Physio-Mechanical Investigation of Treated Recycled Concrete Aggregate (t-RCA) Incorporated One Part Alkali Activated Concrete

Abstract

Every year, about 25 billion tonnes of concrete is manufactured globally. Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) being the major ingredient of concrete, is responsible for about 8% of total Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions worldwide. This calls for an alternative binder such as Alkali Activated Concrete (AAC). However, handling of liquid alkaline activator for AAC at site is an issue due to its corrosive nature. Hence, One Part AAC (OPAAC) is being developed which comprises of dry ingredients activated by just adding water. OPAAC is considered as an environment friendly alternative to OPC concrete. Apart from that, extensive use of Coarse Aggregate in concrete is a burden on the limited sources of aggregate. There is a dire need of recycling construction and demolition waste after proper treatment, in order to preserve the depleting mining quarries. Recycling concrete aggregates controls the dumping of demolition waste in landfills and strongly supports the concept of Circular Economy. Hence, this research is aimed at developing a green concrete by incorporating Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA) in OPAAC after suitable treatment methods. To evaluate the effect of treatment methods on RCA, Physio Mechanical study has been done. Furthermore, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has also been performed to assess the impact of OPAAC on different impact categories. It will be a pathway to Green and user-friendly concrete.