Evaluating resistance of ceramic waste tile self-compacting concrete to sulphuric acid attack

Abstract

Ceramic waste tile aggregates produced from mixed coloured tile were utilized in self-compacting concrete (SCC). This research was aimed at assessing the performance of SCC in sulphuric acid environment by introducing ceramic waste tile (CWT) as natural fine aggregate replacement in different ratios (0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100%). SCC samples were exposed to a 3% sulphuric acid solution for 7, 28, 90 and 180 days. The transformation of mass, compressive strength, and micro-structure were used to assess the performance of concrete. It was discovered that CWT was sacrificial in nature when the SCC samples were subjected to an acidic environment, which helped to prevent damage to the cement hydration components that provided the strength. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed that the presence of CWT led to substantially less damage to the hydration products. Furthermore, the increment in replacement level after 60% has shown an increment of void ratio, leading to reduction in preliminary mechanical characteristics. It was concluded that 60% replacement level may provide the highest optimum performance in terms of compressive strength and sulphuric acid resistance. According to economic and ecological studies, SCC mixtures that comprise CWT are economical and have lower embodied energy and lesser CO2 emissions.