Recovery of Phosphorus and Metals from the Ash of Sewage Sludge, Municipal Solid Waste, or Wood Biomass: A Review and Proposals for Further Use.

This review provides an overview of methods to extract valuable resources from the ash fractions of sewage sludge, municipal solid waste, and wood biomass combustion. The resources addressed here include critical raw materials, such as phosphorus, base and precious metals, and rare earth elements for which it is increasingly important to tap into secondary sources in addition to the mining of primary raw materials. The extraction technologies prioritized in this review are based on recycled acids or excess renewable energy to achieve an optimum environmental profile for the extracted resources and provide benefits in the form of local industrial symbioses.

Methodology for Evaluating the CO Sequestration Capacity of Waste Ashes.

The concentration of CO in the atmosphere is constantly increasing, leading to an increase in the average global temperature and, thus, affecting climate change. Hence, various initiatives have been proposed to mitigate this process, among which CO sequestration is a technically simple and efficient approach. The spontaneous carbonation of ashes with atmospheric CO is very slow, and this is why accelerated carbonation is encouraged.

Evaluation of Sediments from the River Drava and Their Potential for Further Use in the Building Sector.

Sedimentation is a naturally occurring process of allowing particles in water bodies to settle out of the suspension under a gravity effect. In this study, the sediments of the Drava River were fully investigated to determine the heavy metal concentrations along the river and their potential reuse in the construction sector. Naturally dehydrated sediments from the Drava River were tested as an additive for the production of fired bricks.

Microstructural Characterization of Alkali-Activated Composites of Lightweight Aggregates (LWAs) Embedded in Alkali-Activated Foam (AAF) Matrices.

Alkali-activated composites of lightweight aggregates (LWAs, with beneficial insulating properties) and alkali-activated foams (AAFs, higher added value products due to their production from waste materials at well below 100 °C) allow for the expectation of superior properties if a chemical bonding reaction or mechanical interlocking occurs during production. However, the interfaces between LWAs and an AAF have not been studied in detail so far. Chemical reactions are possible if the LWA contains an amorphous phase which can react with the alkaline activators of the AAF, increase the bonding, and thus, also their mechanical strengths.

Report of RILEM TC 281-CCC: outcomes of a round robin on the resistance to accelerated carbonation of Portland, Portland-fly ash and blast-furnace blended cements.

Unlabelled: Many (inter)national standards exist to evaluate the resistance of mortar and concrete to carbonation. When a carbonation coefficient is used for performance comparison of mixtures or service life prediction, the applied boundary conditions during curing, preconditioning and carbonation play a crucial role, specifically when using latent hydraulic or pozzolanic supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). An extensive interlaboratory test (ILT) with twenty two participating laboratories was set up in the framework of RILEM TC 281-CCC 'Carbonation of Concrete with SCMs'.

Environmental and Biological Impact of Fly Ash and Metakaolin-Based Alkali-Activated Foams Obtained at 70°C and Fired at 1,000°C.

Alkali-activated foams (AAFs) are inorganic porous materials that can be obtained at temperatures well below 100°C with the use of inorganic wastes as aluminosilicate precursors. In this case, fly ash derived from a Slovenian power plant has been investigated. Despite the environmental benefits , due to saving of energy and virgin materials, when using waste materials, it is of extreme importance to also evaluate the potential leaching of heavy metal cations from the alkali-activated foams.

Deformation of Alkali-Activated Materials at an Early Age Under Different Curing Conditions.

The production of alkali-activated materials (AAMs) is known for its environmentally friendly processing method, where several amorphous-rich aluminosilicate material sources combine with an alkali media solution to form solid, ceramic-like materials. In terms of the Si:Al, Na(K):Al, and Na(K):HO ratios, the theory of AAM formation is quite well developed, but some open questions in the technology process remain, especially with regards to the means of curing, where the generation of defects can be persistent. Knowing that deformation is extremely high in the early ages, this study investigates the effects of temperature and moisture on shrinkage behavior within the first 72 h of AA pastes made from ladle (LS) and electric arc furnace (EAF) slag and activated by sodium silicate (NaSiO).

The Effect of Crystalline Waterproofing Admixtures on the Self-Healing and Permeability of Concrete.

This paper investigates the effectiveness of a specific crystalline waterproofing admixture (CWA) in concrete as a function of a water-binder ratio. Four concrete mixes with and without CWA were prepared; two of them with a water-binder ratio of 0.45 and two of them with a water-binder ratio of 0.

Alkali Activation of Metallurgical Slags: Reactivity, Chemical Behavior, and Environmental Assessment.

Alkali-activated materials (AAMs) represent a promising alternative to conventional building materials and ceramics. Being produced in large amounts as aluminosilicate-rich secondary products, such as slags, they can be utilized for the formulation of AAMs. Slags are partially crystalline metallurgical residues produced during the high temperature separation of metallic and non-metallic materials in the steelmaking processes.

Life Cycle Assessment of Prefabricated Geopolymeric Façade Cladding Panels Made from Large Fractions of Recycled Construction and Demolition Waste.

The construction and demolition sector is one of the biggest consumers of natural resources in the world and consequently, one of the biggest waste producers worldwide. The proper management of construction and demolition waste (CDW) can provide major benefits for the construction and recycling industry. However, the recycling rate of CDW is relatively low, as there is still a lack of confidence in the quality of recycled CDW materials.

Influence of the Size and Type of Pores on Brick Resistance to Freeze-Thaw Cycles.

This paper estimates the frost resistance of bricks using the ratio of compressive strength before freezing to compressive strength after freezing to describe the damage degree of bricks being exposed to freeze-thaw cycles. In an effort to find the ratio that clearly distinguishes resistant bricks from non-resistant bricks, the authors attempted to establish the correlation between the ratio and Maage factor as a recognized model for assessing brick resistance. To clarify the degree of damage of individual bricks, the pore size distribution has been investigated by means of mercury porosimetry.

Influence of Particle Size on Compressive Strength of Alkali Activated Refractory Materials.

Influence of particle size on the mechanical strength of alkali activated material from waste refractory monolithic was investigated in this study. Precursor was chemically and mineralogically analysed, separated on 4 fractions and alkali activated with Na-water glass. Alkali activated materials were thoroughly investigated under SEM and XRD to evaluate the not predicted differences in mechanical strength.

Potential of Green Ceramics Waste for Alkali Activated Foams.

The aim of the paper is to research the influence of foaming and stabilization agents in the alkali activation process of waste green ceramics for future low cost up-cycling into lightweight porous thermal insulating material. Green waste ceramics, which is used in the present article, is a green body residue (non-successful intermediate-product) in the synthesis of technical ceramics for fuses. This residue was alkali activated with Na-water glass and NaOH in theoretically determined ratio based on data from X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) that was set to maximise mechanical properties and to avoid efflorescence.

Production of Lightweight Alkali Activated Mortars Using Mineral Wools.

This experimental study aimed to develop a fiber-reinforced lightweight mineral wool-based alkali activated mortar. The lightweight mineral wool-based alkali activated mortars were produced using premade foam and reinforced by polypropylene (PP) fibers. They were assessed in terms of fresh and hardened-state properties.

The Potential of Ladle Slag and Electric Arc Furnace Slag use in Synthesizing Alkali Activated Materials; the Influence of Curing on Mechanical Properties.

Alkali activation is studied as a potential technology to produce a group of high performance building materials from industrial residues such as metallurgical slag. Namely, slags containing aluminate and silicate form a useful solid material when activated by an alkaline solution. The alkali-activated (AA) slag-based materials are promising alternative products for civil engineering sector and industrial purposes.

Impacts of Casting Scales and Harsh Conditions on the Thermal, Acoustic, and Mechanical Properties of Indoor Acoustic Panels Made with Fiber-Reinforced Alkali-Activated Slag Foam Concretes.

This paper presents experimental results regarding the efficiency of using acoustic panels made with fiber-reinforced alkali-activated slag foam concrete containing lightweight recycled aggregates produced by using Petrit-T (tunnel kiln slag). In the first stage, 72 acoustic panels with dimension 500 × 500 × 35 mm were cast and prepared. The mechanical properties of the panels were then assessed in terms of their compressive and flexural strengths.

Aggregates Obtained by Alkali Activation of Fly Ash: The Effect of Granulation, Pelletization Methods and Curing Regimes.

This paper presents results regarding the phase composition, microstructure and textural properties of two types of aggregates, which were prepared via crushing or pelletization of alkali-activated Class F fly ash and cured under different conditions. The alkali activator was the same for aggregate products, containing an alkaline solution consisting of 8 M NaOH and Na-silicate (8 M NaOH/Na-silicate = 1:2.5 mass ratio).

Efficiency of Novel Photocatalytic Coating and Consolidants for Protection of Valuable Mineral Substrates.

In the process of protection and consolidation of valuable materials, the efficiency is the crucial property that needs to be considered. TiO₂/ZnAl layered double hydroxide (LDH) coating and silicate- and carbonate-based consolidants were synthesized and proposed to be used for protection and consolidation of four porous mineral substrates: brick, stone, render and mortar. The photocatalytic efficiency of TiO₂/ZnAl LDH coating, as well as consolidation efficiency of two consolidants, both applied on model substrates, were studied.

Populus seed fibers as a natural source for production of oil super absorbents.

The genus Populus, which includes poplars, cottonwoods and aspen trees, represents a huge natural source of fibers with exceptional physical properties. In this study, the oil absorption properties of poplar seed hair fibers obtained from Populus nigra italica when tested with high-density motor oil and diesel fuel are reported. Poplar seed hair fibers are hollow hydrophobic microtubes with an external diameter between 3 and 12 μm, an average length of 4±1 mm and average tube wall thickness of 400±100 nm.