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Advanced and Sustainable Low-Carbon Cement and Concrete Materials (Second Edition)
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Advanced and Sustainable Low-Carbon Cement and Concrete Materials (Second Edition)

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction and Building Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2025 | Viewed by 3477

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Milena Pavlíková

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Civil Engineering (FSV), Czech Technical University in Prague, Thákurova 7, 166 29 Prague, Czech Republic
Interests: materials engineering; materials chemistry; silicates; building materials; glass-based composites; inorganic binders
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The production of concrete is consistently higher each year than the production of all other materials combined. Cement, a key ingredient in concrete, accounts for around 7% of global CO2 emissions, is the second-largest industrial emitter of CO2 after iron and steel and its manufacturing process accounts for 95% of the carbon footprint of concrete. According to the International Energy Agency's Sustainable Development Goals, cement producers should reduce their carbon intensity at an annual rate of 0.3% per ton of cement produced by 2030. New technologies and materials are constantly being developed to complement current practices for creating greener structures. The common goal to design green buildings to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment through the efficient use of energy, water and other resources; to protect the health of occupants and improve the productivity of employees; and to reduce waste, pollution and environmental degradation. There are some widely known green materials that can be used in the construction of buildings, which are recyclable, reusable, can reduce energy waste in the home and also reduce the economic and environmental impact of waste disposal.

Therefore, this Special Issue is dedicated to recent research focused on the development of advanced building materials and components that contribute to the systematisation and dissemination of knowledge related to the long-term performance and durability of construction materials in line with sustainability and eco-efficiency. Among others, the reuse of secondary raw materials in the development of composite materials, supplementary cementitious materials and alternative binders are the focus of the studies published in this Special Issue. Thus, this Special Issue will present new developments in the field of durable advanced building materials, systems and components, and their characterisation, life prediction methods and maintenance management. It will serve as an overview of the current state of knowledge for the benefit of professionals such as materials engineers, designers and production engineers.

Prof. Dr. Milena Pavlíková
Guest Editor

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. Materials 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 2600 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

  • sustainability
  • eco-efficiency
  • advanced materials
  • composites
  • low-carbon cement
  • secondary raw materials
  • alternative binders
  • supplementary cementitious materials

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 41643 KiB  
Article
Mechanical Characterization of Sustainable Mortars with Recycled Aggregates from Construction and Demolition Wastes: An Experimental Investigation
by Luca Soldati, Michele Bacciocchi and Angelo Marcello Tarantino
Materials 2024, 17(22), 5409; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17225409 - 5 Nov 2024
Viewed by 534
Abstract
The use of recycled aggregates in the production of concrete and mortar represents a sustainable way to reintroduce these constituents—which are typically treated as waste and disposed of—in the production chain, providing new value to potentially polluting materials. The effect of recycled aggregates [...] Read more.
The use of recycled aggregates in the production of concrete and mortar represents a sustainable way to reintroduce these constituents—which are typically treated as waste and disposed of—in the production chain, providing new value to potentially polluting materials. The effect of recycled aggregates has been widely studied in the production of concrete due to the directions of National Standards in Italy; however, their role in the manufacturing of mortar must be investigated further due to the high variability that can be observed in the literature. In particular, the aim of this paper is the mechanical characterization of sustainable mortars defined by different mix designs and different binders, in which the aggregates are gradually replaced by a recycled sand obtained from the grinding of construction and demolition wastes, which could include old concrete, clay bricks, and minimal amounts of other kinds of residual materials. This investigation is carried out through experimentation, taking into account four different mortar compositions defined by an increasing percentage of recycled constituents. Virgin aggregates are also studied for the sake of comparison. The results, accomplished through a three-point bending test and an unconfined compression test, show that it is still possible to maintain acceptable mechanical properties by using these wastes as aggregates in spite of a decrease in the analyzed values. In general, the mean reductions with respect to the use of natural aggregates are about 30–40% and 35–55%, respectively, for compressive and flexural strengths. It should be highlighted that some experimental sets provide a maximum reduction of 70–80%, but the results are still within the limitations of the standards. This aspect can be considered to be a good compromise since the production of this sustainable construction material can represent a solution that is able to reduce the extreme exploitation of natural resources, the pressure on landfills, and the consumption of energy, which are related to the construction industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced and Sustainable Low-Carbon Cement and Concrete Materials (Second Edition))
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12 pages, 2279 KiB  
Article
Shrinkage and Creep Properties of Low-Carbon Hybrid Cement
by Vít Šmilauer, Lenka Dohnalová and Pavel Martauz
Materials 2024, 17(17), 4417; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17174417 - 7 Sep 2024
Viewed by 622
Abstract
Hybrid cements combine clinker with large amount of supplementary cementitious materials while utilizing hydration and alkali activation processes. This paper summarizes shrinkage and creep properties of industrially produced H-cement, containing only 20% of Portland clinker. In comparison with a reference cement CEM II/B-S [...] Read more.
Hybrid cements combine clinker with large amount of supplementary cementitious materials while utilizing hydration and alkali activation processes. This paper summarizes shrinkage and creep properties of industrially produced H-cement, containing only 20% of Portland clinker. In comparison with a reference cement CEM II/B-S 32.5 R, autogenous shrinkage is smaller after 7 days, and drying shrinkage is similar at similar times. A different capillary system of H-cement leads to faster water mass loss during drying. Basic and total creep of concrete remains in the standard deviation of B4 and EC2 creep models. The results demonstrate that shrinkage and creep properties of concrete made from H-cement have similar behavior as conventional structural concrete or high-volume fly ash concrete. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced and Sustainable Low-Carbon Cement and Concrete Materials (Second Edition))
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18 pages, 6192 KiB  
Article
Simultaneous Immobilization of Heavy Metals in MKPC-Based Mortar—Experimental Assessment
by Zbyšek Pavlík, Martina Záleská, Milena Pavlíková, Adam Pivák, Jana Nábělková, Ondřej Jankovský, Adéla Jiříčková, Oskar Chmel and Filip Průša
Materials 2023, 16(24), 7525; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16247525 - 6 Dec 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1220
Abstract
Heavy metal contamination, associated with the increase in industrial production and the development of the population in general, poses a significant risk in terms of the contamination of soil, water, and, consequently, industrial plants and human health. The presence of ecotoxic heavy metals [...] Read more.
Heavy metal contamination, associated with the increase in industrial production and the development of the population in general, poses a significant risk in terms of the contamination of soil, water, and, consequently, industrial plants and human health. The presence of ecotoxic heavy metals (HMs) thus significantly limits the sustainable development of society and contributes to the deterioration of the quality of the environment as a whole. For this reason, the stabilization and immobilization of heavy metals is a very topical issue. This paper deals with the possibility of the simultaneous immobilization of heavy metals (Ba2+, Pb2+, and Zn2+) in mortar based on magnesium potassium phosphate cement (MKPC). The structural, mechanical, and hygric parameters of mortars artificially contaminated with heavy metals in the form of salt solutions were investigated together with the formed hydration products. In the leachates of the prepared samples, the content of HMs was measured and the immobilization ratio of each HM was determined. The immobilization rate of all the investigated HMs was >98.7%, which gave information about the effectiveness of the MKPC-based matrix for HM stabilization. Furthermore, the content of HMs in the leachates was below the prescribed limits for non-hazardous waste that can be safely treated without any environmental risks. Although the presence of heavy metals led to a reduction in the strength of the prepared mortar (46.5% and 57.3% in compressive and flexural strength, respectively), its mechanical resistance remained high enough for many construction applications. Moreover, the low values of the parameters characterizing the water transport (water absorption coefficient Aw = 4.26 × 10−3 kg·m−2·s−1/2 and sorptivity S = 4.0 × 10−6 m·s−1/2) clearly demonstrate the limited possibility of the leaching of heavy metals from the MKPC matrix structure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced and Sustainable Low-Carbon Cement and Concrete Materials (Second Edition))
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Review

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18 pages, 3100 KiB  
Review
A Review on Research Progress of Corrosion Resistance of Alkali-Activated Slag Cement Concrete
by Qiushuang Liang, Xinlu Huang, Lanfang Zhang and Haiyan Yang
Materials 2024, 17(20), 5065; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17205065 - 17 Oct 2024
Viewed by 606
Abstract
China is the largest producer and user of Ordinary Silicate Cement (OPC), and rapid infrastructure development requires more sustainable building materials for concrete structures. Portland cement emits large amounts of CO2 in production. Given proposals for “carbon peaking and carbon neutralization”, it [...] Read more.
China is the largest producer and user of Ordinary Silicate Cement (OPC), and rapid infrastructure development requires more sustainable building materials for concrete structures. Portland cement emits large amounts of CO2 in production. Given proposals for “carbon peaking and carbon neutralization”, it is extremely important to study alternative low-carbon cementitious materials to reduce emissions. Alkali-activated slag (AAS) cement, a new green cementitious material, has high application potential. The chemical corrosion resistance of AAS concrete is important for ensuring durability and prolonging service life. This paper reviews the hydration mechanism of AAS concrete and discusses the composition of hydration products on this basis, examines the corrosion mechanism of AAS concrete in acid, sulfate, and seawater environments, and reviews the impact of its performance due to the corrosion of AAS concrete in different solutions. Further in-depth understanding of its impact on the performance of concrete can provide an important theoretical basis for its use in different environments and provides an important theoretical basis for the application of AAS concrete, so that we can have a certain understanding of the durability of AAS concrete. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced and Sustainable Low-Carbon Cement and Concrete Materials (Second Edition))
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