Potential of industrial wastes and by products in concrete an innovative embodiment

International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET), ISSN 0976 – 6308

(Print), ISSN 0976 – 6316(Online), Volume 5, Issue 8, August (2014), pp. 101-113 © IAEME

101

POTENTIAL OF INDUSTRIAL WASTES AND BY- PRODUCTS IN

CONCRETE: AN INNOVATIVE EMBODIMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY

Arvind Prakash Srivastava1, Vasu Krishna

2

1Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, SRM University

2Estate Officer, BabaSaheb BhimRao Ambedkar Central University, Lucknow

ABSTRACT

In the 21st Century, we have been using the natural resources at a rate that cannot be

sustained indefinitely. Exploiting these resources and estent of energy used in their consumptions,

results degradation of our balanced ecological system in the form of pollutants, wastes generation,

heat sink effects in the cities etc. Tremendous amount of waste materials and by-products like

Ground granulated blast furnace slag, waste glass, plastic waste etc. are generated from the industrial

sector. Various environmental problems can be resolved by utilizing the industrial wastes and by

products to create beneficial construction materials. These materials also enhance the mechanical

and durability properties of the building material in which they are added. This research paper is the

initial step to bring forward the utilization of various industrial wastes and by products in the

concrete including their influence on the properties of concrete. Various industrial wastes discussed

in this paper are Coal fly ash, Metakaolin, Ground granulated blast furnace slag, Plastic waste, Glass

waste.

Keywords: Waste Materials, By-Products, Utilization, Properties.

I. INTRODUCTION

Increasing amount of industrial by products and wastes has become a major environmental

problem. These by products and wastes are not only difficult to dispose but also cause serious health

hazards. Today, the main aim of the environmental agencies and governments is to minimize the

disposal problem and health hazards of these wastes and by products. The productive use of these

materials is one of the best ways to alleviate some of the problems of the solid waste management.

One of the key solutions is to utilize these wastes in the concrete. But the question arises: Why in

Concrete?

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

AND TECHNOLOGY (IJCIET)

ISSN 0976 – 6308 (Print)

ISSN 0976 – 6316(Online)

Volume 5, Issue 8, August (2014), pp. 101-113

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102

Cement consumption in the world has increased exponentially since 1926 and is continuing

to increase. Because of its scale of consumption and manufacture, Cement is only next to fossil fuel

burning contributing to about 7 % Greenhouse gas emission [19]. Thus, control of this greenhouse

gas emission is a major issue for sustainable concrete. Use of supplementary cementitious material,

especially industrial waste and by-products in concrete to reduce cement clinker consumption is

currently being considered as a major step towards achieving sustainability of concrete. Thus

utilization of industrial waste and by-products in Concrete not only minimize the GHG’s emission

but also reduce the disposal problems and hazards caused by these wastes.

There are several types of industrial wastes which can be utilized in the concrete either as a

replacement of cement (or sand) or as an additive material. Some of these wastes are Coal Fly Ash,

Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag, Metakaolin, Waste Glass, Plastics, Wood Ash, Rice-husk ash

etc. It has been identified that utilisation of these wastes enhances some properties of the concrete.

Significant researches have been going on in various parts of the world related to these subjects.

Some waste products have established their credential in their usage in concrete while various

researches are being carried to understand their potential use in construction industry.

II. COAL FLY-ASH

Fly ash also known as pulverized fuel ash, is the ash precipitated from the exhaust of coal-

fired power stations, it is the most common artificial pozzolona. According to ASTM C618-94A, Fly

ash can be classified on the basis of coal from which the latter originates. Class F fly ash is the most

common fly ash derives from the bituminous coal. Sub- bituminous coal and lignite result in high-

lime ash, known as Class C fly ash.

Influence of fly ash on fresh properties of Concrete

The main influence of fly ash on fresh properties of concrete is reduction in water demand

and improved workability. For a constant workability, the reduction in water demand of concrete due

to introduction of fly ash is usually between 5-15 % in comparison to ordinary concrete [10].

Concrete mixtures with fly ash will require less water per cubic metre for a given slump

Influence of fly ash on hardened properties of Concrete

Strength Development Although concrete mixtures containing fly ash tend to gain strength at retarded rate than

concrete without fly ash, the long term strength (90 days and after) is usually higher [10]. It has been

found that pozzolonic reaction of fly ash is slow. The reaction of fly ash is also affected by the

properties of Portland cement with which it is used.

Fig.1: Effect of fly ash on compressive strength



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Durability of fly ash Concrete

Since reaction of fly ash is slow in concrete, initially, the concrete has higher permeability as

compared to ordinary concrete. However, with time, fly ash concrete exhibits very low permeability.

A concrete with 25% fly ash can have a coefficient of permeability at least one order of magnitude

less than a concrete without fly ash. This leads to enhanced durability as aggressive agents cannot

attack the concrete from within but are restricted to the concrete surface [2, 10]

Fig. 2: Permeability of fly ash vs. controlled mix concrete

Fly ash Concrete may contribute to the sulphate attack due to presence of lime and alumina in

the fly ash. However the use of low lime fly ash (ASTM Class F) can increase the sulphate resistance

of the concrete. The content of the fly ash should be generally between 20-40 % of the total

cementitious material [2].

Fig. 3: Expansion of the mortal in sodium sulphate solution

III. GROUND GRANULATED BLAST FURNACE SLAG (GGBS)

GGBS is a solid waste discharged by Iron and Steel industries. It is industrial by-product

obtained from pig iron through rapid cooling by water or quenching molten slag. Here, the molten

slag is produced which is instantaneously tapped and quenched by water. This rapid quenching of

molten slag facilitates the formation of “Granulated slag. GGBS is processed from Granulated slag.

If slag is properly processed then it develops hydraulic property and it can effectively be used as a

pozzolonic material. However, if slag is slowly air cooled then it is hydraulically inert and such

crystallized slag cannot be used as pozzolonic material [8]. GGBS can be grounded to a fineness of

any desirable value but usually it is finer than Portland cement. Increased fineness leads to increased

activity at early ages [10,22]. Table I shows the composition of GGBS [8].



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Table I: Composition of GGBS

Influence of GGBS on fresh properties of Concrete The presence of GGBS improves the workability of the concrete. It improves the mobility of

the mix and makes it cohesive also. This is due to surface characteristics of the GGBS which are

smooth and absorb little water during mixing [10]. Workability of the concrete mix containing

GGBS increases with the increase in surface are of the latter [11].

Influence of GGBS on hardened properties of concrete

Strength Development Concrete containing GGBS have long term strength development (generally after 56 days or

more). It is because the initial hydration of GGBS is very slow. The progressive release of alkalis by

the GGBS, together with the formation of Calcium Hydroxide by Portland cement, results in

continuing reaction of GGBS over a long period. [8] reported that concrete containing GGBS up to

30% does not show any increase in strength up to 28 days. Table 2 can illustrate the same:

Table II: Effect of GGBS (up to 30%) on the compressive strength

It is found that concrete containing 20-60% GGBS does not achieve the desirable strength

after 28 days of curing, where similar or higher long term strength are obtained with that of normal

concrete. The proportions of GGBS and Portland cement influence the development of strength of

the resulting concrete. For the highest medium term strength, 50% of GGBS in the cementitious

material is advised. But the early strength is lower as compared to ordinary cement concrete.

Composition Percentage

SiO2 34.4

Al2O3 21.5

Fe2O3 0.2

CaO+MgO+P2O5 43.24

SO3 0.66

Mix 0 %

GGBS

5 %

GGBS

10 %

GGBS

15 %

GGBS

20 %

GGBS

25 %

GGBS

30 %

GGBS

7 Days 21.03 20.74 20.44 19.85 18.07 16.88 15.40

14 Days 23.70 22.81 22.66 22.36 19.55 18.51 16.74

28 Days 26.9 25.00 24.59 24.49 20.88 20.74 18.81



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Fig 4: Compressive strength of GGBS concrete of various percentages [10]

Durability The value of Drying Shrinkage of concrete containing GGBS is always much smaller than the

Portland cement concrete. Figure 5 shows the test result of drying shrinkage of concrete with and

without GGBS [10].

Fig 5: Drying shrinkage of ggbs concrete with 0 to 180 days

Concrete containing GGBS is highly resistance to chloride penetration. Table III depicts the

test results of same [5].

Table III: Charge passed in Coulombs

The beneficial durability aspects of GGBS concrete is because of its dense micro-structures

as in this case pore space are filled with C-S-H rather than in Portland- cement- only paste. Due to

this Sulphate Resisting property of GGBS concrete is much better than ordinary cement concrete [10,

20, 22]. However to be effective, the content of GGBS must be at least 50% by mass of the total

cementitious material (preferably 60-70%).

Mix W/C 23.C 50

.C

OPC 0.4

0.5

4700

9800

12000

13000

GGBS

0.4

0.5

1300

1700

1500

2200



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IV. WASTE GLASS

It is estimated total solid waste generated each year in USA contain about 7% waste glass [9].

Definatly for the entire world, it would be much more. But unlike many of the other constituents, it

does not decay and is a permanent and often hazardous pollutant. Common glass contains about 70%

SiO2 and others including Al2O3, CaO, MgO etc. Crushed glass particles are generally angular in

shape and may contain some elongated and flat particles. The degree of angularity and the quantity

of flat and elongated particles depends on the degree of crushing. Recycling glass from the municipal

solid waste stream for use as a raw material in new glass products is limited because of the high cost

of collection and processing of waste glass. In addition, during collection and handling of waste

glass, high percentage of glass breakage limit the quantity of glass that can be actually recycled.

Several Researches has been carried out to utilize the waste glass in the concrete. The glass can

either be used as aggregate (coarse/fine) or as a partial replacement of cement. But the flat elongated

particle shape of crushed glass and the physical and chemical nature of the surface do not normally

make crushed glass a very suitable for any type of concrete. However, given an economic or

environmental incentive to dispose of the material, technical problems need not necessarily prevent

its successful utilization as aggregate.

Influence of Waste Glass on fresh properties of Concrete Whether used as coarse or fine aggregate, waste glass reduce the workability of the concrete

mix. Using a high proportion of waste glass decreases the slump value due to the fact that waste

glass has poor geometry. Waste Glass aggregate has sharper and angular shape which results in less

fluidity [9].

Influence of Waste Glass on Hardened properties of Concrete

Strength Development It is stated that smaller the size of the glass, the higher the strength of the concrete. Modhera

[12] showed that strength of the concrete increases with the percentage in replacement of the cement

by the glass fines but up to certain limit only. Table 4 can illustrate the same [12]

Table IV: Waste glass as a replacement of cement

Waste glass

percentage

Compressive Strength

(MPa)

0 27.33

5 28.87

10 30.08

15 31.85

20 33.86

25 30.82

30 24.44

35 22.72

40 19.25



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However if waste glass are used as a Coarse aggregate (10mm-20mm), the strength obtained

are comparatively less than the ordinary mix. Nevertheless, most of the values exceed the minimum

specified value for structural plain concrete. Figure given below shows the effect of glass aggregate

on the compressive strength of concrete

Fig 6: Waste glass as a replacement of coarse aggregate (Note: size of the crushed glass is about

19mm)

Durability Expansion is one of the major drawbacks concerned with concrete containing waste glass.

Several studies reported that all concrete with glass aggregates expands and cracks due to reaction

between glass aggregate and alkalis from cement, like traditional ASR [3]. However it is found that

use of low alkali Portland cement does not reduce the expansion of concrete made with crushed

glasses. The expansion of concrete containing glass aggregate is due to the imbibition of water by its

corrosion product N-C-S-H. In traditional ASR, reactive silica reacts with alkalis in the cement to

form N-C-S-H, which adsorb water and cause expansion [3]. It is also found that concrete containing

waste is less resistant to Sulphate attack. However according to [11], mineral additives (Silica fumes,

fly ash, glass powder) can reduce the expansion of the concrete and improves the durability of

concrete. Also size of the waste glass controls the expansion. The finer the particle size, the lesser

will be the expansion.

V. METAKAOLIN

Metakaolin (MK) is a pozzolonic material. It is manufactured from kaolin clay. Kaolin is a

fine, white, clay mineral that has been traditionally used in the manufacture of porcelain. It is silica

based product that, on reaction with calcium hydroxide, produces CSH gel. It also contains some

amount of alumina. MK is a very fine material. It is about 99.9% finer than 16µm. Major

constituents of MK are SiO2 and Al2O3.

Influence of MK on fresh properties of Concrete Workability of the concrete decreases with the inclusion of MK and decrease in workability

increases with the replacement level.[6] reported the slump of concrete containing 0, 5, 10 and 15%

MK. The results are shown in the table V.



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Table V: Slump value of concrete containing Metakaolin

Influence of MK on hardened properties of Concrete

Strength Development Compressive strength of Concrete increases if the MK is replaced up to 30 % only [15]. It

also contributes to the high early age strength development. Table VI shows the strength

development of concrete containing Metakaolin.

Table VI: 28 days test result of MK Concrete

The higher surface area Metakaolin yielded the highest strength and the fastest rate of

strength gain. The positive influence of the Metakaolin fineness on compressive strength was more

apparent at the later ages (i.e. 7 days or more). Furthermore, the 3 days compressive strength at 10%

and 15% Metakaolin replacement observed to be larger than the 28 days strength without

Metakaolin, confirming that Metakaolin has a pronounced influence on early age strength [15].

Durability Sulphate attack is one of the most aggressive deterioration that affects the durability of

concrete structures. MK increases the sulphate resistance of the concrete structure. [7] evaluated the

effect of MK on the sulphate resistance of the mortar. Cement were replaced with 0%, 5%, 10%,

15%, 20% and 25% of Metakaolin. The specimens were tested for Sulphate attack (using 5% of

Sodium Sulphate soln.). It was observed that expansion decreased with increase in MK content.

Metakaolin reduces the chloride ion permeability of the concrete structures. According [14],

the amount of chloride charge passes through MK concrete is lower than the ordinary concrete. Also

at higher w/b ratio, MK is more effective than SF in improving the resistance of concrete to chloride

ion penetration.

Mix Slump(mm)

OPC 100

MK 5% 30

MK 10% 20

MK 15% 5

Percentage of

Replacement

Compressive

Strength (MPa)

0 87.0

5 91.5

10 104.0

15 103.5



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Table VII: Charge passed (Coulombs) through samples

VI. WOOD ASH

The enormous amount of wastes produced during wood processing operations in many

countries provides challenging opportunities for the use wood wastes as a construction material. The

physical and the chemical properties of wood ash depend upon several factors such as species of

wood, combustion temperature etc. The average particle size of wood ash is about 230 µm [11]. The

major chemical components present in wood ash are SiO2, CaO, and Fe2O3. Wood ashes have very

less and slow pozzolonic activity however from strength point of view, they are quite satisfactory.

Influence of Wood ash on fresh properties of Concrete Strictly speaking, Wood ash reduces the workability of the concrete whatever the percentage

of replacement is. [4] reported the slump test of concrete containing different percentage (5,

10,15,20,25 and 30 by weight of cement) of waste wood ash used as an additive in concrete. The

values of slump are given in the table VIII.

Table VIII: Value of slump for different percentage of wood ash replacement

Percentage of

Replacement

Slump (mm)

0 62

5 8

10 5

15 2

20 5

25 0

30 0

w/b ratio Mix 3 Days 7 Days 28 Days

0.30

0 2461 2151 1035

5% MK 1327 1244 862

10% MK 417 347 199

20% MK 406 395 240

5% SF 1060 945 665

10% SF 567 445 360

0.50

0 5312 4054 2971

5% MK 4215 3765 2079

10% MK 1580 1247 918

20% MK 751 740 640

5% SF 3156 2047 1641

10% SF 3140 1877 1223



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Influence of Wood ash on Hardened properties of Concrete

Strength Development [4] determined the compressive strength of concrete made with various percentage of waste

wood ash. They reported that compressive strength generally increased with the age but decreased

with the increase in wood ash content. A possible explanation for this trend is that wood ash acts

more like filler in the matrix than as a binder. However there is a improvement in strength of wood

ash concrete (up to 20% replacement level) after 90 days. This is due to weak pozzolonic activity and

fine filler effect.

Durability [13] investigated the drying shrinkage of concrete mixture made with wood ash. Wood ash

percentage was 5, 8 and 12. They concluded that mix containing more wood ash has more drying

shrinkage. However there is not much effect on the wood ash concrete due to freezing and thawing.

VII. RICE HUSK ASH (RHA)

Rice Husk Ash is a by-product from agriculture industry. It is obtained by burning the rise

husk at controlled temperature and pressure. Completely burnt rise husk ash is grey to white in

colour. Rise husk ash contain significant amount of silica and thus it shows very good pozzolonic

properties. However, silica content in RHA depends on the temperature and duration of combustion

of rice husk. Well burnt and well- grounded RHA is very active and considerably improves the

strength and durability of cement and concrete.

Influence of RHA on fresh properties of Concrete

[16] studied the effect of RHA on the workability of Concrete. Cement was partially replaced

with 0, 20, 25 and 30% of RHA. Slump and Compaction factor results are given in the table IX.

Table IX: Workability of Concrete containing RHA

It is clear that slump decreases with the increase in RHA content however this decrement is

not too much, thus RHA can be utilized as a cement replacement in concrete.

Influence of RHA on hardened properties of Concrete

Strength Development It has been observed that RHA concrete exhibits higher compressive strength than the

ordinary cement concrete. However, early age strength development of RHA concrete is

comparatively low. [17] investigated the influence of 10% RHA on the concrete. The results were

compared with 10% Silica fume concrete and ordinary concrete. They concluded that RHA concrete,

RHA % Slump (mm) Compaction

Factor

0 40 0.926

30 33 0.93

40 30 0.92



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in general, achieved higher strength than ordinary concrete but lower than that of Silica fume

concrete. It is also suggested to replace the RHA up to 30% of the cement only [16].

Durability Chloride-ion penetration of concrete containing RHA is significantly less than the ordinary

concrete [17]. Table X illustrates the chloride-ion permeability of RHA concrete

Table X: Chloride-ion Penetration test results

Type of

Concrete W/C

Chloride Ion Resistance (Coulombs)

7 Days 28 Days

Control 0.40 3175 1875

10% RHA 0.40 875 525

10% SF 0.40 410 360

Concrete containing RHA shows excellent performance in the freezing-thawing test. The

RHA concrete shows good durability factor and very small changes in length, mass, pulse velocity

after 300 cycles of freezing-thawing [17]. RHA concrete shows resistance to Sulphate attack also.

[18] determined the Sulphate resistance of mortars made from ordinary Portland cement containing

fly-ash and rice husk ash (RHA). It was observed that expansion of ordinary cement mortars, in

Na2SO4 solution, was much larger than those made with blended cements.

CONCLUSION

1. Utilization of Industrial waste and by-products in concrete helps in waste disposal, reduction of

Greenhouse gases and thus contribute to Sustainable development.

2. Fly ash improves the workability of the concrete and contributes to the high later strength

development.

3. GGBS improves the workability of the concrete mix. Up to 30% GGBS does not show much

improvement in strength but more than 30% significant long term strength is developed.

4. Metakaolin decreases the workability of concrete. It increases the strength of concrete

especially after 7 days. Metakaolin up to 15% is sufficient to increase the strength and

durability.

5. Waste glass reduces the workability of the concrete. Glass fines can increase the strength but

up to certain percentage of replacement of cement only. Durability of concrete containing

waste glass can be affected due to expansion.

6. Wood ash lowers the workability of the concrete. Strength is also lowered with increase in

percentage of the wood ash. However wood ash concrete is not much affected by freezing-

thawing

7. Rice husk shows pozzolonic properties. It improves the strength and durability of the concrete

provided that Rice husk should be burnt properly. Upto 30% utilization of the Rice husk ash is

recommended.



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AUTHOR’S DETAIL

Vasu Krishna is a graduate in civil engineering from SRM University. He is member of ACI

committee on Sustainability of the Concrete. He has published various research paper related to the

field of Sustainability of the Concrete. He is member of ASCE, IRC, ICE-UK. Presently he is posted

as Estate Officer of Bhimrao Ambedkar Central University, MHRD, Govt of India.

Arvind Srivastava is Assistant Professor at SRM University. His areas of interest include

Sustainable Concrete Structures, Construction and Project Planning. He has published various papers

in different journals and conferences.

Potential of industrial wastes and by products in concrete an innovative embodiment

Technology

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