Optimisation of Using Low-Grade Kaolinitic Clays in Limestone Calcined Clay Cement Production (LC3).

LC3 (limestone calcined clay cement) is poised to become the construction industry's future as a so-called low-carbon-footprint cement. Research into this subject has determined the minimum kaolinite content in calcined clays to guarantee good mechanical performance. This study examines the use of clay from the Valencian Community (Spain), which has a lower kaolinite content than the recommended amount (around 30%) for use in LC3 and how its performance can be enhanced by replacing part of that clay with metakaolin.

Sustainable Hybrid Lightweight Aggregate Concrete Using Recycled Expanded Polystyrene.

Global concrete production, reaching 14×1013m3/year, raises environmental concerns due to the resource-intensive nature of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) manufacturing. Simultaneously, 32.7×109 kg/year of expanded polystyrene (EPS) waste poses ecological threats.

Carbonation Behavior of Mortar Made from Treated Recycled Aggregates: Influence of Diammonium Phosphate.

This research aims to improve the quality of recycled concrete fine aggregates (RFA) by using diammonium hydrogen phosphate (DAP). We aimed to understand the effect of DAP treatment on durability performance due to the carbonation action of mortars with the partial and total substitution of treated RFA. The results showed a maximum reduction in the RFA water absorption of up to 33% using a minimum DAP concentration due to a pore refinement as a consequence of the formation of calcium phosphates such as hydroxyapatite (HAP).

Infrared spectra experimental analyses on alkali-activated fly ash-based binders.

One of the most used characterization techniques in the field of alkaline activated cements studies is infrared spectroscopy. Its prominence lies in that it allows characterizing mixtures during the alkaline activation by providing information about the vibrations of the chemical bonds in the molecular units, both of amorphous and crystalline products. This research paper is aimed at examining the influence of the concentration of calcium hydroxide (CH), sodium hydroxide (SH), temperature and curing time on the structure of alkaline activated cements, based on coal fly ash, from the deconvolution of the infrared spectrum between 4000 and 400 cm.

Multimodal Breast Phantoms for Microwave, Ultrasound, Mammography, Magnetic Resonance and Computed Tomography Imaging.

The aim of this work was to develop multimodal anthropomorphic breast phantoms suitable for evaluating the imaging performance of a recently-introduced Microwave Imaging (MWI) technique in comparison to the established diagnostic imaging modalities of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Ultrasound (US), mammography and Computed Tomography (CT). MWI is an emerging technique with significant potential to supplement established imaging techniques to improve diagnostic confidence for breast cancer detection. To date, numerical simulations have been used to assess the different MWI scanning and image reconstruction algorithms in current use, while only a few clinical trials have been conducted.