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Dear Colleagues,

The need for civil engineering and building materials is continuously increasing, driven by the world population growth and the gradual human interest for modern infrastructures. These needs have led to an increase in the production and development of various building materials and building techniques. However, these developments are also impacting the environment in different ways, some of them being less environmentally friendly, with a high CO₂ footprint and significant impact on global warming. To mitigate these impacts, sustainable approaches should always be considered at different stages of the civil engineering and building materials sector, including raw materials selection, materials processing, and building techniques. A good management of construction and demolition wastes should also be considered. This Special Issue aims to regroup scientific contributions of potential interest for mitigating the environment impact of building materials and the construction sector. It is mainly focused on, but not limited to, original research and reviews articles involving sustainability considerations in the development and use of civil engineering and building materials. Studies related to a sustainable use of natural resources as well as waste recycling, for the development of common and innovative building materials are welcome. Sustainable processing and manufacturing techniques as well as innovative sustainable building techniques for environment preservation are also welcome.

Thank you for considering this invitation. We look forward to receiving your contributions.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Materials.

Best regards,

Prof. Dr. Uphie Chinje
Dr. Patrick Ninla Lemougna
Guest Editors

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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. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

sustainability
raw materials
waste management
building materials
processing techniques
construction
building application

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

26 pages, 16718 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on Mechanical Properties and Microscopic Mechanism of PVA-Modified Recycled Brick Aggregate Concrete

by Jisheng Qiu, Yuqing Zhang, Qing Qin, Zhijie Xiao, Tiantian Lei and Le Li

Sustainability 2024, 16(3), 1292; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16031292 - 02 Feb 2024

Viewed by 559

Abstract

This paper addresses a range of environmental issues stemming from the improper disposal of construction waste and its low recycling rate by examining the effects and mechanisms of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution in modifying recycled aggregates. Basic physical properties, energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed to study these effects and mechanisms. Tests on basic mechanical properties were performed to assess the impact of aggregate modification and the brick-concrete ratio on recycled brick-aggregate concrete’s mechanical characteristics. Nuclear magnetic resonance and microhardness tests were performed to analyze the influence exerted by PVA modification on the interfacial transition zone (ITZ), microstructure, and pore structure, thus exploring the connection between modified recycled-brick-aggregate concrete’s microstructure and its icromechanical properties. The findings show that the water absorption and crushing index of recycled aggregates (RA) immersed in a 10% PVA solution for 24 h decrease significantly, while the apparent density increases most notably. This phenomenon can be ascribed to the development of a PVA coating on the exterior of the reused aggregates. The optimal mechanical properties for recycled brick aggregate concrete (RAC) occur when the replacement rate is 30% and the brick-concrete ratio is 1:1. The compressive strength is 44.2 MPa, the bending strength is 15.6 MPa, and the splitting tensile strength is 3.85 MPa. Additionally, the modification with PVA results in a higher percentage of transition pores, while simultaneously reducing the percentage of macropores. There is an uptick in the frequency of harmless and less harmful pores, and a declining proportion of harmful and more harmful pores. The ITZ’s structural morphology in the RAC is effectively improved by the coating structure formed through the bonding of the polymer with cement hydration products, and PVA modification reduces the thickness of this zone. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Application of Civil Engineering Materials and Building Materials)

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22 pages, 7585 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synthesis and Evaluation of Geopolymer Mixtures Containing Chronologically Aged Basic Oxygen Furnace Slags

by Aizhan Tukaziban, Chang-Seon Shon, Dichuan Zhang, Jong Ryeol Kim, Ji-Hyun Kim and Chul-Woo Chung

Sustainability 2023, 15(24), 16934; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152416934 - 18 Dec 2023

Viewed by 684

Abstract

Applying industrial by-products as a substitution for conventional construction materials (natural resources) is a superior solution for the environment in terms of waste management and reduction in greenhouse emissions and for the construction industry in terms of cost and expenditure. Applying basic oxygen furnace slag (BOFS), one of the metallurgical industry by-products, as a construction material can be a high-potential and promising idea. However, the utilization of BOFS in construction applications is considerably limited because of its inherent characteristics leading to volumetric expansion behavior caused by the chemical reaction between free lime (f-CaO) and water. This study used geopolymer technology to stabilize the expansive behavior of chronologically aged BOFS aggregates. The compressive strength, expansion behavior, and drying shrinkage characteristics of a normal ordinary Portland cement (OPC) mixture and a geopolymer mixture containing siliceous river sand and chronologically aged BOFS aggregates were investigated. The test results showed that the compressive strength of geopolymer mixtures containing chronologically aged BOFS aggregate achieved 64.02 MPa, and the expansion behavior of geopolymer mixtures was improved compared with normal OPC mixtures containing the same BOFS aggregates, reaching 0.02% and 0.44%, respectively. However, due to the air-curing method, geopolymer mixtures had higher drying shrinkage values than normal OPC mixtures. Therefore, further studies should be conducted to investigate how to control the drying shrinkage of geopolymer mixtures containing chronologically aged BOFS aggregate. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Application of Civil Engineering Materials and Building Materials)

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