Microwave enhanced stabilization of heavy metal sludge

A microwave process can be utilized to stabilize the copper ions in heavy metal sludge. The effects of microwave processing on stabilization of heavy metal sludge were studied as a function of additive, power, process time, reaction atmosphere, cooling gas, organic substance, and temperature. Copper leach resistance increased with addition of aluminum metal powder, with increased microwave power, increased processing time, and using a gaseous environment of nitrogen for processing and air for cooling [N2/air]. The organic in the sludge affected stabilization, whether or not the organic smoldered. During heating in conventional ovens, exothermic oxidation of the organic resulted in sludge temperatures of about 500 degrees C for oven control temperatures of 200-500 degrees C. After microwave heating dried the sludge, the sludge temperature rose to 500 degrees C. The reaction between copper ions and metal aluminum in the dried sludge should be regarded as a solid phase reaction. Adding aluminum metal powder and reaction temperature were the key parameters in stabilizing copper in the heavy metal sludge, whether heated by microwave radiation or conventional oven. The mass balance indicates insignificant volatization of the copper during heating.     

Investigation into the stabilization/solidification performance of Portland cement through cement clinker phases

This research studied the influence of individual heavy metal on the hydration reactions of major cement clinker phases in order to investigate the performance of cement based stabilization/solidification (S/S) system. Tricalcium silicate (C3S) and tricalcium aluminate (C3A) had been mixed with individual heavy metal hydroxide including Zn(OH)2, Pb(OH)2 and Cu(OH)2, respectively. The influences of these heavy metal hydroxides on the hydration of C3S and C3A have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry-thermogravimetry (DSC-TG). A mixture of Zn(OH)2, Pb(OH)2 and Cu(OH)2 was blended with Portland cement (PC) and evaluated through compressive strength and dynamic leach test. XRD and DSC-TG data show that all the heavy metal hydroxides (Zn(OH)2, Pb(OH)2 and Cu(OH)2) have detrimental effects on the hydration of C3A, but only Zn(OH)2 does to the C3S at early curing ages which can completely inhibit the hydration of C3S due to the formation of CaO(Zn(OH)2).2H2O. Cu6Al2O8CO(3).12H2O, Pb2Al4O4(CO3)(4).7H2O and Zn6Al2O8CO(3).12H2O are formed in all the samples containing C3A in the presence of metal hydroxides. After adding CaSO4 into C3A, the detrimental effect of heavy metals increases due to the coating effect of both calcium aluminate sulphates and heavy metal aluminate carbonates. The influence of heavy metal hydroxide on the hydration of C3S and C3A can be used to predict the S/S performance of Portland cement.     

Some Engineering Properties of Limestone Concrete

In order to reduce energy consumption and CO₂ emission and increase production, cement manufacturers are blending or intergrinding mineral additives such as slag, natural pozzolans, sand, and limestone. The reduced cost of limestone is mainly due to energy savings by substitution of a portion of the calcined clinker with a small amount of limestone and to the presence of limestone deposits near cement kilns, and hence, reduced transportation costs. This paper reports on a preliminary study underway on the performance of limestone cement mortar and concrete. The effect of different levels of limestone cement replacement (0% to 35%) on physical and mechanical properties of cement mortar is reported, as well as the effect of fineness of both clinker and limestone. From the test results, it was found that it is possible to manufacture cement with limestone addition with comparable or superior performance to that of ordinary Portland cement, provided that proper limestone quality is selected with optimum content and the optimum levels of fineness of both limestone and clinker are used. However, further research is needed to determine long-term performance, especially in marine and hot environments.     

高岭土对混凝土强度的影响因素研究

通过胶砂试验的方法研究了高岭土矿物掺合料对水泥胶砂的影响。由试验结果得知,28天龄期时,随高岭土量的增加,水泥胶砂抗压强度和抗折强度均下降．然而高岭土的细度和煅烧与否胶砂的强度没有影响。     

The spalling strength of ultra-fiber reinforced cement mortar

This is a research report about the effects of polypropylene fiber and wood fiber on mechanical properties of cement mortar. First, using advanced Hopkinson pressure bar (HPB) tests, it investigates the wave propagation in cement mortar comprised polypropylene fiber and wood fiber. Second, according to the experiment, the spallation position is recorded by high-speed camera. Thirdly, it analyzes the test data of ultra-fiber reinforced and common cement mortar by numerical method. Finally, it deduces the spalling strength of all kinds of cement mortar by integrating all experimental data above. The results indicate that, compared with the strength of common cement mortar, the dynamic spalling strength of ultra-fiber especially that of the polypropylene fiber reinforced cement mortar increases evidently. However, adding too much fibers will deteriorate the dynamic spalling strength of cement mortar specimen. So the results will provide a test basis for further optimizing performance of cement mortar.     

Optimization of calcium chloride content on bioactivity and mechanical properties of white Portland cement

This research investigates the optimization of calcium chloride content on the bioactivity and mechanical properties of white Portland cement. Calcium chloride was used as an addition of White Portland cement at 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10% by weight. Calcium chloride was dissolved in sterile distilled water and blended with White Portland cement using a water to cement ratio of 0.5. Analysis of the bioactivity and pH of white Portland cement pastes with calcium chloride added at various amounts was carried out in simulated body fluid. Setting time, density, compressive strength and volume of permeable voids were also investigated. The characteristics of cement pastes were examined by X-ray diffractometer and scanning electron microscope linked to an energy-dispersive X-ray analyzer. The result indicated that the addition of calcium chloride could accelerate the hydration of white Portland cement, resulting in a decrease in setting time and an increase in early strength of the pastes. The compressive strength of all cement pastes with added calcium chloride was higher than that of the pure cement paste, and the addition of calcium chloride at 8 wt.% led to achieving the highest strength. Furthermore, white Portland cement pastes both with and without calcium chloride showed well-established bioactivity with respect to the formation of a hydroxyapatite layer on the material within 7 days following immersion in simulated body fluid; white Portland cement paste with added 3%CaCl₂ exhibited the best bioactivity.     

Phase transformations and mechanical strength of OPC/Slag pastes submitted to high temperatures

Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS or “slag”) is a by product of the steel industry and is often used in combination with ordinary Portland cement (OPC) as a binder in concrete. When concrete is exposed to high temperatures, physical and chemical transformations lead to significant loss of mechanical strength. Past studies have reported changes in concrete where OPC is 100% of the binder, but there is a lack of published data on slag blended cements. This work provides better understanding of how slag blended cement pastes behave when exposed to high temperatures, when the critical transformations occur, and what the consequences in the structure of these pastes are. Thermogravimetric analysis made it possible to identify when the transformations occurred and the changes in mechanical strength in the cement paste. A unique outcome of this work is the lower damage presented by slag blended cements after exposure to high temperatures     

The assistance of microwave process in sludge stabilization with sodium sulfide and sodium phosphate

After industrial wastewater sludge passed through an acid-extraction process to reclaim most of the copper ions in it, the residue may still need to be treated by stabilization technologies. The common method for the stabilization of hazardous waste in Taiwan is by cement solidification. However, this method has the disadvantage of an increase in waste volume. In this study, it was tried to combine the advantages of sulfur anions and phosphate anions with the characteristics of microwave energy to offer a new method which can avoid the disadvantage of cement solidification. From the results, it was found that the assistance of heating in sludge stabilization with additives was effective. Huge amounts of additives were saved. Compared with the assistance of the traditional electrical-heating in sludge stabilization with additives, that of the microwave process saved much time and was more powerful. However, when the reaction time was longer, a re-leaching situation would occur. The hybrid microwave process, a procedure of leading an inert gas into the microwave process, could overcome the disadvantage of the microwave process with regard to the long reaction time. Finally, a modified hybrid microwave process which reduced the use of gas was performed and recommended.     

Improvement of strength distribution inside slab concrete by vacuum dewatering method

The strength and hardness of concrete slab surface is considered significantly affected by bleeding of concrete. It has been reported that dewatering by vacuum processing is quite effective to obtain high density of concrete. The method, however, has not been successfully used for the concrete work in the field of building construction, compared with that of civil engineering works in Japan. In the present study, firstly the state of the art concerning vacuum dewatering method is reviewed and the newly improved vacuum dewatering method is introduced. Then the effect of the proposed method on concrete properties of slab is examined by a series of experiments in order to find more reasonable and effective way in the application of the proposed method.     

Effect of sodium silicate- and ethyl silicate-based nano-silica on pore structure of cement composites

This study proposes using sodium silicate-based nano-silica (SS) in cement composites. The effect of the addition of the proposed nano-silica on cement composites was compared to that of conventional ethyl silicate-based nano-silica (ES) and silica fume (SF). This study found that the inclusion of SS in cement composites has mainly two effects on their properties: one is a fast pozzolanic reaction, and the other is a pore-filling effect in a cement matrix. As a result, SS dramatically improves the early-age strength of cement composites by up to 184% and 152%, compared to a control specimen and the specimen with ES inclusion, respectively. Calorimetry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) tests were conducted to monitor the effects of these nano-silicas.     

Efficiency of RC square columns repaired with polymer-modified cementitious mortars

This paper regards the axial behavior of reinforced concrete columns repaired by polymer-modified cementitious mortars. Tests were performed on eight columns with square cross-section: six were repaired with three types of polymer-modified cementitious mortars on all faces, two were in non-damaged and non-repaired condition (control elements). Tests were repeated varying mechanical properties (elastic modulus and compressive strength) of repair materials, maintaining the same repair thickness, including the reinforcement bars. Comparisons between repaired and control elements showed that polymer-modified cementitious mortars cannot restore the original load-bearing capacity of columns. In spite of this, selection of mortar mechanical properties plays a significant role. Among the three types of repair mortar tested in this experimental study, using the material with the most similar elastic modulus and higher compressive strength than that of the concrete substrate is recommended.     

Creep analysis of concrete containing rice husk ash

This paper presents an experimental study on the mechanical properties of concrete added with rice husk ash (RHA) as a supplementary cementitious material. The compressive strength, modulus of elasticity and creep were obtained experimentally from specimens with different RHA contents (0%, 10%, 15% and 20% of binder). The results show that the addition of RHA in concrete can improve both the compressive strength and modulus of elasticity and reduce the creep of concrete. The examination of pore micro-structure of hardened concrete using both the mercury intrusion porosimetry and scanning electron microscope techniques demonstrates that RHA particles can react with calcium hydroxide originated from cement hydration to produce additional C-S-H, which can fill voids and large pores and thus reduces the porosity related to capillary pores and voids. In addition, the release of absorbed water, which is retained in the small pores of RHA particles at early days, can improve cement hydration and thus reduce the porosity related to gel pores.     

Experimental study on the dynamic compressive mechanical properties of concrete at elevated temperature

Strain rate effect and temperature effect are two important factors affecting the mechanical behavior of concrete. Each of them has been studied for several years. However, the two factors usually work together in the engineering practice. It is necessary to understand the mechanical responses of concrete under high strain rate and elevated temperature. A self-designed high temperature SHPB apparatus was used to study the dynamic compressive mechanical properties of concrete at elevated temperature. The results show that the dynamic compressive strength and specific energy absorption of concrete increase with strain rate at all temperatures. The elastic modulus decreases obviously with strain rate at room temperature and stabilizes at a level with slightly decrease at elevated temperature. The dynamic compressive strength of concrete at 400 °C increases by nearly 14% compared to the room temperature. However, it decreases at 200 °C, 600 °C and 800 °C with the decrease ratio of 20%, 16% and 48%, respectively. The dynamic elastic modulus decreases largely subjected to elevated temperature. The specific energy absorption at 200 °C, 400 °C and 600 °C is higher than room temperature and decreases to be lower than room temperature at 800 °C. Formulas are established under the consideration of mutual effect of strain rate and temperature.     

Improving strength, drying shrinkage, and pore structure of concrete using metakaolin

This paper presents the results of an investigation on the use of metakaolin (MK) as a supplementary cementing material to improve the performance of concrete. Two MK replacement levels were employed in the study: 10% and 20% by weight of the Portland cement used. Plain and PC-MK concretes were designed at two water–cementitious materials (w/cm) ratios of 0.35 and 0.55. The performance characteristics of the concretes were evaluated by measuring compressive and splitting tensile strengths, water absorption, drying shrinkage, and weight loss due to the corresponding drying. The porosity and pore size distribution of the concretes were also examined by using mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP). Tests were conducted at different ages up to 120 days. The results revealed that the inclusion of MK remarkably reduced the drying shrinkage strain, but increased the strengths of the concretes in varying magnitudes, depending mainly on the replacement level of MK, w/cm ratio, and age of testing. It was also found that the ultrafine MK enhanced substantially the pore structure of the concretes and reduced the content of the harmful large pores, hence made concrete more impervious, especially at a replacement level of 20%.     

Prediction of FRP-confined compressive strength of concrete using artificial neural networks

Strengthening and retrofitting of concrete columns by wrapping and bonding FRP sheets has become an efficient technique in recent years. Considerable investigations have been carried out in the field of FRP-confined concrete and there are many proposed models that predict the compressive strength which are developed empirically by either doing regression analysis using existing test data or by a development based on the theory of plasticity. In the present study, a new approach is developed to obtain the FRP-confined compressive strength of concrete using a large number of experimental data by applying artificial neural networks. Having parameters used as input nodes in ANN modeling such as characteristics of concrete and FRP, the output node was FRP-confined compressive strength of concrete. The idealized neural network was employed to generate empirical charts and equations for use in design. The comparison of the new approach with existing empirical and experimental data shows good precision and accuracy of the developed ANN-based model in predicting the FRP-confined compressive strength of concrete.     

Accelerated microwave curing of concrete: A design and performance-related experiments

Microwave (MW)-accelerated curing has emerged as an innovative and popular curing method for concrete materials. This paper reports the results of a study to model the horn antenna used for the MW irradiation of a workpiece with a mobile MW-accelerated concrete curing unit, based on a coupled thermal and electromagnetic analysis. The mathematical models were useful for evaluating the heat generation within a horn antenna and as a basis for constructing a mobile MW-accelerated curing unit with an operating frequency of 2.45 GHz and a MW power level of 800 W. Further, the early-age compressive strength development and volume stability of MW-cured concrete were investigated in terms of its shrinkage and compared to the properties of autoclave-cured concrete. The design results showed that under the concept of the allowable maximum temperature for the concrete workpiece, which was controlled to less than 80 °C, a horn antenna that was 216.70 mm wide, 333.68 mm long, and 273.0 mm high produced a uniform thermal distribution in a concrete workpiece. Moreover, experimental investigations showed that the application period for curing using a mobile MW-curing unit was considerably shorter than that in autoclave curing methods. The appropriate delay time (time after concrete mixing) was 30 min, and MW irradiation for 45 min could improve the maximum 8-h early-age compressive strength of MW-cured concrete, whereas an application time of 15 min produced the 28-day compressive strength. When a concrete workpiece was cured at high temperature using MW energy for more than 15 min at a temperature greater than 80 °C, the effect was a continuous increase in the early-age compressive strength, which was greater than that achieved by autoclave curing. In terms of volumetric stability, MW-curing for 30 and 45 min increased the ultimate shrinkage to a greater extent than that by autoclave curing and vice versa in the case of a MW application time of 15 min.     

Microstructure and mechanical performance of modified mortar using hemp fibres and carbon nanotubes

Mechanical performance of modified mortar using hemp fibres is studied following various processing conditions. Hemp fibres combined with carbon nanotubes (CNT) are introduced in mortar and their effect is studied as function of curing time. The cement phase is replaced by different percentages of dry or wet hemp fibres ranging from 1.1 wt% up to 3.1 wt% whereas carbon nanotubes are dispersed in the aqueous solution. Our experimental results show that compressive and flexural strengths of wet fibres modified mortar are higher than those for dry hemp-mortar material. The achieved optimal percentage of wet hemp fibres is 2.1 wt% allowing a flexural strength higher than that of reference mortar. The addition of an optimal CNT concentration (0.01 wt%) combined with wet hemp has a reinforcing effect which turns to be related to an improvement of compressive and flexural strengths by 10% and 24%, respectively, in comparison with reference condition.     

Compressive behavior of large-scale square reinforced concrete columns confined with carbon fiber reinforced polymer jackets

Several experimental and analytical studies on the confinement effect and failure mechanisms of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) wrapped columns have been conducted over recent years. Although typical axial members are large-scale square/rectangular reinforced concrete (RC) columns in practice, the majority of such studies have concentrated on the behavior of small-scale circular concrete specimens. The data available for square/rectangular columns are still limited. This paper reports the results of an experimental research program on the performance of large-scale square RC columns wrapped with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets. Attention is focused on the investigation of the total effect of longitudinal and transverse reinforcement and FRP jackets on the behavior of concentrically loaded columns. A total of 20 large-scale RC columns were fabricated and tested to failure under axial loading in the structural laboratory. Three types of columns were primarily considered: unwrapped; fully wrapped; and partially wrapped. Based on the test results of RC columns, existing experimental data and procedures in the literature are also evaluated. Furthermore, stress–strain curves of the columns are successfully predicted by the analytical approach previously proposed for FRP-confined concrete.     

Immobilization of copper indium selenide solar module waste in concrete constructions

The aim of this study was to investigate the properties of concrete containing various quantities of copper indium selenide (CIS) solar module waste by replacing a certain part (up to 40%) of sand. The obtained results have shown that an increase in the content of solar module waste resulted in an increase of the density of fresh and hardened concrete. The compressive strength of the specimens compared to the control specimens has been higher, when sand aggregate was replaced by CIS solar module waste particles from 5 to 20%. Also, a decrease in the water absorption and porosity of concrete specimens containing immobilized waste compared to those with no waste has been observed. The leaching behaviour of the concrete containing immobilized waste was also studied. The results showed that the concrete with sand aggregate replacement by waste particles between 5 and 10% has the best leaching properties. That replacement can be used for CIS solar module waste recycling in concrete production.     

Removal of heavy metal ions by iron oxide coated sewage sludge

The municipal sewage sludge was modified with iron oxide employed in metal ions removal. The surface modification method was proposed and the effect of parameters in the preparation was studied. The iron oxide coated sludge had higher surface area, pore volume and iron content, compared to uncoated sludge. The suitable conditions for removal of Cu(II), Cd(II), Ni(II) and Pb(II) ions from solutions were investigated using batch method. The suitable pH value in the extraction was 7 for adsorption of Cd(II) and Ni(II), 6 for Cu(II) and 5 for Pb(II) ions. The presence of NaNO(3), Ca(NO(3))(2) and Na(2)SO(4) in metal solution in the concentration of 0.01 M and 0.50 M could reduce the removal efficiency. The adsorption isotherms for the adsorption of the metal ions were defined by Langmuir relation. The maximum adsorption capacity of the iron oxide coated sludge for Cu(II), Cd(II), Ni(II) and Pb(II) was 17.3, 14.7, 7.8 and 42.4 mg g(-1), respectively. The adsorption kinetics for every metal ions followed pseudo-second order model. The metal removal from wastewater by iron oxide coated sludge was also demonstrated.