Recycling of the product of thermal inertization of cement–asbestos for the production of concrete: Fid-Bau Portal

Recycling of the product of thermal inertization of cement–asbestos for the production of concrete

Gualtieri, A.F. / Boccaletti, M.

Highlights ► The product of the thermal transformation of cement-asbestos (KRY·AS) is recycled in concrete mixtures. ► The main cement phase in KRY·AS is C2S. ► Up to 20 wt% of KRY·AS is used in concrete mixtures in place of cement. ► KRY·AS slows down the kinetics of cement setting. ► Economic advantages are attained using KRY·AS in place of cement.

Abstract A novel field of research in materials science is the recycling of secondary raw materials for construction and building materials such as concrete. This paper describes the successful recycling of as much as 20wt% of the product of thermal transformation of cement–asbestos for the formulation of concrete. The main mineralogical phases present in the product of transformation of cement–asbestos are C2S, ferrite, and Al-, Ca-, Mg-rich silicates such as akermanite (ideally Ca2MgSi2O7) and merwinite (ideally Ca3Mg2Si2O8). The behavior of this secondary raw material, termed KRY·AS, in commercial concrete was investigated using five different mixtures in which various portions (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20wt%) of cement were substituted by KRY·AS. The results of preliminary technological tests (slump test, compressive strength, flexural strength after 28days, and depth of penetration of water under pressure after 28days) were discussed and interpreted with the aid of chemical, mineralogical and SEM analyses. One of the major results is that after 28days, although all the concrete samples are invariably classified as “ordinary concrete” according to the UNI 6132 tests, those diluted with KRY·AS display a lower resistance to compression with respect to the standard. On the other hand, they recover compressive strength and display values identical to that of the standard after 90days. The addition of the secondary raw material has the effect to slow down the kinetics of setting/hardening because the main cement phase present in KRY·AS is C2S which has a slower rate of hydration with respect to C3S.