Feasibility and Application of Local Closed-Loop Materials to Produce Compressed and Stabilized Earth Blocks.

The validation of a feasible application for the production of sustainable bricks with local materials in humid and hot climates, which would allow the current housing needs of a constantly growing population with scarce economic resources to be met while also reducing energy inputs for climate control, is a current challenge without a definitive solution. Therefore, this research studied the incorporation of local aggregates and two second-generation materials to produce lime-stabilized Compressed Earth Blocks (CSEBs) using a semi-automatic machine for their manufacture. An initial matrix was designed as a baseline, and three more were developed with variations to incorporate second-generation materials individually and as mixtures.

Recycled Mortars with Ceramic Aggregates. Pore Network Transmutation and Its Relationship with Physical and Mechanical Properties.

The porosity of mortars with recycled ceramic aggregates (10, 20, 30, 50, and 100% as a replacement of natural aggregate) was evaluated and analyzed using three different techniques. The results of gas adsorption (N), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) image analysis and open porosity allowed establishing the relationship between the recycled aggregate content and the porosity of these mortars, as well as the relationship between porosity and the physical and mechanical properties of the mortars: absorption, density, compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, and drying shrinkage. Using the R coefficient and the equation typology as criteria, additional data such as Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) surface area (N adsorption) established significant correlations with the mentioned properties; with SEM image analysis, no explanatory relationships could be established; and with open porosity, revealing relationships were established (R > 0.

Analysis of the Physicochemical and Mineralogical Properties of the Materials Used in the Preparation of Recoblocks.

The construction sector generates 14,000 t/d of construction waste in Mexico City, these materials do not have real applications and end up accumulating in landfills. This work, the objective of which was to analyze the physicochemical and mineralogical properties of soil and construction waste used in the manufacture of Recoblocks, is divided in five stages. First, the excavation material was submitted to field tests.

The Influence of Granite Cutting Waste on The Properties of Ultra-High Performance Concrete.

This study analyzes the effect of using waste by-products generated in the process of granite cutting as part of the granular structure of Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC). The manufactured concrete has a compressive strength greater than 115 MPa. This study substitutes 35%, 70% and 100% of the volume of micronized quartz powder (<40 μm) with granite cutting waste.

An Experimental Study of Mortars with Recycled Ceramic Aggregates: Deduction and Prediction of the Stress-Strain.

The difficult current environmental situation, caused by construction industry residues containing ceramic materials, could be improved by using these materials as recycled aggregates in mortars, with their processing causing a reduction in their use in landfill, contributing to recycling and also minimizing the consumption of virgin materials. Although some research is currently being carried out into recycled mortars, little is known about their stress-strain (σ-ε); therefore, this work will provide the experimental results obtained from recycled mortars with recycled ceramic aggregates (with contents of 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 50% and 100%), such as the density and compression strength, as well as the σ-ε curves representative of their behavior. The values obtained from the analytical process of the results in order to finally obtain, through numerical analysis, the equations to predict their behavior (related to their recycled content) are those of: σ (elastic ranges and failure maximum), ε (elastic ranges and failure maximum), and Resilience and Toughness.

Metamorphosis in the Porosity of Recycled Concretes Through the Use of a Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Additive. Correlations between the Porous Network and Concrete Properties.

In the field of construction, sustainable building materials are currently undergoing a process of technological development. This study aims to contribute to understanding the behavior of the fundamental properties of concretes prepared with recycled coarse aggregates that incorporate a polyethylene terephthalate (PET)-based additive in their matrix (produced by synthesis and glycolysis of recycled PET bottles) in an attempt to reduce their high porosity. Techniques to measure the gas adsorption, water porosity, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to evaluate the effect of the additive on the physical, mechanical and microstructural properties of these concretes.