Use of selected industrial waste materials in concrete mixture

Abstract

In this study, chromite industry waste and red mud were used in the production of concrete. They were ground and incorporated into concrete with the levels of 5%, 10% and 15% by the weight of binder. Ten mixtures were prepared with different proportions of both the chromite industry waste and the red mud. The experimental results indicate that the mixtures that were ground with 5% chromite industry waste and 5% red mud, substituted with Portland cement gave compressive strength performance similar to that of the reference mixture. A higher percentage of the chromite industry waste and the red mud (15%) replacement yielded lower strength values. The leaching tests that were carried out confirmed that the process makes it possible to obtain materials without major risks for the environment. This study shows that using waste materials in concrete to cost-effective help solve some of the issues with solid waste problems. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).