Abstract
The abandonment of coal energy plants in the near future will result in a substantially reduced availability of the coal fly ash broadly used as an efficient supplementary material. In line with the growth of alternative and renewable energy resources, the amount of biomass-based ash rises substantially. Nevertheless, a diverse chemical composition prevents a broader utilization of biomass-based fly ash compared to coal ash on an industrial scale. On this account, the present work is aimed at investigating the basic physical and mechanical properties of concrete mortars modified by a high volume of biomass fly ash (BFA) from wood combustion. Delivered results confirm a significant potential of BFA in the building industry. Experimental analysis of concrete mortars with BFA reveals preservation or even improvement of compressive and bending strength up to 30 wt.% cement replacement. On the contrary, higher dosages induce a gradual decrease in mechanical performance. The performed Life Cycle Assessment analysis reveals the perspective of BFA incorporation taking into account environmental issues considering the ratio between preservation of mechanical performance per normalized endpoint environmental score that allows a direct comparison with other alternatives.
Highlights
Portland cement was used for many decades as a primary binding material, which provides excellent mechanical performance compared to several other materials
The performed work contemplates the utilization of biomass fly ash originated in the biomass power plant as a partial replacement of Portland cement for building elements
Prospective results can be expected for strength development at later ages due to pozzolanic properties and improved self-healing capability
Summary
Portland cement was used for many decades as a primary binding material, which provides excellent mechanical performance compared to several other materials. The worldwide production of cement binder amounts to almost 5 Gt and due to high calcination temperature requires significant energy inputs. The cement industry is responsible for almost 10% of the worldwide carbon diode emission associated with anthropogenic activity [1]. This field has attracted the attention of several researchers in order to access an adequate solution to reduce the consumption of Portland cement by the utilization of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) [2,3,4,5,6]. The research aimed at the investigation of various industrial by-products has revealed many having latent hydraulic properties or so-called pozzolans. Utilization of SCMs was found beneficial by Abbas et al [5] for control of the alkali–silica reaction by incorporation of sugarcane bagasse ash and reactive aggerates, which lowered the CaO/SiO2 ratio thanks to alkali absorption and dilution processes
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