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Industrial Solid Wastes for Construction and Building Materials—Second Edition
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Industrial Solid Wastes for Construction and Building Materials—Second Edition

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2026 | Viewed by 4150

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Zengqi Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Metallurgical and Ecological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: solid waste; recycling; sustainable building materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Xiaoming Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Metallurgical and Ecological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: solid wastes; reuse; recycle; ecological building material
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue, entitled "Industrial Solid Wastes for Construction and Building Materials", covers the fields of environmental and materials science and engineering. It will focus on the utilization of industrial solid waste in construction and building materials, present technologies that aim to reduce the impact of waste on the environment, and assess the sustainable use of waste in society. It will also address the preparation of building materials using industrial solid waste as the main raw material, as well as the development of green production processes that can be employed in the fields of construction, environmental protection, energy storage, etc.

The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:

  • Cement, concrete, ceramics, bituminous materials, wall materials, road materials, bricks, mortars, additives, recycled materials, composite materials, and new building materials;
  • Porous materials (light weight, sound insulation, and heat insulation);
  • Energy storage materials;
  • The application of intellectualization in solid-waste-based building materials;
  • The application of industrial solid waste in building materials;
  • The application of advanced methods and techniques in solid-waste-based building materials;
  • The life cycle assessment of building materials.

Dr. Zengqi Zhang
Prof. Dr. Xiaoming Liu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • solid waste
  • resource utilization
  • building materials
  • porous materials
  • energy storage materials
  • intellectualization
  • life cycle assessment

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 4350 KB  
Article
Research on the Hydration Mechanism of Active Roof-Contact Backfill Materials: Effect of Expansive Agent Types and Dosages
by Zepeng Yan, Xun Chen, Guoqiang Wang, Shenghua Yin, Lijie Guo, Caixing Shi, Shishan Ruan and Jialu Zeng
Materials 2026, 19(4), 662; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19040662 - 9 Feb 2026
Viewed by 260
Abstract
Failure to fully backfill the goaf may result in increased exposure of roof strata, significantly raising the risk of roof collapses in mining zones and potentially causing surface subsidence, thereby endangering the safety of mining personnel. To address this issue, expansive agents are [...] Read more.
Failure to fully backfill the goaf may result in increased exposure of roof strata, significantly raising the risk of roof collapses in mining zones and potentially causing surface subsidence, thereby endangering the safety of mining personnel. To address this issue, expansive agents are utilized to produce active roof-contact backfill (ARCB) materials, which promote localized self-compaction of backfill materials in unroof-contact areas through hydration reactions. In this study, an isothermal calorimeter was employed to measure the ARCB hydration heat release rate curves of three types of expansive agents, CaO-based, MgO-based, and ettringite-based, at dosages ranging from 6% to 12%. Hydration kinetic parameters were calculated based on the Krstulovic–Dabic model. The influence of expansive agent type and dosage on these parameters was analyzed, and the hydration mechanism of ARCB materials was investigated. The results indicate that the hydration process of grouting materials using all three expansive agents follows five distinct stages: rapid reaction, induction, acceleration, deceleration, and decay. However, increasing the dosage of the CaO-based expansive agent will enhance heat release and prolong the duration of the acceleration stage. When the dosage is 12%, the total heat release reaches 327.4 J·g−1. At the same dose, the sample doped with MgO-based expansive agent was only 254.3 J·g−1, which was 22.3% lower than that of CaO-based, and the occurrence time of the second heat release peak was earlier. In contrast, the ettringite-based expansive agent shows a decreasing trend in heat release with increasing dosage. Furthermore, the use of CaO-based and MgO-based expansive agents allows the hydration process to bypass the phase boundary reaction (I) stage and directly enter the diffusion (D) stage. Ettringite-based expansive agents still undergo three stages, but exhibit a shortened nucleation and growth (NG) stage and an extended induction stage. Additionally, different expansive agents have varying effects on the crystal growth index (n), reaction rate constant, and degree of hydration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Industrial Solid Wastes for Construction and Building Materials—Second Edition)
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15 pages, 2630 KB  
Article
Mechanistic Insights into Full Solid-Waste Activators for Enhancing the Performance of Blast Furnace Slag–Fly Ash Cementitious Composites
by Huiying Zhang, Yongchun Li, Dingbang Wei, Xu Wu and Yapeng Wang
Materials 2025, 18(14), 3275; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18143275 - 11 Jul 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 953
Abstract
To address the practical limitations of conventional alkaline activators (e.g., handling hazards, cost) and promote the resource utilization of industrial solid wastes, this study developed a novel all-solid-waste activator system comprising soda residue (SR) and carbide slag (CS). The synergistic effects of SR-CS [...] Read more.
To address the practical limitations of conventional alkaline activators (e.g., handling hazards, cost) and promote the resource utilization of industrial solid wastes, this study developed a novel all-solid-waste activator system comprising soda residue (SR) and carbide slag (CS). The synergistic effects of SR-CS activators on the hydration behavior of blast furnace slag (GGBS)–fly ash (FA) cementitious composites were systematically investigated. Mechanical performance, phase evolution, and microstructural development were analyzed through compressive strength tests, XRD, FTIR, TG-DTG, and SEM-EDS. Results demonstrate that in the SR-CS activator system, which combines with desulfuriation gypsum as sulfate activator, increasing CS content elevates the normal consistency water demand due to the high-polarity, low-solubility Ca(OH)2 in CS. The SR-CS activator accelerates the early hydration process of cementitious materials, shortening the paste setting time while achieving compressive strengths of 17 MPa at 7 days and 32.4 MPa at 28 days, respectively. Higher fly ash content reduced strength owing to increased unreacted particles and prolonged setting. Conversely, desulfurization gypsum exhibited a sulfate activation effect, with compressive strength peaking at 34.2 MPa with 4 wt% gypsum. Chloride immobilization by C-S-H gel was confirmed, effectively mitigating environmental risks associated with SR. This work establishes a sustainable pathway for developing low-carbon cementitious materials using multi-source solid wastes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Industrial Solid Wastes for Construction and Building Materials—Second Edition)
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18 pages, 4306 KB  
Article
Optimizing the Thermal Treatment of Mining-Waste-Amended Clays for Ceramic Aggregates in Pavement Applications
by Murilo Miguel Narciso, Lisley Madeira Coelho, Sergio Neves Monteiro and Antônio Carlos Rodrigues Guimarães
Materials 2025, 18(13), 3180; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18133180 - 4 Jul 2025
Viewed by 843
Abstract
Mining activities generate large volumes of tailings with significant environmental impact but also the potential for sustainable reuse in construction materials. This study evaluates the production of ceramic aggregates from mixtures of clay, sand, and iron ore waste subjected to thermal treatment at [...] Read more.
Mining activities generate large volumes of tailings with significant environmental impact but also the potential for sustainable reuse in construction materials. This study evaluates the production of ceramic aggregates from mixtures of clay, sand, and iron ore waste subjected to thermal treatment at temperatures ranging from 600 to 1100 °C. The influence of calcination temperature on mineralogical transformations and mechanical integrity was investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the α-Treton parameter, derived from standardized impact resistance testing. The results indicate that the formation of metakaolinite between 700 and 900 °C enhances mechanical resistance, while higher temperatures (>900 °C) lead to structural degradation, followed by partial recovery due to mullite crystallization. The α-Treton curve exhibited clear correlation with the phase changes identified by XRD, demonstrating its applicability as a low-cost, sensitive proxy for optimizing thermal activation. A simplified methodology is proposed to optimize the thermal activation of such materials by correlating firing temperature with mineralogical evolution and mechanical integrity, contributing to the development of sustainable ceramic aggregates for pavement applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Industrial Solid Wastes for Construction and Building Materials—Second Edition)
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18 pages, 4781 KB  
Article
Comprehensive Study on Design Optimization and Retardation Mechanism of SS-GGBS-FA Ternary Geopolymer Mortar
by Chen Jin, Jian Geng and Genjin Liu
Materials 2025, 18(10), 2388; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18102388 - 20 May 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 869
Abstract
A ternary geopolymer mortar (TGM) was synthesized using steel slag (SS), granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), and fly ash (FA) as raw materials. The effect of the SS content (0–60%) and the GGBS/FA mass ratio (5:1 to 1:5) on the TGM’s setting time [...] Read more.
A ternary geopolymer mortar (TGM) was synthesized using steel slag (SS), granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), and fly ash (FA) as raw materials. The effect of the SS content (0–60%) and the GGBS/FA mass ratio (5:1 to 1:5) on the TGM’s setting time was studied. To address the issue of rapid setting, the impact of different mixing methods ((A) dry mixing, (B) pre-dissolution, and (C) pre-coating) and dosages of BaCl2 on the setting and hardening properties of TGM was further explored. The hydration product evolution and microstructural characteristics were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), with an in-depth analysis of the retarding mechanism of BaCl2. The results indicate that, as the steel slag content increases, the setting time of TGM significantly shortens. The setting time decreases slightly with an increase in the GGBS/FA mass ratio. The mixing method influences the retarding effect of BaCl2, with the C method showing significant advantages over both the A and B methods. Under the C mixing method, BaCl2 consumes the alkaline components (SiO32−) in the alkaline activator and forms a BaSiO3 coating layer on the precursor surface, which further delays the hydration process of the precursor particles. This study provides a promising approach for the high-value utilization of multi-source solid waste and suggests that future research should focus on large-scale application strategies and long-term performance evaluation to support its practical use in sustainable construction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Industrial Solid Wastes for Construction and Building Materials—Second Edition)
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Review

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22 pages, 604 KB  
Review
A Review of Steel Slag Carbonation: Mechanisms, Applications, and Sustainability Assessment
by Xinyue Liu, Xianbin Ai, Zhigang Que, Xiaoming Liu and Zengqi Zhang
Materials 2026, 19(2), 286; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19020286 - 9 Jan 2026
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 654
Abstract
Steel slag (SS), as a major solid waste of the steel industry, has CO2 sequestration potential due to its rich calcium and magnesium alkaline components. SS carbonation is a promising strategy gaining industrial traction to simultaneously treat industrial solid waste and greenhouse [...] Read more.
Steel slag (SS), as a major solid waste of the steel industry, has CO2 sequestration potential due to its rich calcium and magnesium alkaline components. SS carbonation is a promising strategy gaining industrial traction to simultaneously treat industrial solid waste and greenhouse gases. This article firstly describes the properties of SS and summarizes the research progress of SS carbonation. The classification of mineral carbonation technology is introduced, and the advantages and disadvantages are analyzed. The key factors affecting the SS carbonation are discussed. Then, the current industrial application status and life cycle assessment results are summarized. Finally, the conclusions are summarized, and the future research direction is proposed. Carbonation of SS can effectively fix CO2 and produce high-value-added products, realizing a win–win situation of environmental and economic benefits, which is of great significance to the green transformation of the steel industry and the realization of the “double carbon” goal. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Industrial Solid Wastes for Construction and Building Materials—Second Edition)
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