A study on sustainable foam concrete with waste polyester and ceramic powder: Properties and durability

Abstract

The textile and apparel sectors currently produce millions of tons of textile waste annually on a global scale. Textile waste fibers are a viable option for sustainability as they can be utilized to reinforce cement-based composites internally by improving ductility and reducing the development of cracks. The issue of ceramic waste accumulation can be effectively resolved by using ceramic waste as supplementary cementitious materials (SCM), for sustainable construction, which also lowers energy use and CO2 emissions during the cement manufacturing process. This study evaluated the fresh, physico-mechanical, durability, and thermal characteristics of foam concrete (FC) reinforced with waste polyester (WP) incorporating waste ceramic powder (CP) as a replacement of cement in the rates of 0, 10 and 20 %. Twelve mixtures with a 0.3 water/binder (w/b) ratio were fabricated using a sodium lauryl sulfate foaming agent. The WP used in this study have four percentages of 0, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 % by volume. Durability performance of the mixtures for dry shrinkage, sulfate attack, high temperatures, alkali silica reaction and freeze-thaw cycles was also carried out. Microstructure of the mixtures was analyzed by SEM. Cost investigation and environmental impact of FC mixtures were also investigated. The findings indicated that the mixture with 10 % CP and 0.6 % WP had the largest 28-day compressive strength of 8.78 MPa, representing a 47 % decrease over the reference mixture (without CP and WP). The same mixture also exhibited the lowest dry shrinkage after the reference mixture. The mixture containing 0%CP and 0.2WP had the lowest thermal conductivity with a reduction of 74.0 % as per the reference mixture. The 0.4 % WP and 0%CP incorporated mixture exhibited the best thermal and F-T performance.