pepe

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Guest Editor

1. Department of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy
2. TESIS s.r.l., Fisciano, SA, Italy
Interests: concrete technology; structural analysis; sustainable construction materials; fiber-reinforced concrete; textile-reinforced mortar; high-performance cementitious composites
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Dr. Oscar Aurelio Mendoza Reales

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Co-Guest Editor

Civil Engineering Program (COPPE), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-594, RJ, Brazil
Interests: nanotechnology applied to construction materials; digital construction; concrete 3D printing; sustainable construction materials; cement chemistry; materials characterization

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Enhancing the environmental sustainability of human activities and industrial processes is a common challenge in various branches of modern research and technology. In light of this, the “greening” of the concrete industry is, as a matter of principle, also one of the main goals for policy makers and private companies, as well as for the scientific community.

In order to make the construction sector greener, one of the most promising actions is based on the use of secondary raw materials such as Construction and Demolition Waste, bio-based aggregates, alternative binders, etc. Moreover, the construction sector sustainability can be further amplified through the innovation and optimization of new materials, assembly and deconstruction/reuse procedures and the service life maximization.

In this context, the present Special Issue aims to attract papers related to the rational and practical use of innovative and sustainable cement-based composites, highlighting that their adequate design can lead to concrete mixtures that can be efficiently employed for “high-end” applications. Specifically, this volume welcomes contributions (such as fundamental experimental research studies, comprehensive theoretical modeling approaches, critical reviews, and relevant case studies of pilot and field applications) on the following topics:

Recycled aggregate concrete;
High-strength fiber-reinforced cementitious composites;
Alternative binders;
Bio-based cementitious composites;
Nanotechnology applied to sustainable cement-based materials;
Concrete 3D printing;
Design for disassembly;
Life-cycle assessment of cement-based materials.

Dr. Marco Pepe
Dr. Oscar Aurelio Mendoza Reales
Guest Editors

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Keywords

recycled aggregate concrete
high-strength fiber-reinforced cementitious composites
alternative binders
bio-based cementitious composites
cement nanotechnology
concrete 3D printing
design for disassembly
life-cycle assessment
concrete durability
supplementary cementing materials

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 9175 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Thermochemical Treatments for Rice Husk Ash Valorisation as a Source of Silica in Preparing Geopolymers

by Noelia Bouzón, Alba Font, María Victoria Borrachero, Lourdes Soriano, José Monzó, Mauro M. Tashima and Jordi Payá

Materials 2023, 16(13), 4667; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16134667 - 28 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 793

Abstract

The use of geopolymers has revolutionized research in the field of construction. Although their carbon footprint is often lower than that of traditional mortars with Portland cement, activators such as sodium silicate have a high environmental impact in the manufacturing of materials. Employing alternative alkali sources to produce geopolymers is necessary to obtain materials with a lower carbon footprint. The present research explores the use of rice husk ash (RHA) as an alternative source of silica to produce alkaline activators by four methods: reflux; high pressure and temperature reaction; thermal bath at 65 °C; and shaking at room temperature. To evaluate the efficiency of these methods, two types of experiments were performed: (a) analysing silica dissolved by the filtering/gravimetric method; and (b) manufacturing mortars to compare the effectiveness of the treatment in mechanical strength terms. The percentages of dissolved silica measured by the gravimetric method gave silica dissolution values of 70–80%. The mortars with the best mechanical strength results were the mixtures prepared with the thermal bath treatment at 65 °C. Mortar cured for 1 day (at 65 °C), prepared with this activator, yielded 45 MPa versus the mortar with commercial reagents (40.1 MPa). It was generally concluded that utilising original or milled RHA in preparing activators has minimal influence on either the percentage of dissolved silica or the mechanical strength development of the mortars with this alternative activator. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation and Sustainability of Cement-Based Composites: New Trends and Challenges)

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24 pages, 3483 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimising the Performance of CO₂-Cured Alkali-Activated Aluminosilicate Industrial By-Products as Precursors

by Ghandy Lamaa, David Suescum-Morales, António P. C. Duarte, Rui Vasco Silva and Jorge de Brito

Materials 2023, 16(5), 1923; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16051923 - 25 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2210

Abstract

Three industrial aluminosilicate wastes were studied as precursors to produce alkali-activated concrete: (i) electric arc furnace slag, (ii) municipal solid waste incineration bottom ashes, and (iii) waste glass rejects. These were characterized via X-ray diffraction and fluorescence, laser particle size distribution, thermogravimetric, and Fourier-transform infrared analyses. Distinctive combinations of anhydrous sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate solution were tried by varying the Na₂O/binder ratio (8%, 10%, 12%, 14%) and SiO₂/Na₂O ratio (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5) to find the optimum solution for maximized mechanical performance. Specimens were produced and subjected to a three-step curing process: (1) 24 h thermal curing (70 °C), (2) followed by 21 days of dry curing in a climatic chamber (~21 °C, 65% RH), and (3) ending with a 7-day carbonation curing stage (5 ± 0.2% CO₂; 65 ± 10% RH). Compressive and flexural strength tests were performed, to ascertain the mix with the best mechanical performance. The precursors showed reasonable bonding capabilities, thus suggesting some reactivity when alkali-activated due to the presence of amorphous phases. Mixes with slag and glass showed compressive strengths of almost 40 MPa. Most mixes required a higher Na₂O/binder ratio for maximized performance, even though, contrary to expectations, the opposite was observed for the SiO₂/Na₂O ratio. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation and Sustainability of Cement-Based Composites: New Trends and Challenges)

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