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Recycling and Development of New Building Materials or Products (Second Volume)

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction and Building Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2025) | Viewed by 14966

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Prof. Dr. Yuri Ribakov

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Department of Civil Engineering, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel
Interests: testing and analysis of reinforced concrete structures and elements; high-strength concrete; steel fiber reinforced concrete; two-layer bending elements; earthquake engineering
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Dear Colleagues,

Modern design techniques and construction technologies are based on effective materials and structures that allow the efficient use of natural resources and reuse of waste products. Extensive research has been carried out in order to develop effective sustainable approaches that yield a balance between the construction industry and surrounding environment. It is obvious that new structures should correspond to human development, taking into account the ecological requirements. Therefore, one of the ways for achieving environmentally friendly construction is reusing waste products. Proper approaches for reusing waste products in the construction industry should also consider suitable energy effective technologies.

Developing modern design methodologies, allowing the optimal use of natural resources and reusing waste products in the construction industry have high importance all over the world.

The purpose of this call for papers is to exchange recent scientific achievements and novel ideas related to the reuse of various wastes as raw materials in the Special Issue entitled Recycling and Development of New Building Materials or Products (Second Volume).

Researchers are invited to share their knowledge on the design of effective ecologically friendly construction materials or products that can be used in construction.

Prof. Dr. Yuri Ribakov
Guest Editor

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Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

waste products
construction materials
design methodology
structural elements
sustainability

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Related Special Issue

Recycling and the Development of New Building Materials and Products—Third Edition in Materials (2 articles)

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 4307 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Iron Oxide Powders Containing Arsenic from Water Treatment Processes Mixed with Cement as Environmental and Structural Solution

by Henry A. Colorado, Jeiser Rendón Giraldo, Manuela Montoya, Mauricio Correa, Mery Cecilia Gómez Marroquín and Sergio Neves Monteiro

Materials 2025, 18(3), 582; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18030582 - 27 Jan 2025

Viewed by 722

Abstract

This study explores the stabilization and utilization of hazardous waste (HW) derived from iron oxide powders containing arsenic, a byproduct of a water purification process. Cement paste samples were prepared with varying waste content (0.0%, 2.5%, 10% and 20% by weight) through mechanical mixing of all the components. Utilizing this waste offers two key environmental benefits: first, it addresses the issue of large-scale waste production globally by providing a method for its stabilization; second, it reduces cement consumption in concrete by serving as an admixture and filler, thereby lowering the cement industry’s significant CO₂ emissions. After 28 days, compressive strength and density tests were conducted, and the microstructure was examined using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The results demonstrated compressive strengths exceeding 20 MPa, with the presence of calcite, portlandite, and ettringite phases in the samples. Additionally, Weibull statistics were conducted over a wide number of samples per composition in order to account for the variability of the compression properties, which can be important for deciding the applications. The results showed that the prepared formulations can be used in structural applications such as walls, infrastructure, sidewalks, and soil stabilization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recycling and Development of New Building Materials or Products (Second Volume))

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17 pages, 13845 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Structural Effects on Compressive Strength Enhancement of Cellular Concrete During the Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar Test

by Ling Zhou, Zhiping Deng, Junru Ren and Yuhao Zhu

Materials 2025, 18(3), 552; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18030552 - 25 Jan 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 687

Abstract

In recent years, a kind of novel cellular concrete, fabricated by spherical saturated superabsorbent polymers, was developed. Its compressive behavior under high strain rate loadings has been studied by split Hopkinson pressure bar equipment in previous research, which revealed an obvious strain rate effect. It has been found by many researchers that the dynamic increase factor (DIF) of compressive strength for concrete-like materials measured by SHPB includes considerable structural effects, which cannot be considered as a genuine strain rate effect. Based on the extended Drucker–Prager model in Abaqus, this paper uses numerical SHPB tests to investigate structural effects in dynamic compression for this novel cellular concrete. It is found that the increment in compressive strength caused by lateral inertia confinement decreases from 5.9 MPa for a specimen with a porosity of 10% to 2 MPa for a specimen with a porosity of 40% at a strain rate level of 70/s, while the same decreasing trend was found at other strain rate levels of 100/s and 140/s. The lateral inertia confinement effect inside the cellular concrete specimen can be divided into the elastic development stage and plastic development stage, bounded by the moment dynamic stress equilibrium is achieved. The results obtained in this research can help to obtain a better understanding of the enhancement mechanism of the compressive strength of cellular concrete. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recycling and Development of New Building Materials or Products (Second Volume))

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16 pages, 15575 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Na₂SO₄ Produced from Phosphogypsum Conversions on the Basic Properties of Building Gypsum

by Danutė Vaičiukynienė, Jūratė Mockienė, Dalia Nizevičienė and Ignas Ramanauskas

Materials 2025, 18(1), 158; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18010158 - 2 Jan 2025

Viewed by 763

Abstract

This study comprises two distinct but interrelated parts. The first part involves optimizing the conditions for the conversion of phosphogypsum to a Ca(OH)₂ and Na₂SO₄ solution. The second part focuses on enhancing the mechanical properties of gypsum through the use of a sodium sulphate additive derived from the conversion of phosphogypsum. An ultrasonic disperser was employed to accelerate the reaction between phosphogypsum and a sodium hydroxide solution. The mean dispersion time was found to be 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 min. The resulting product was a solution of calcium hydroxide and sodium sulfate. The impact of varying quantities of Na₂SO₄ on the compressive strength and density of building gypsum samples was investigated. An increase in the quantity of sodium sulphate from 0.2% to 2% resulted in a notable rise in the density of the building gypsum samples, from 1127 kg/m³ in the reference sample to 1264 kg/m³ in the sample containing 2% sodium sulphate. Therefore, in all instances, the utilization of the Na₂SO₄ additive in the gypsum samples resulted in elevated compressive strengths (4.8–8.6 MPa) in comparison to the reference sample devoid of this additive (1.6 MPa). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recycling and Development of New Building Materials or Products (Second Volume))

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26 pages, 13927 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Longitudinal Shear in Timber–Concrete Composites with Flexible Adhesive Connections—Experimental and Numerical Investigations

by Klaudia Śliwa-Wieczorek, Armando La Scala, Wit Derkowski and Eva Binder

Materials 2024, 17(24), 6055; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17246055 - 11 Dec 2024

Viewed by 869

Abstract

Timber–concrete composites are established structural elements to combine the advantageous properties of both materials by connecting them. In this work, an innovative flexible adhesive connection in different configurations is investigated. Load-bearing capacity, stiffness, and the failure modes were first experimentally investigated by performing push-out tests. Subsequently, a numerical evaluation using ABAQUS 2017/Standard software was carried out in order to develop a three-dimensional numerical model. The Cohesive Zone Model (CZM) is employed to represent the adhesive characteristics at the contact areas between the Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) and concrete elements. Three different connection configurations were evaluated, each consisting of five push-out specimens. The study investigates the impact of bonding surface area and the alignment of prefabricated glue strips with the load direction on the connection’s longitudinal shear load-bearing capacity, stiffness, and slip modulus. In addition, the impact of cyclic loads and the impact of time on displacements were analyzed. The average load capacity of the full surface connection (type A) is 44.5% and 46.2% higher than the vertical adhesive strips (type B) and the horizontal adhesive strips (type C), respectively. However, the initial stiffness of the tested joints depends on the orientation of the prefabricated adhesive fasteners, being approximately 20% higher when the bonding elements are aligned parallel to the load direction compared to when they are oriented perpendicularly. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recycling and Development of New Building Materials or Products (Second Volume))

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14 pages, 3427 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Utilisation of By-Product Phosphogypsum Through Extrusion-Based 3D Printing

by Maris Sinka, Danutė Vaičiukynienė, Dalia Nizevičienė, Alise Sapata, Ignacio Villalón Fornés, Vitoldas Vaitkevičius and Evaldas Šerelis

Materials 2024, 17(22), 5570; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17225570 - 14 Nov 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 869

Abstract

Phosphogypsum (PG) is a phosphate fertiliser by-product. This by-product has a low level of utilisation. Calcium sulphate is dominated in PG similar to gypsum and, therefore, has good binding properties (similar to natural gypsum). However, the presence of water-soluble phosphates and fluorides, an unwanted acidic impurity in PG, makes PG unsuitable for the manufacture of gypsum-based products. In this study, the binding material of PG (β-CaSO₄·0.5H₂O) was produced from β-CaSO₄·2H₂O by calcination. To neutralise the acidic PG impurities, 0.5 wt% quicklime was added to the PG. In the construction sector, 3D-printing technology is developing rapidly as this technology has many advantages. The current study is focused on creating a 3D-printable PG mixture. The 3D-printing paste was made using sand as the fine aggregate and a binder based on PG. The results obtained show that, despite the low degree of densification, 3D printing improves the mechanical properties of this material compared to cast samples. The 3D-printed specimens tested in [u] direction reached the highest compressive strength of 950 kPa. The cast specimens showed a 17% lower compressive strength of 810 kPa. The 3D-printed specimens tested in the [v] and [w] directions reached a compressive strength of 550 kPa and 710 kPa, respectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recycling and Development of New Building Materials or Products (Second Volume))

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19 pages, 7115 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Iron Tailings as Mineral Fillers and Their Effect on the Fatigue Performance of Asphalt Mastic

by Yaning Cui, Chundi Si, Song Li, Yanshun Jia and Bin Guo

Materials 2024, 17(12), 2927; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17122927 - 14 Jun 2024

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 954

Abstract

Incorporating iron tailings (ITs) into asphalt represents a new method for waste-to-resource conversion. The objective of this study is to evaluate the fatigue performance of ITs as fillers in asphalt mastic and investigate the interaction and interfacial adhesion energy between asphalt and ITs. To achieve that, the particle size distributions of two ITs and limestone filler (LF) were tested through a laser particle size analyzer; the morphology and structure characteristics were obtained by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), the mineral compositions were conducted through X-ray diffraction (XRD), and the chemical compositions were tested through X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (XRF). Furthermore, the fatigue properties of asphalt mastic and the interaction between asphalt binder and mineral fillers (ITs and LFs) were evaluated by Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR). The interfacial adhesion energy between ITs and asphalt binder were calculated through molecular dynamics simulation. In the end, the correlation between the test results and the fatigue life is established based on the gray correlation analysis, the environmental and economic benefits of iron tailings asphalt pavement are further evaluated. The results show that the particle size distribution of ITs is concentrated between 30 μm and 150 μm, and the main component is quartz. ITs have rich angularity and a higher interaction ability with asphalt. The adhesion energy of iron tailings filler to asphalt is less than that of limestone. The correlation degree of the interfacial adhesion energy and interaction between asphalt and mineral filler with asphalt mastic fatigue life is close to 0.58. Under the combined action of interaction ability and interfacial adhesion energy, the fatigue life of IT asphalt mastic meets the requirements. ITs as a partial replacement for mineral fillers in asphalt pavement have great environmental and social effectiveness. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recycling and Development of New Building Materials or Products (Second Volume))

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13 pages, 4436 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Utilizing Industrial Sludge Ash in Brick Manufacturing and Quality Improvement

by Yu-Ming Huang, Chao-Shi Chen, Chen-Chung Chen and Jian-Wen Lai

Materials 2024, 17(11), 2568; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17112568 - 27 May 2024

Viewed by 1305

Abstract

This research demonstrates changes in the behaviors and characteristics of sintered bricks while using industrial sludge ash (ISA) and waste glass (WG) as a replacement for clay in the brick manufacturing procedure. Owing to the limited amount of available land in Taiwan, it is becoming increasingly difficult to locate suitable sites for sanitary landfills, which is a common final disposal method for ash that is produced during thermal treatment in sludge factories. To meet the urgent need for land, the final waste disposal must convert this waste into a new resource. This research investigated the feasibility of using general industrial sludge ash waste, due to its abundance and high potential as a raw material in producing bricks. The result of this study shows that the bricks made from ISA and WG under a certain mixture proportion (ISA50%/WG40%/Clay10%) had excellent industrial potentials, such as compressive strength and water absorption rate. However, owing to the wide variety of components from different sources of ISA, the mixture proportion might vary accordingly. This study also analyzed the incineration index, proportion design, and process improvement, as well as investigating the possibility of increasing the total use of sludge ash as a resource. This study shows the potentials of utilizing wastes as raw materials in industrial manufacturing procedures. Therefore, more wastes can be tested and turned into resources in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recycling and Development of New Building Materials or Products (Second Volume))

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15 pages, 2631 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Initial Characteristics of Alkali–Silica Reaction Products in Mortar Containing Low-Purity Calcined Clay

by Daria Jóźwiak-Niedźwiedzka, Roman Jaskulski, Kinga Dziedzic, Aneta Brachaczek and Dariusz M. Jarząbek

Materials 2024, 17(10), 2207; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17102207 - 8 May 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1041

Abstract

An alkali–silica reaction (ASR) is a chemical process that leads to the formation of an expansive gel, potentially causing durability issues in concrete structures. This article investigates the properties and behaviour of ASR products in mortar with the addition of low-purity calcined clay as an additional material. This study includes an evaluation of the expansion and microstructural characteristics of the mortar, as well as an analysis of the formation and behaviour of ASR products with different contents of calcined clay. Expansion tests of the mortar beam specimens were conducted according to ASTM C1567, and a detailed microscopic analysis of the reaction products was performed. Additionally, their mechanical properties were determined using nanoindentation. This study reveals that with an increasing calcined clay content, the amount of the crystalline form of the ASR gel decreases, while the nanohardness increases. The Young’s modulus of the amorphous ASR products ranged from 5 to 12 GPa, while the nanohardness ranged from 0.41 to 0.67 GPa. The obtained results contribute to a better understanding of how the incorporation of low-purity calcined clay influences the ASR in mortar, providing valuable insights into developing sustainable and durable building materials for the construction industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recycling and Development of New Building Materials or Products (Second Volume))

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13 pages, 1597 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation of the Cementing Efficiency of Fly Ash Activated by Microsilica in Low-Cement Concrete

by Leonid Dvorkin, Vadim Zhitkovsky, Svetlana Lapovskaya and Yuri Ribakov

Materials 2023, 16(21), 6859; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16216859 - 25 Oct 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1123

Abstract

This paper presents experimental results on the influence of concrete composition factors on the criterion characterizing the ratio between the compressive strength of activated low-cement concrete and clinker consumption. The investigation was carried out using mathematical planning of the experiments. Experimental and statistical models describing the influence of the fly ash, activating additive (microsilica), consumption of cement and aggregates, as well as the superplasticizer on the strength of low-cement concrete under normal hardening conditions and after steaming were obtained. The values of the clinker efficiency criterion and the mineral additive cementing efficiency coefficient were calculated, and models of these parameters were obtained for the investigated concrete compositions. It was shown that the activating effect of microsilica yields an increase in ash cementing efficiency and clinker efficiency criterion in concrete. Using the obtained models, an example for calculating the ash cementing efficiency coefficient is given. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recycling and Development of New Building Materials or Products (Second Volume))

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Review

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23 pages, 2951 KiB

Open AccessReview

Application of Steel Slag as an Aggregate in Concrete Production: A Review

by Zhengyi Ren and Dongsheng Li

Materials 2023, 16(17), 5841; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16175841 - 25 Aug 2023

Cited by 27 | Viewed by 5662

Abstract

Steel slag is a solid waste produced in crude steel smelting, and a typical management option is stockpiling in slag disposal yards. Over the years, the massive production of steel slags and the continuous use of residue yards have led to vast occupation of land resources and caused severe environmental concerns. Steel slag particles can potentially be used as aggregates in concrete production. However, the volume stability of steel slag is poor, and the direct use of untreated steel slag aggregate (SSA) may cause cracking and spalling of concrete. The present research summarizes, analyzes, and compares the chemical, physical, and mechanical properties of steel slags. The mechanism and treatment methods of volume expansion are introduced, and the advantages, disadvantages, and applicable targets of these methods are discussed. Then, the latest research progress of steel slag aggregate concrete (SSAC) is reviewed. Using SSA leads to an increase in the density of concrete and a decrease in workability, but the mechanical properties and durability of SSAC are superior to natural aggregate concrete (NAC). Finally, future research in this field is proposed to motivate further studies and guide decision-making. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recycling and Development of New Building Materials or Products (Second Volume))

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