J. Moran

Eco-efficient concretes: the effects of using recycled ceramic material from sanitary installations on the mechanical properties of concrete.

The aim of this research was to investigate some of the physical and mechanical properties of concrete mixed under laboratory conditions, where different proportions of coarse aggregate materials were substituted by porcelain from sanitary installations. The results of the tests show that the concrete produced has the same mechanical characteristics as conventional concrete, thus opening a door to selective recycling of sanitary porcelain and its use in the production of concrete.

Testing concrete made with cork powder and steel fibres

Nowadays, greater respect for the environment is a widespread social demand. Since the cork industry generates vast amounts of waste of approximately 20 to 30%, the harvested cork ends up as cork dust with no industrial use. It is becoming necessary to find a way to reuse or recycle this kind of residue. This paper evaluates the mechanical behavior of several samples of concrete containing cork powder (8%) and different steel fibres proportions (20 to 40 kg/m 3 ). The results indicated that, in spite of the positive effect of the fibres, the cork powder concrete reinforced with steel fibers did not possess enough compressive strength for structural purposes. However, other properties of the result material, like energy absorption and impact behavior seem interesting in terms of certain non-structural applications such as livestock pavements and a surface finish that is less damaging to farm animals.