An experimental investigation on concrete blocks using Ferrock as a green binding material.

What is it about?

Environmental pollution is one of the greatest concerns humankinds has faced in the recent decade due to unprecedented usage of resources and subsequent waste generation in tandem with industrialization, which has had a huge impact. Among the activities humans do, construction is one of the most vulnerable, which creates large quantities of pollution due to the production of various construction wastes during the production of ingredient materials and their usage. Concrete is usually used in the construction of buildings and infrastructure. Concrete, one of the most widely used construction materials, necessitates the use of cement, which is one of the major polluters. The cement industry is one of the main sources of carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas. The cement industry produces nearly 8% of all man-made greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Industrial industries are becoming increasingly interested in reducing concrete-related carbon emissions. Many studies have been performed on the development of green concrete by substituting other renewable and sustainable materials for cement. Ferrock is used as a substitute for cement in this study to create Ferrock Concrete. Ferrock is a mixture of iron dust, fly ash, lime powder, metakaolin, and oxalic acid that is used as a binder. It reacts with CO2 and water, producing iron carbonates thanks to the action of an oxalic acid catalyst. During the hardening process, ferrock concrete absorbs carbon dioxide. The specific objective of this study is to design a Ferrock concrete and compare it with M25 grade of conventional concrete. Parameters including workability, compressive strength, split tensile strength and flexural strength are compared with conventional concrete to obtain its real performance.

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Why is it important?

It is very clear that the construction sector is one of the industries increasing at one of the highest rates around the globe, which has a significant influence on the expansion of any country. Over the past few decades, there has been a significant increase in the amount of construction work carried out in emerging nations such as India. Because of the significant role it plays in both economic expansion and the conduct of financial operations, the construction sector has a large influence on the natural environment. Concrete is an essential material in the construction of every structure. Concrete is a popular choice for usage as a building material all around the world because of its versatility and straightforward application. Cement is the component of concrete that is the most important. Toxic gases are discharged into the atmosphere during the manufacturing process of cement, which can be harmful. It is responsible for 70 percent of the total carbon dioxide emissions produced by industry [1]. It is important to investigate in detail the consequences that the products utilized will have on the environment. In the present day, this evaluation considers the effect on greenhouse gas emissions and the progression of climate change. From this vantage point, a significant deviation from the original concept of “green concrete” has developed over the course of time. The concept of “green concrete” is based on the idea that cement should be replaced with other cementitious materials that are friendlier to the environment in order to reduce CO2 emissions [2]. Several researchers conducted experiments to see whether various kinds of ash could be utilized in concrete as extra cementitious materials. Ashes, which are waste products from businesses like electricity and heating that use natural coal or any other type of biomass as their primary fuel, can also be used as an excellent alternative to cement if they are collected and processed properly. When compared to traditional concrete, using coal and biomass fly ash, either alone or in combination, showed the ability to reduce the environmental impact of concrete. This was true whether the materials were employed alone or together [3]. Most of the time, fine limestone is used as an addition to cement by the cement industry. It has been demonstrated through research that the addition of limestone up to a maximum of 5% can improve the reaction capacity of cement, which is strongly correlated with an improvement in the cement's overall nature [5], [6], [7], [28]. Several different kinds of concrete that are created by exchanging 20% of the cement with Limestone Calcined Clay Pozzolan (LCCP) demonstrate exceptionally high strength when compared with Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) during a variety of curing durations. This is the case regardless of the kind of concrete. Numerous studies and research activities have been done in order to determine the pozzolanic reaction of several types of calcined clay. This reaction results in the production of C-S-H and carbo aluminates and contributes to the enhancement of the mechanical properties of LCCP blends [4], [29]. It has been discovered that using metakaolin and limestone as a substitute for cement is more effective in research phases with good efficiency; a mixture of 2:1 produces better mechanical qualities in numerous stages of curing even when the substitution level is as high as 60% [8]. In addition, numerous other advancements are being made in the admixtures that are being added to concrete. David Stone is one of the individuals who came up with the combination of materials known as Ferrock. As a binding agent, ferrock is a combination of many components such as iron dust, fly ash, lime powder, metakaolin, and oxalic acid. Oxalic acid works as a catalyst in the reaction that it has with carbon dioxide and water, which results in the formation of iron carbonates. Ferrock concrete takes in carbon dioxide as part of the process that causes it to harden. It offers exciting concepts as an alternative to concrete and as a far more environmentally friendly construction material. Ferrock is created by combining a variety of components, including lime, scrap metal powder, metakaolin, and flyash, as well as scratch materials and scrap metal powder [1]. This innovative material, which would otherwise be disposed of in landfills, is created by combining iron dust, which is a by-product of the iron industry, with trace amounts of calcareous material, fly ash, and metakaolin. The specific objective of this study is to design a Ferrock concrete and compare it with M25 grade of conventional concrete. Parameters including workability, compressive strength, split tensile strength and flexural strength are compared with conventional concrete to obtain its real performance.

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