Using a combination of industrial and agricultural wastes to manufacture sustainable ultra-high-performance concrete

Today, recycling and the use of eco-friendly construction supplies are major concerns for the environment. Concrete is frequently utilized in the engineering and construction sectors. In the past several decades, ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC), characterized by very high mechanical qualities, has emerged as one of the most popular types of concrete. Huge quantities of Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) are often utilized; this increases the price of UHPC, limits its widespread usage in structural applications, produces a substantial quantity of carbon dioxide, and uses a sizable amount of natural resources. It is recommended that other additives be used in lieu of OPC in concrete preparation and that recycled aggregates from a variety of sources be used in place of natural aggregates to make UHPC production more environmentally friendly and economically feasible. This study combines industrial and agricultural waste to create an affordable and sustainable UHPC. For example, glass particles (GP) as a manufacturing byproduct generated by glass waste (GW) are utilized as an alternative for fine aggregate sand (S) with substitution ratios of 0 %, 50 %, and 100 %, while wheat straw ash (WSA), as an agricultural byproduct, is utilized as an OPC substitute at varying substitution ratios 0 %, 10 %, 20 %, and 30 %. We conducted and analyzed experiments with 12 mixtures divided into three groups. Several factors are studied, including slump flow, mechanical characteristics, drying shrinkage, high temperature, and microstructural features. Based on the obtained outcomes, boosting the percentage of GP utilized to substitute the S made it more workable. In addition, replacing 20 % of the OPC with WSA and 0 % of the S with GP yielded the best results in terms of mechanical characteristics. Increasing the WSA replacement rate while fixing GP to S substitution level significantly reduced drying shrinkage values. Lastly, the compressive strength (fc) findings of UHPC structural components exposed to elevated temperatures up to 200 degrees C were enhanced using GP as a replacement for S. In brief, the results of this experimental investigation can contribute well to illustrating the effect of utilizing GP and WSA to manufacture sustainable ultra-highperformance concrete.

Automated summary

Recycling and using eco-friendly construction supplies are important for the environment. To make ultra-high performance concrete more environmentally friendly and economically feasible, alternatives to ordinary Portland cement and natural aggregates should be used. This study combines industrial and agricultural waste to create an affordable and sustainable ultra-high performance concrete.