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Applied Sciences
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Eco-Efficient Construction and Building Materials
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Eco-Efficient Construction and Building Materials

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Civil Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 April 2023) | Viewed by 4688

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jose A. Sainz-Aja

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Guest Editor
LADICIM (Laboratory of Materials Science and Engineering), Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain
Interests: Eco-Efficient Concrete; recycled aggregate concrete; mechanical and durability properties; fatigue behavior; Finite element models; self-compacting concrete
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Carlos Thomas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
LADICIM (Laboratory of Materials Science and Engineering), University of Cantabria, E.T.S. de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Av./Los Castros 44, 39005 Santander, Spain
Interests: cementitious materials; concrete technology; recycled aggregates concrete; durability; sustainable concrete
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Jorge de Brito

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Georresources, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: CIB—International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction; durability of building elements, maintenance of buildings; rehabilitation of buildings; building life cycle assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Our modern society demands both materials and construction methods that are not only efficient and economical but also environmentally friendly. The research community has been presented with the challenge to find the most eco-efficient building materials possible. The aim this community is to develop materials with mechanical and durability properties equivalent to those of current materials but with a lower carbon footprint. Nowadays, there is a significant amount of research carried out on eco-efficient building materials. However, as this is an area of knowledge that is crucially relevant to the planet's environmental evolution, it is of the utmost importance that the most recent and relevant information is compiled in a Special Issue to increase the visibility of these publications.

This Special Issue is therefore dedicated to “Eco-efficient Construction and Building Materials” and welcomes contributions on, but not limited to, the following subjects:

  • Eco-efficient concrete using recycled aggregates
  • Eco-efficient concrete using slags
  • Eco-efficient concrete using low-impact binders
  • Mechanical behaviour of eco-efficient concrete
  • Durability of eco-efficient concrete
  • Rheology of eco-efficient concrete
  • Permeability of eco-efficient concrete
  • Fatigue behaviour of eco-efficient concrete
  • Behaviour of eco-efficient concrete in aggressive environments
  • Structural design of eco-efficient concrete
  • Life cycle assessment of eco-efficient concrete

Dr. Jose A. Sainz-Aja
Prof. Dr. Carlos Thomas
Prof. Dr. Jorge de Brito
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • eco-efficient concrete
  • recycled aggregates
  • slags
  • low impact binders
  • technical performance
  • environmental performance
  • costs

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 14341 KiB  
Article
Effect of Recycled Foundry Sand on the Workability and Mechanical Properties of Mortar
by Gilberto García Del Angel, Jose A. Sainz-Aja, Pablo Tamayo, Ana Cimentada, René Cabrera, Luis Ruiz Pestana and Carlos Thomas
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(6), 3436; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app13063436 - 08 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1271
Abstract
Modern society requires a large number of metal components manufactured by sand casting, which involves the generation of a waste product known as Used Foundry Sand (UFS), of which approximately 100 Mt are generated on an annual basis. Virtually all UFS is currently [...] Read more.
Modern society requires a large number of metal components manufactured by sand casting, which involves the generation of a waste product known as Used Foundry Sand (UFS), of which approximately 100 Mt are generated on an annual basis. Virtually all UFS is currently landfilled, despite the economic and environmental cost overruns that this entails. Here, the recovery of UFS as fine aggregates for the manufacture of concrete is proposed. Since the presence of UFS will mainly affect the mortar that binds the aggregates in the manufacture of concrete, it was decided to isolate this fraction and study only the effect of UFS in mortars. This study evaluated a total of 32 different mixes combining different W/C ratios varying between 0.5 and 0.7 with 5 replacement ratios of natural sand by UFS: 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100%, respectively. The combined effect was evaluated of the W/C ratio and the replacement ratio on the workability, physical properties, mechanical properties, mechanical durability, and microstructure of the mortars. The incorporation of UFS decreases the workability of the mortars due to the absorption of the residue. For the physical properties of the mortars, density decreased and porosity and absorption increased at all replacement percentages. Flexural and compressive strength decreased when the replacement percentage was higher than 25 wt.%. In terms of mechanical durability, the mortars with UFS showed abrasion marks within the limits of the EN-1338 standard. From the results obtained, it is possible to conclude that the mortars with UFS require a higher amount of water. Therefore, while small replacement levels lead to a slight improvement in the mechanical properties, this trend breaks down for high replacement levels due to the negative effect of the high W/C ratios required. The authors recommend that for replacements higher than 25 wt.% of UFS, the W/C ratio has to be taken into consideration to obtain the same workability as the control mortar, although this decreases the mechanical properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eco-Efficient Construction and Building Materials)
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13 pages, 1541 KiB  
Article
Absorption Variation with Particle Size of Recycled Fine Aggregates Determined by the Electrical Method
by Eva Sosa, Leandro Carrizo, Claudio Zega and Yury Villagrán Zaccardi
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(3), 1578; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app13031578 - 26 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1137
Abstract
The scarcity of fine natural aggregates and the negative environmental impact of their extraction make it necessary to find new sources of aggregates for the construction industry. The use of recycled aggregates (RA) derived from waste concrete crushing is a viable option for [...] Read more.
The scarcity of fine natural aggregates and the negative environmental impact of their extraction make it necessary to find new sources of aggregates for the construction industry. The use of recycled aggregates (RA) derived from waste concrete crushing is a viable option for reducing non-renewable raw material consumption. The quality of these aggregates is lower than that of natural aggregates. In particular, the water absorption (WA) of the fine fraction of RA is a topic of constant debate due to the limitations of the standardized practices for determining it. Several methods have previously been proposed concerning this. Among these, the electrical conductivity method has the highest potential for effective WA determination. However, the influence of particle size and shape on the measurement remains unknown. In this study, the electrical conductivity method is applied to determine the WA of different particle size ranges in both natural and recycled aggregates. The results show that the paste content is the main variable that influences the WA of RA, whereas the size and shape of particles have no discernible influence on the measurements made using the electrical conductivity method. The present work expands upon previous studies by demonstrating the universality of the method irrespective of the particle size. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eco-Efficient Construction and Building Materials)
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20 pages, 4533 KiB  
Article
Characterization and Reactivity of Natural Pozzolans from Guatemala
by Oscar M. Sierra, Jordi Payá, José Monzó, María V. Borrachero, Lourdes Soriano and Javier Quiñonez
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(21), 11145; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app122111145 - 03 Nov 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1432
Abstract
The possibility of using pozzolanic materials as a partial substitute for Portland cement (PC) to develop mortars and concretes promotes environmental and economic benefits. The present paper includes an in-depth investigation into the characterization of natural pozzolans from Guatemala for the valorization of [...] Read more.
The possibility of using pozzolanic materials as a partial substitute for Portland cement (PC) to develop mortars and concretes promotes environmental and economic benefits. The present paper includes an in-depth investigation into the characterization of natural pozzolans from Guatemala for the valorization of these materials. An exhaustive physico-chemical characterization of the starting materials was first carried out. Second, an analysis of the pozzolanic reactivity of both pozzolans was performed using an evolution test of the pH and electrical conductivity measurements and a Frattini test. Finally, pastes and mortars were manufactured with pozzolans T and R as a substitute for PC. The results of the pH and electrical conductivity measurements confirmed that natural pozzolans can be classified as low-reactivity. The Frattini test and the thermogravimetric analysis confirmed the pozzolanic behavior of natural pozzolans at 28 curing days. In the cement pastes, lime fixation was positive for a long curing period, which demonstrated that these pozzolans had medium–long-term pozzolanic activity, similar to fly ash (FA). The results were confirmed by mechanical assays. The mortars with 15%, 25%, and 35% substitutions of cement for pozzolans had strength gain percentages of around 13–15% at 90 curing days. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eco-Efficient Construction and Building Materials)
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