Comprehensive review on utilization of waste foundry sand in concrete

Abstract

Development of concrete as a construction material is most extensively used, around the world, leading to its inadvertent over exploitation. The extraction of the natural constituents of concrete, namely gravel and sand has a huge environmental impact. The insatiable demand for infrastructural development has led to the exploration of alternate constituents of concrete. The foundry industry waste can be a promising alternative to natural sand in concrete. In this article, the effectiveness of foundry sand, which is a byproduct of ferrous and non-ferrous metal casting industries having high silica content has been explored as a replacement for sand. The presence of silica in waste sand obtained from foundry draws attention towards its use in civil engineering applications such as partial replacement or full replacement of fine aggregate in production of concrete. Many studies have been performed on the use of waste foundry sand in concrete and concrete related items such as replacement of aggregate (fine), and bricks, blocks, and paving stones. The current study provides an idea about the scope of waste foundry sand utilization. It also yields the modification in physical, mechanical, microstructural, and durability properties of concrete.