Selected properties of concrete containing municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash (MSWI-BA)

Abstract

Nowadays, remarkable achievements towards the sustainability of our environment. These include the use of recyclable materials to improve the greenness of the concrete by incorporating them in the concrete industry. One of the main concerns for researchers when using new material in concrete is its engineering and durability properties. This study was conducted to investigate the mechanical properties and the durability of concrete when using Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Bottom Ash (MSWIBA) as a replacement for fine aggregate to produce green and sustainable concrete. Two percentages for sand replacement 25% and 50% were used to evaluate the effect of incorporating this material on the concrete compressive strength, density, UPV, total water absorption, and capillary water absorption properties. The water to cement ratio used was 0.45, and the specimens were tested at 7,14, and 28 days. A comparison for the results of concrete specimens with and without MSWI-BA was performed. The results showed that replacing 25% of sand with MSWI-BA has no harmful effect on the compressive strength of the concrete that encourages this strategy. However, using higher replacement percentage 50% decreases sharply the strengths to about 50%. On the other hand, water absorption by total immersion and by capillary increased when replacing sand was with 25% and 50% MSWI-BA. In summary, using 25 % of MSWI-BA as sand replacement is an effective strategy to produce eco-friendly concrete in that it would produce concrete material that has less embodied energy to produce.