Experimental application of Waste Bleaching Clays in the production of construction materials for Civil Infrastructures

Abstract

The respect for the environment and the saving of natural resources are current problems, which affect all the sectors within a modern society. In the civil engineering field, the main action to overcome these issues is related to the research on innovative solutions, able to combine the environmental benefits with the reduction of costs. As a consequence, the recycling and reuse of wastes and industrial-by products for the production of new materials represent the new frontier in the constructions sector. In the light of the above, the present work shows a laboratory study on the application of a waste digested bleaching clay for the production of materials within civil infrastructures field. The final aim of the project is to give scientific evidence of the use of this industrial-by product as construction material. Furthermore, to combine the dual effect of reducing the quantities of material disposed to landfill with the definition of a functional intended use for this waste. The research project was divided in four macro-activities, each of which is focused on a specific sector of the civil infrastructures. In every activity, the validation of the possible experimental application was given through a full laboratory characterization and by the comparison of results with the requirements imposed by the most common technical specifications for building materials.