Perception on the employment of treated sewage in concrete production

Abstract

Civil construction is responsible for the consumption of large amounts of water in concrete manufacturing, hydration of cementitious materials, equipment cleaning and aggregate washing. Therefore, the employment of reclaimed water in concrete production could be a relevant possibility for large-scale recycling, cost reduction and conscious use of raw materials, whose potential is currently little explored in the world. This study is aimed at understanding how civil engineers and architects see the applicability of reclaimed water, both as part of the concrete mixture and in its production process. A total of 94% of the professionals interviewed accepted the reclaimed water; however, they observed that the greatest difficulty for the commercialization of such concrete is the low acceptance of the product by consumers.