Utilization of Different Industrial Waste Materials as Alternative Sustainable Construction Materials

Abstract

Structural concrete is the most common and widely used building material in the construction industry. However, its production is declining due to the depletion of natural stone deposits and the emission of gases that cause permanent damage to the environment. The researchers have been motivated due to the increasing need for sustainable development and to emphasize their investigation on the use and renovation of waste material into potential construction materials. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to consider possible substitute materials from changed sources for the replacement of conventional materials such as municipal wastes, industrial, and hospital wastes to produce sustainable, green, and environmentally friendly concrete. Numerous materials were identified, and research was carried out to find suitable materials for various categories, such as cementitious materials Wood Waste Ash (WWA), Sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA), and Marble Powder (MP) from municipal and industrial sources. On the other hand, alternative aggregates were chosen from municipal, hospital, and industrial areas. Steel fibrous waste materials were taken as threading wastes and tire wire wastes from industrial and municipal sources. Finally, it was found that based on scanning electron microscopy conducted by my research partner, the particle shape of SCBA, WWA, and MP was found to be irregular, whereas the OPC exhibited a spherical particle shape. The specific gravity of cementitious materials such as SCBA and WWA was found to be approximately 2.35 and 2.20, which were significantly lower than the values of MP and OPC, respectively. The performance of wood ash and sugarcane bagasse ash is evaluated based on the availability of SiO₂ content in WWA and BA. The SiO₂ percentage is 55.91% in BA and 83% in WWA, indicating that BA and WWA have a high concentration of significant oxides, which are suitable for a pozzolanic material. Fineness modulus of plastic bottles, drink cans, glass bottles, and plastic waste drips were 6.90, 7.00, 6.70, and 6.78, respectively, whereas the fineness modulus of normal weight aggregate was found to be around 7.3. Specific gravity of plastic bottles, drink cans, and plastic waste drip aggregate is 0.78, 0.74, and 0.656, respectively. Values obtained via experimentation of the specific gravity are less than the range of 2.5 to 3.0 for a typical weight aggregate. The thickness/diameter of the threading was checked for various samples, and the average value was about 1.5 mm. Steel threading waste showed 47% more thickness than that of the normal steel fibers, but it is less dense.