Hydro-mechanical behavior of a newly developed sulfur polymer concrete

Abstract

This study has focused on evaluating the durability of the newly manufactured sulfur polymer concrete (SPC) from recycled waste materials such as sulfur (by-product from oil industry), fly ash (recovered from the gases of burning coal during the production of electricity) and desert sand from abundant sand dunes quarries. The first step in such manufacturing process is the sulfur modification using polymeric additives to control sulfur crystallization and to prevent macro-crystals growth. In a controlled temperature surroundings, modified sulfur was mixed with elemental sulfur, fly ash and desert sand to form the newly SPC. The durability of the SPC was evaluated in: de-ionized water, acidic solutions of 20, 40, 70, and 98 wt% H2SO4 solutions, and saline solutions of 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 wt% NaCl, at different temperatures for different periods of time. To compare the SPC results with known material, normal Portland cement concrete (PCC) mortars were also studied. The results indicated that the manufactured SPC material has high compressive strength, low hydraulic conductivity, and high resistance to permeation of water, and particularly resistant to corrosion in acid and salt environments.