Elimination of Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Utilization of Industrial Wastes in High Strength Concrete for Environmental Protection

Abstract

Greenhouse gases prevalence in the atmosphere is a primary reason for global warming. The cement manufacturing sectors are a significant producer of greenhouse gases, contributing one metric tonne of carbon dioxide into the environment for every metric tonne of cement produced. The heat of concrete is increased by several degrees during the pozzolanic reaction, and CO2 is released. The development of binary and ternary cementitious systems has minimized the unfavorable reactions of conventional cementitious materials. Metakaolin and alccofine, two mineral admixtures derived as waste products from industries, were used as cement substitutes in this study. The compressive strength of alccofine was compared to a metakaolin-based high strength eco-friendly concrete mix of grade M50 in an experimental investigation. In the case of binary and ternary blended cementitious systems with alccofine and metakaolin, twelve alternative mix proportions were tested, ranging from 0 to 20% in 5% increments. Based on the observed mechanical characteristics of concrete, it was discovered that the optimum replacement of alccofine was 15% and metakaolin was 5% by volume of cement in the binary cementitious system. Similarly, in the ternary cementitious system, replacing 15% alccofine with 5% metakaolin in the cement mixture results in the greatest increase in compressive strength when compared to the other experiments. As a result, it is concluded that using extra cementitious materials in concrete with mineral admixtures such as alccofine and metakaolin results in significant cost and energy savings, as well as a notable reduction in environmental pollution.