Self-compacting concrete incorporating incinerated biomedical waste ash: a performance assessment

Abstract

Rapid technological advancement is underway in the sphere of material science research. Several studies have been undertaken around the globe over the last four decades to improve the strength and durability performance of concrete. As a result of ongoing research and experimentation, concrete no longer just consists of the traditional materials of cement, aggregates and water but has transformed into an engineered custom material with efficient new ingredients in order to meet the demands of the expanding construction industry. In this experimental study, biomedical waste incinerator ash (BMIA) was employed as a partial substitute for cement in self-compacting concrete (SCC), designed for M30 grade. BMIA was partially replaced with cement in proportions of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% by cement weight. This experimental work aimed to study the fresh, mechanical and durability characteristics of the SCC mixes incorporating BMIA. A suitable super-plasticizer was used to retain the rheological qualities of fresh concrete. To investigate the mechanical and durability characteristics, experiments on hardened concrete were performed. The results demonstrate that 5% of BMIA substitution for cement in the SCC mix had higher strength compared to all other mixes because BMIA’s fine particles filled the voids in the hardened concrete. Scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses were performed to examine the microstructure of BMIA substituted SCC versus conventional SCC mix. The chemical composition test revealed that BMIA can be employed in the SCC mix up to 5% efficiently, which will result in waste utilisation and disposal.