Role of lime, fly ash, and slag in cement pastes containing recycled concrete fines

Abstract

Construction and demolition waste recycling for production of new concrete is usually limited to the use of coarse aggregates, and efficient utilization of fine subsieve fractions remains an unresolved issue. In the presented research, Portland cement pastes containing 50% finely ground recycled concrete, blended with lime, fly ash, or blast furnace slag, were studied. SEM-BSE microscopy, EDX analysis, and porosimetry were employed for investigating their microstructure, individual stages of hydration were detected using calorimetry, shrinkage was optically monitored in the early stages of hardening, the evolution of Young’s modulus was assessed using the resonance method, and strength was determined from destructive tests. The study suggests that recycled concrete fines can be incorporated into cementitious composites in large amounts and even improve their properties, especially when blended with fly ash or blast furnace slag. Substitution of Portland cement in the studied pastes by recycled concrete led to a compressive strength deterioration, but also a reduction of shrinkage, and an increase of the tensile strength in bending by up to 26%.