Cellular Concrete with Addition of Aluminum Recycled Foil Powders

Abstract

Considering its advantage of low density and favorable insulation properties, there are several applications for lightweight autoclaved aerated concrete of uniform cellular structure.The raw materials for the manufacturing of cellular concrete are Portland cement, finely grounded sand and lime. These are batched and mixed with water and metallic aluminum powder finely divided. There is a reaction between the aluminum powder and hydroxides forming millions of hydrogen bubbles throughout the mixture.The aluminum powder is the highest cost component, and the objective of this work is replacing it for another gas forming agent, like recycled foil.The foils are grinded in a high energy ball mill (attritor). Quartz sand is mixed with aluminum foil to reduce the time required for grinding, obtaining spherical particles and ensuring a uniform distribution of aluminum in the gas forming agent.The activity of this gas forming agent was determined by the gas volumetric technique. Average particle size and compressive strength of the samples were measured. The relationship between volume of the gas released during the reaction and milling conditions are presented, showing its viability for producing a high quality cellular concrete.