Engineering, Durability, and Sustainability Properties Analysis of High-Volume, PCC Ash-Based Concrete

Jaehyun Lee,Taegyu Lee,Jaemin Jeong,Jaewook Jeong

doi:10.3390/su12093520

Jaehyun Lee, Taegyu Lee + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093520

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Abstract

This study aims to analyze the engineering properties and durability of binary blended concrete incorporating pulverized coal combustion ash (PCC ash) produced in local areas and assesses the sustainability. For this, tests and evaluations were carried out under conditions in which the unit binder weight and unit water weight were fixed at 330 and 175 kg/m3, respectively, while the replacement ratio of PCC ash increased from 0% to 70% at 10% intervals. The results showed that the replacement ratio of PCC ash should be less than 38.9% in order to secure the target compressive strength (fck = 24 MPa) at the age of 28 days in field application. The durability test found that as the replacement ratio of PCC ash increased, the carbonation depth and relative dynamic elastic modulus increased, while the chloride penetration depth decreased. However, the weight–loss ratio remained similar. It was also found that the optimum PCC ash replacement ratio, which satisfies four durability parameters and can ensure the target compressive strength (fck = 24 MPa) in the case of mix proportion conditions set in this study, ranges from 20.0% to 38.9%. The sustainability assessment results showed that as the replacement ratio of PCC ash increased, the global warming potential (GWP), ozone layer depletion potential (ODP), acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), photochemical ozone creation potential (POCP) and abiotic depletion potential (ADP) decreased. Therefore, it was proven that the replacement of PCC ash instead of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) under the same concrete mix proportions is effective at reducing environmental impacts.

Highlights

Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials in the world and has been known to cause serious environmental pollution because it consumes huge amounts of energy and raw materials
Thomas (2007) [28] reported that the well-proportioned pulverized coal combustion ash (PCC ash) concrete mixture improved workability compared to ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete
The optimal PCC ash replacement ratio and environmental impacts were derived, and the results are summarized as follows: (1) The overall compressive strength decreased as the PCC ash replacement ratio increased in hardened concrete, and the compressive strength at 56 days showed a tendency to decrease rapidly in the range with a replacement ratio of 40% or higher

Summary

Introduction

Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials in the world and has been known to cause serious environmental pollution because it consumes huge amounts of energy and raw materials. It can have a significant effect on sustainability [1,2]. Ordinary Portland cement (OPC), which is the most important component in concrete, is responsible for the wasting of resources, huge consumption of energy, and environmental pollution [3]. High levels of dust flying from the cement production process can pollute the air and generates fumes, thereby causing environmental pollution [5]. The replacement of OPC with FA is known to have certain advantages, such as improved processability and durability, in terms of economy and performance [7,8]

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