Abstract
Antimony (Sb) is a trace element applied widely in modern industry. A large number of tailing solid wastes are left and accumulated in the mining area after purifying the precious antimony from the antimony ores, causing serious pollution to the environment. The major aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility of utilizing antimony tailing coarse aggregate (ATCA) as a complete substitute for natural coarse aggregate (NCA) in high-strength concrete. Concrete specimens with 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% ATCA replacing the NCA in conventional concrete were prepared for evaluating the performance of ATCA concrete. The investigators find that ATCA concrete has good workability, and the mechanical properties and long-term behavior (shrinkage and creep) of ATCA concrete with all replacement levels are superior to those of NCA concrete. The durability indices of ATCA concrete, such as the frost-resistant, chloride permeability, and resistance to carbonation, are better than those of NCA concrete. While the alkali activity and cracking sensitivity behavior of ATCA concrete seem to be decreased, nevertheless, the difference is not significant and can be neglected. The researchers demonstrate that all of the control indices of ATCA concrete meet the requirements of the current industry standards of China. Overall, ATCA can be used in concrete to minimize environmental problems and natural resources depletion.
Highlights
Concrete is one of the most popularly used building and construction materials and has been widely researched [1,2,3]
It was explicitly found that the difference in workability between antimony tailing coarse aggregate (ATCA) and natural coarse aggregate (NCA) concrete was very small
The results show that the mechanical behavior of ATCA concrete with all replacement levels were superior to NCA concrete
Summary
Concrete is one of the most popularly used building and construction materials and has been widely researched [1,2,3]. The green and sustainable production of concrete has received much attention [4,5,6]. Coarse aggregate (CA), as the largest component of the concrete mix ratio, has continued to be increased in recent years. A large number of quarries are mined, negatively impacting the environment. The traditional ways to produce CA are not sustainable. Researchers are actively searching for substitutes for aggregates with minimum or no negative impact on the natural resources [7,8]. Some new eco-friendly concrete, including tailing concrete, recycled aggregate concrete, and waste ceramic aggregate concrete, have been extensively researched and successfully applied in civil engineering [9]
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