Application of solid wastes for the production of sustainable concrete

Abstract

The production of concrete results in emissions of about 0.13 t of CO2 per ton of concrete, equal to 1/9th the emissions of cement. The tremendous usage of conventional raw material creates a negative impact on the concrete industry which can be minimized by the application of solid wastes as a raw material. The present paper reviews various solid wastes in different compositions to develop sustainable concrete. In view of the utilization of agro-industrial wastes as a pozzolanic material, their physical and chemical characterizations were reviewed. The crushing strength of high strength concrete incorporated with various agro-industrial wastes as a pozzolanic material was studied. This paper also proposes a procedure for producing manufactured coarse aggregates made of solid waste (i.e. sediment dredged from dam reservoir). The crushing strength of concrete incorporating the manufactured coarse aggregates was experimentally measured. Along with it, the physico-mechanical properties of the artificial sand, produced using the industrial solid wastes (i.e. fly ash) were analyzed. Reusing of solid waste as a substitute raw material will not only solve its disposal problems but also serves as an economical option to develop the sustainable concrete. The present paper is useful for various researchers involved in using solid wastes to develop the sustainable concrete.