Synergy of industrial wastes in eco-friendly, air-cured alkali activated pavement concrete composites: properties, embodied carbon and energy assessment and modelling
Source abstract
Abstract
Eco-friendly, air-cured alkali-activated slag concretes (AASC) were developed using recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) and waste foundry sand (WFS) as partial replacements for natural aggregates. Alkali activation was achieved through a sodium silicate–sodium hydroxide solution with a controlled activator modulus of 1.25. Mechanical assessment indicated optimal performance of the mix (50% RCA, 20% WFS) achieved high compressive strength (over 65 MPa at 28 days), along with satisfactory split tensile strength, flexural strength, modulus of elasticity, density, and reduced water absorption, fulfilling rigid pavement requirements. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) revealed reductions of approximately 76% in embodied carbon and 43% in embodied energy compared to similar Ordinary Portland Cement pavement concretes. Machine learning (ML) regression models were developed to predict compressive strength, highlighting the influence of RCA and WFS with Linear-regression achieving the premier accuracy. The results confirm that RCA-WFS-based AASC composites present a viable, high-performance, and low-carbon alternative for sustainable pavement applications.
Source: openalex_inverted_index · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Concrete and Cement Materials Research · Recycled Aggregate Concrete Performance · Innovative concrete reinforcement materials
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Nitte (Deemed to be University)
NMAM Institute of Technology (NMAMIT)
Wroclaw University of Science and Technology
Nitte (Deemed to be University), NMAM Institute of Technology (NMAMIT)
Funding
NMAM Institute of Technology, Nitte · Nitte Education Trust
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