Accepted Manuscript

Title: Innovative reuse of concrete slurry waste from

ready-mixed concrete plants in construction products

Author: Dongxing Xuan Baojian Zhan Chi Sun Poon Wei

Zheng

PII: S0304-3894(16)30258-8
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2016.03.036
Reference: HAZMAT 17548

To appear in: Journal of Hazardous Materials

Received date: 27-1-2016

Revised date: 10-3-2016
Accepted date: 14-3-2016

Please cite this article as: Dongxing Xuan, Baojian Zhan, Chi Sun Poon,
Wei Zheng, Innovative reuse of concrete slurry waste from ready-mixed
concrete plants in construction products, Journal of Hazardous Materials
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2016.03.036

This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication.
As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript.
The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof
before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process
errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that
apply to the journal pertain.
 Innovative reuse of concrete slurry waste from ready-mixed concrete plants in

construction products

Dongxing Xuan1, Baojian Zhan1, Chi Sun Poon1, Wei Zheng2

1
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University,

Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong

2
Gammon Construction Ltd, 28th Floor, Devon House, Taikoo Place, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong

Corresponding author: cecspoon@polyu.edu.hk

1
 Highlights

 The pH value of concrete slurry waste (CSW) ranged from 12.5 to 13.0;

 Fresh CSW was reused as cementitious paste in construction products;

 CSW was regarded as CO2 sequestration medium;

 Variation of water content in CSWs obviously affected the strength.

2
Abstract

Concrete slurry waste (CSW) is generated from ready-mixed concrete plants during concrete

production and is classified as a corrosive hazardous material. If it is disposed of at landfills,

it would cause detrimental effects for our surrounding environment and ecosystems due to

its high pH value as well as heavy metal contamination and accumulation. A new method in

this study has been introduced to effectively reuse CSW in new construction products. In

this method, the calcium-silicate rich CSW in the fresh state was considered as a

cementitious paste as well as a CO2 capture medium. The experimental results showed that

the pH values of the collected CSWs stored for 28 days ranged from 12.5 to 13.0 and a

drastic decrease of pH value was detected after accelerated mineral carbonation. The

theoretically calculated CO2 sequestration extent of CSWs was from 27.05% to 31.23%. The

practical water to solid ratio in the fresh CSW varied from 0.76 to 1.12, which had a

significant impact on the compressive strength of the mixture with CSWs. After subjecting to

accelerated mineral carbonation, rapid initial strength development and lower drying

shrinkage for the prepared concrete mixture were achieved.

Key words: Concrete slurry waste; accelerated mineral carbonation; CO2 sequestration;

concrete production

1. Introduction

With the promotion of environmental protection and the mission to achieving sustainable

development in the concrete industry, adopting innovative recycling and reuse techniques

for cement and concrete wastes is of paramount importance. In fact, hardened cement and

concrete wastes, especially the concrete waste from demolished old buildings, have been

promoted as resources in new construction products for many years [1]. However,

3
development of reuse methods to process waste generated from the production of fresh

concrete is relatively new [2].

In practice, ready-mixed concrete plants generate different types of wastes, including fresh

concrete residues, reclaimed aggregates, wastewater and concrete slurry waste (CSW)[3]. In

the latter’s production process, the suspended solid in the wastewater, is deposited in the

sedimentation pit of concrete batching plants, where over-ordered/unrequired fresh

concrete waste is washed out to retrieve the aggregates as well as concrete trucks as shown

in Figure 1.

Figure 1. CSW generation at ready-mixed concrete plant in Hong Kong

In Europe, it is estimated that fresh concrete waste, because of overordering, transportation

problems, poor workmanship and formulation modifications, is in the range of 1.0–4.0 wt%

of the total processed concrete*4+. In Japan, it is about 1-2% of the total produced concrete

*5+ whereas this value in Hong Kong is about 1.5 wt% *6+. If the water reclaiming system is

adopted, the quantity of CSW generated by filter press is estimated at about 0.8 wt% of the

total produced concrete. It is well known that concrete is the second-most-consumed

substance on Earth and its current global production is approximately 2.0 tonnes per capita

per annum [7], which means that in Hong Kong over 120,000 tonnes of CSW are produced

annually.

Owing to its high pH value (over 11.5), CSW is classified as a corrosive hazardous material in

some countries (e.g. Japan, Spain and UK) [2, 3, 5]. In the UK, if the pH value of a waste

4
exceeds 11.5, it is classified as hazard category H8 in accordance with Technical Guideline

WM2 Hazardous Waste: Interpretation of the definition and classification of hazardous

waste [8]. The indiscriminate disposal of CSW may cause serious burns to human skins and

its disposal in landfill causes detrimental effects to the surrounding environment and

ecosystems due to high alkaline content. In Japan, neutralization of CSW with an acid such

as sulfuric acid has been considered, but this treatment process would cost about

US$60/tonne [5].

In order to facilitate management of CSW, techniques aiming to recycle and reuse it have

been reported by previous research works as listed in Table 1. Recycling and reusing of CSW

may be in solid phase or aqueous phase. Due to its intrinsic cementitious nature, CSW may

become hardened in a few months’ time, and may be further crushed and used as recycled

fine/coarse aggregates in concrete or concrete products[9, 10]. By means of drying pre-

treatment and grinding, the dried CSW powder has been considered as a cementitious

material, which can be used in mortars or as a soil stabilizer in road bases [4, 11, 12].

However, it should be noted that using solid phase CSW is more energy consuming and

involves high treatment cost and it is more economical to directly recycle and reuse the as-

received aqueous phase. Although the slurry wastewater has been considered for use in

new concrete in some cases, monitoring the proportion of suspended solids should be a

mandatory and carefully conducted procedure [2]. In addition, when CSW is regarded as a

sorbent of chemicals, advanced and mature techniques are still required [13, 14].

Table 1. Potential management methods of concrete slurry waste

Technical considerations Performance and Practical Impacts

Replacement of natural  Low-strength

phase
Solid

aggregates in concrete or  High porosity

5
 concrete products[9, 10]
Cementitious material in road
bases[11] or filling in
concrete[4, 12]
Glass- ceramics component[15]
Slurry-based geo-polymer[16]
Slurry wash water as water or
raw materials in new
Aqueous phase
 Time-consuming and storage
place needed
 Further crushing process needed
 Pre-drying and grinding needed
 Limited amount used
 Pre-treatment needed
 High energy required
 Pre-drying and grinding needed
 Optimized synthesis process
needed
 Economic method for recycling
 Debate over the acceptable solids
limits in the slurry water

concrete[17, 18]
 Policy regulation limited
Sorbent of chemicals, such as
CO2 capture, phosphorus  Limited application
recovery, water clarification,  Advanced techniques needed
and so on. [5, 13, 19]

Towards a closed loop concrete production system for sustainable development, this paper

reported the development of a new method to recycle and reuse CSW in new construction

products. The method considered the residual cementitious feature of CSW as well as its

rich calcium and silicate phases that are suitable for mineral carbonation. Variations in the

physical and chemical characteristics of CSWs randomly collected at different periods from

ready-mixed concrete plants were examined and their influence on the properties of the

construction products as well as its CO2 sequestration potential were subsequently

evaluated.

2. Experimental details

6
2.1 Materials and mixture design

2.1.1 Materials

CSW is generated by filter press to separate the suspended solids from the wastewater in

ready-mixed concrete plants every day in Hong Kong as shown in Figure 1. Ten batches of

fresh CSWs on the generation dates in this study were randomly collected in 2014 in Hong

Kong and then stored in airtight bags at ambient temperature. In the first few days after

generation date, the CSWs may be mixed as workable cementitious pastes. However, after

several days of storage depending on the water content, the CSWs became hardened, which

is attributed to the hydration of residual cement components. In this study, the CSWs

collected on the generation date were immediately used to prepare new concrete mixtures

on the same date without storage. Material characterization showed that the water content

in the fresh CSWs was about 50% and the maximum particle size was 0.15 mm.

To fabricate a concrete mixture (concrete partition wall block), a fine recycled concrete

aggregate (FRCA) was obtained from a construction waste recycling plant in Hong Kong. The

cement used was an ASTM Type I Portland cement with a specific gravity of 3.15 g/cm3 and

a specific surface area of 3,960 cm2/g. The FRCA had a specific density of 2.661 g/cm3,

particle density of 2.075 g/cm3 and 24-hour water absorption of 10.6%.

2.1.2 Mixing process of the mixture

Due to a high water content in CSW, after a vigorous mixing action in a mechanical mixer,

the collected fresh CSW before hardening was still flowable and can be considered as a type

of cementitious binder. It was then mixed with FRCA and a small amount of cement to

prepare the fresh concrete mixture. The sample preparation process is shown in Figure 2.

7
 120 S 120 S

Mixing with FRCA

Collected CSW Rapid mixing CSW paste and cement Block fabrication

Figure 2. Sample preparation method of concrete mixture

2.1.3 Mixture proportion and fabrication of blocks

The mix proportions of the designed concrete mixture with solid content of CSW, FRCA and

cement in this study are 1:4:0.15 by mass. The water content in the mixture was dependent

on the amount of residual free water contained in the collected CSWs, which varied from

batch to batch due to practical conditions. During the mixture design, the water content in

CSW was sufficient to obtain an acceptable workability and no additional water was needed.

After homogenously mixing all constituents in a mixer, the freshly prepared mixture was

cast into the steel moulds with a constant mass in each mould (ø53.5×50 mm and

25×25×285 mm) and then pre-compacted manually using a hammer in three equally

distributed layers. A pressure of 30 MPa provided by a hydraulic compression machine was

then applied onto the specimens and held for 30 s. Once the compaction was completed, all

specimens in cylindrical moulds were demoulded immediately, while the prism specimens

were demoulded after 24 hours.

2.2 Accelerated mineral carbonation

In this study, air curing and accelerated mineral carbonation were employed and the

strength development of concrete mixtures was determined. Air curing is a commonly used

curing method for concrete blocks, in which the specimens are placed in ambient conditions

for 28 days. Accelerated mineral carbonation, also named as CO2 curing, enables quick

8
strength development by taking advantage of the chemical reactions between cement

hydration products and CO2[20]. After demoulding, the specimens for the accelerated

mineral carbonation were first placed in a drying chamber with a constant temperature of

25±3℃ and relative humidity of 50±5% for 6 hours in order to achieve the optimal moisture

condition for carbonation.

As shown in Figure 3, in the laboratory, an airtight steel-cylindrical chamber with a volume

of about 100l, controlled under a gas pressure of 0.1 bar, was designed for accelerated

mineral carbonation. Before CO2 gas was injected, the chamber was vacuumed to -0.6 bar

by a vacuum pump. A commercially sourced CO2 gas (>99.5% purity) was then injected to

the chamber and the chamber pressure was further controlled at 0.1 bar by a gas regulator.

1. Regulator
2. CO2 injecting pipe

3. Safety valve 4. Chamber Regulator

5. Screws

Samples

8. Vacuum pump

5. Screws
7. Vacuum pipe
6. Exhaust valve

Figure 3. Schematic of accelerated mineral carbonation equipment

2.3 Testing methods

2.3.1 Elemental analysis

The dried powder of CSWs and cement (passing 75μm) were prepared for elemental

analysis by using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (Elemental analyser, JEOL JSX-3201Z).

2.3.2 pH value of CSWs

9
The pore solution pH values of the collected fresh CSWs were measured by a pH Meter

(PHS-3C, INESA Instrument). First, the pore solution of the collected CSWs was squeezed out

by a mechanical compression method after different storage periods in airtight bags since

generation date (1, 2, 3, 7, 14 and 28 days). For the 28-day stored CSW, its pore solution was

measured after different carbonation times (1, 3 and 6 hours). The compressive pressure

used to squeeze the pore solution out depended on the storage age and the carbonation

time.

2.3.3 Workability

The flow table test was used to evaluate the consistence of the collected CSWs in

accordance with BS EN 1015-3 [21]. The flow value of CSWs was measured immediately

after they were delivered to laboratory on the generation date, and re-tested periodically

during the first week of laboratory storage.

2.3.4 Compressive strength

The cylindrical compacted concrete mixture specimens with CSW and FRCA were used for

the compressive strength tests. The compressive strength was conducted by a hydraulic

compression machine with a loading rate of 0.6 KN/s. Three specimens were used to obtain

the average.

2.3.5 Drying shrinkage

The compacted prism specimens were used for the drying shrinkage measurement. After

demoulding, the samples for air curing and the carbonated samples after specific

carbonation time were first placed into a water tank at room temperature for 7 days. Before

moved to an environmental chamber at a temperature of 25 ±3°C and with a relative

humidity of 50±5%, their initial lengths were recorded. After 1, 3, 7, 14 and 28 days in the

10
environmental drying chamber, they were taken out and their length changes were

measured.

2.3.6 Total potential CO2 uptake

The CO2 sequestration extent of cement based materials developed by Steinour [22], based

on stoichiometry and the reactive-oxide content, as illustrated in Equation 1 was used to

calculate the theoretical CO2 uptake.

%ThCO2 = 0.785CaO-0.440CaCO3-0.550SO3+1.091MgO+1.420Na2O+0.935K2O (1)

A thermogravimetric analyser (TGA/DSC, Netzch STA 449C, Jupiter) was employed to

determine the overall carbonate content in the samples. The samples for TGA were heated

continuously in the temperature range from 25°C to 1050°C at a heating rate of 10°C/min in

a nitrogen atmosphere with a flow rate of 50ml/min. It is known that the mass loss (ΔMCO2)

occurred in the temperature range from 550°C to 850°C is mainly due to the release of

CO2[23, 24]. Therefore, the CO2-captured extent in the mixture was calculated by equation

(2):

M CO2
%WCO2 (sample)  100% (2)
M105C

Where, M105C is the dry mass of the sample;

MCO2 is the mass loss of the sample between 550 °C and 850°C;

%WCO2 (sample) is the percentage of CO2 uptake by the sample.

3. Results and Discussion

3.1 Characterisation of physical and chemical properties of the collected CSWs

3.1.1 Elemental analysis of CSWs

11
The elemental compositions of the collected CSWs from S1 to S10 and cement used are

listed in Table 2. The concentration of CaO in CSWs was quite high and exceeded 32 wt %.

The high content of CaO in CSWs was herein attributed to presence of the original cement

used in concrete production, which was the essential binding agent in concrete. During the

reclaiming process, cement residues, hydration products and fine sand from concrete were

accumulated in the CSWs. It was also found that the SiO2 content of the CSWs was about 32

wt%, which was much higher than that of anhydrous cement at 19.57 wt%. Similarly, the

contents of Al2O3 and Fe2O3 were higher than those of cement. This showed the

contribution of other materials such as fly ash, silica fume and sand in concrete to the SiO2

contents in CSW. In addition, it can be noted that the loss on ignition (LOI) of CSWs was

higher than that of cement. This indicated that the cement in CSWs had been hydrated and

the loss of weight after 1050℃ was mainly due to the decompositions of the hydration

products (Ca(OH)2 and C-S-H gel) and calcite.

Table 2. Variation of elemental compositions of CSWs

CSWs
Oxides Cement
S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10

MgO 1.22 1.07 1.88 1.69 1.38 1.08 1.43 1.46 1.31 1.25 1.48

Al2O3 8.34 7.95 8.21 8.66 9.18 9.12 8.98 9.05 8.54 8.30 3.81

SiO2 32.47 31.24 32.84 33.63 35.20 34.51 33.20 33.68 32.45 32.24 19.57

SO3 3.12 2.92 2.71 2.99 2.84 2.82 2.43 3.67 2.65 3.41 5.43

K2 O 1.55 1.53 1.60 1.74 1.80 1.93 1.65 1.64 1.55 1.53 0.69

CaO 35.54 35.78 36.92 35.27 32.38 33.70 37.53 32.81 37.38 36.79 64.51

TiO2 0.52 0.51 0.54 0.52 0.50 0.50 0.54 0.56 0.52 0.55 0.27

Fe2O3 6.75 6.44 6.72 6.89 6.78 5.96 6.28 6.74 6.66 6.63 3.12

LOI 10.03 12.15 8.58 8.60 9.93 10.38 7.96 10.38 8.95 9.28 1.08

12
%InCO2 3.28 3.90 3.38 3.19 2.86 4.31 3.15 3.69 3.47 3.32 0.94

%ThCO2 28.97 29.09 31.05 29.52 27.05 27.88 31.23 26.87 30.76 29.81 49.92

Note: LOI is the loss of weight after 1050℃; % InCO2 means initial CO2 in carbonates; %ThCO2

means maximum theoretical CO2 uptake by calculation.

The initial CO2 content from carbonates and the theoretical CO2 sequestration extent based

on Equation 1 are shown in the last two rows of Table 2. Cement had the highest theoretical

CO2 sequestration at 49.92 wt% , followed by the CSW at 29.22 wt%. This is in fact related to

the calcium concentration in the materials. It is known that the reactive calcium phases in

concrete are the major phases participating in the carbonation reactions [25].

3.1.2 Pore solution pH value of CSWs

Figure 4 illustrates the pore solution pH values of one of the collected CSWs (S3, its actual

water to solid ratio was 0.96) during 28-day storage since generation and then for 6-hour

accelerated carbonation. It was noted that the pore solution pH value of the collected CSW

on the generation date was about 9.4, and then increased to over 12.0 after only one-day

storage in the sealed bag. This was further increased to nearly 13.0 after 28 days storage.

The measured pore solution pH value for all 28-day stored CSWs from S1 to S10 was 12.85,

12.76, 12.96, 12.56, 12.75, 12.85, 13.01, 12.55, 12.89 and 12.75, respectively. The increase

of the pH value of CSW should be attributed to the hydration of the residual cement

producing Ca(OH)2 concentration in the pore solution. The detected pH values of CSWs for

28-day storage were still slightly lower than that of conventional non-carbonated concrete

in which its pH value of the pore solution can be in the range of 13–14[26, 27]. This should

be because the partial Ca(OH)2 from cement hydration is dissolved in the wastewater and

further divided in the recycled water.

13
 Figure 4. Pore solution pH value of CSW during 28-day storage and after carbonation

For the 28-day stored CSW, S3, when further subjected to accelerated carbonation, an

obvious decrease of the pore solution pH value from 13.0 to 9.0 can be observed as shown

in Figure 4(b). This is mainly due to the chemical reaction between Ca(OH)2 and CO2, which

neutralized the pH value in the pore solution as shown in Equations 3-6. This phenomenon

has also been reported in some previous research works on other alkaline wastes after

exposed to mineral carbonation [28-30].

CO2 (g)  CO2 (aq) (3)

CO2 (aq)  H2O  2H   CO32 (4)

H   OH   H 2O (5)

Ca2  CO32  CaCO3 (s) (6)

3.1.3 Variation of water to solid ratio in CSWs

Figure 5 shows the variation of ratio of water to solid content of ten batches of CSWs from

S1 to S10, which was determined by a 105°C oven drying method. It was found that an

obvious variation in the water to solid ratio ranged from 0.76 to 1.12. The detected water

content then varied between 43% and 53% by total weight of fresh CSW. The reason for this

14
difference was mainly due to the variation in the daily settings of the water reclaiming

system when recycling water from the wastewater of the sedimentation pit.

Figure 5 Water to solid ratios of ten batches of the collected CSWs

3.1.4 Workability development of CSWs with storage time

The workability development of the collected CSWs as a function of storage time and water

to solid ratio is shown in Figure 6. It can be noticed in Figure 6(a) that with the increase of

storage time, the flow value of CSW decreased. For Sample S7, the flow value decreased

more rapidly. This may have been due to hydration of residual cement in CSW, which results

in CSW’s hardening. By considering this behaviour, CSW becomes hardened in a few months

and may be further crushed as recycled fine/coarse aggregates in concrete or concrete

products [9, 10].

As shown in Figure 6 (b), the initial flow value and the decrease rate of flow value with

storage time were dependent on the initial water to solid ratio. For each storage timeline,

when the water to solid ratio in CSW decreased, its flow value decreased as well. During

storage from one day to three days, the flow value of CSW also decreased and the

magnitude of which increased with decreasing the initial water to solid ratio. A lower initial

water content in CSW resulted in a faster workability decrease with time. This is consistent

15
with the fact that the water content determined the initial workability and the change of

workability with time like a normal cement paste[31].

(a) (b)

Figure 6 Workability development of CSWs with storage time

3.2 Properties of concrete mixtures with CSWs and FRCA

3.2.1 Compressive strength of concrete mixture

The compressive strength of concrete mixtures with CSWs and FRCA after 28-day air curing

and accelerated mineral carbonation is shown in Figure 7. The compressive strength of the

3-hour accelerated carbonated mixtures may achieve about 81% in average of the ones

cured in air for 28 days. It implies that the accelerated mineral carbonation may induce a

rapid strength gain. Furthermore, the water content in CSWs was an important factor

affecting the compressive strength. A lower water content in CSW contributes to a higher

compressive strength of the mixture. In cement based materials, it is known that a lower

water/cement ratio results in a higher strength [31].

16
 Figure 7 Compressive strength of concrete mixture with CSWs and FRCA

After 3-h accelerated mineral carbonation, it was also found that the compressive strength

of the carbonated mixture continued to increase as shown in Figure 7 (b). After 50 hours

accelerated carbonation, the mixture strength with S3 CSW exceeded that of the air cured

counterpart for 28 days. Recently, the adoption of the accelerated carbonation technique to

fabricate concrete blocks has already been proposed by some researchers [20, 24]. The idea

is based on the reactions between CO2 and the hydration products of cement in concrete

(Equations 7-9): Ca(OH)2, CxSyHz gel and AFt [23, 32]. The theoretical calculation indicates

that the full carbonation of concrete could take up 50% of CO2 by cement mass. After

carbonation, the CaCO3 formed from Ca(OH)2 and CxSyHz gel may increase the solid volume

by 11.8% and 23% respectively [25, 33], which results in an overall reduction in porosity and

densifies the whole microstructure. It was demonstrated that by using this technique,

cement products may rapidly attain the targeted strength as well as sequestrate a

considerable amount of CO2 [24].

Ca (OH)2+ CO2→CaCO3+H2O (7)

CxSyHz+xCO2→xCaCO3+ySiO2·tH2O+ (z-t) H2O (8)

3CaO·Al2O3·3CaSO4·32H2O+3CO2→ 3CaCO3+2Al(OH)3+3CaSO4·2H2O+23H2O (9)

17
3.2.2 Drying shrinkage of concrete mixture

The drying shrinkage of concrete mixtures measured at 14 days is shown in Figure 8.

Compared to the air cured samples, an obvious decrease (about 50%) in drying shrinkage

values of the carbonated samples can be observed. The water content in CSW had a slight

effect on the drying shrinkage of the carbonated mixtures. Moreover, prolonging the

carbonation period to more than 3 hours had limited impact on drying shrinkage reduction

as shown in Figure 8(b). This showed that when only using the common air curing method,

reusing recycled concrete aggregates and CSW in concrete products would result in high

shrinkage that would certainly limit the reuse of the wastes. While using an accelerated

mineral carbonation curing scheme, both recycled concrete aggregates and CSW may be

valorised in products with lower drying shrinkage.

Figure 8 Drying shrinkage of carbonated mixture with CSWs at 14 days

In previous research studies mineral carbonation of hydrated Portland cement has been

found to have rapid permanent carbonation shrinkage [25, 34]. The formation of calcium

carbonate and its precipitation in the pore system of the microstructure was found to be

helpful to the improvement of its post-wetting and drying shrinkage behaviour as well.

3.2.3 CO2 uptake of concrete mixture

18
Figure 9 shows the CO2 uptakes of the carbonated mixtures obtained from

thermogravimetric analyses. After subjecting to 3-h accelerated carbonation, the range of

CO2 uptake by the mixture was between 3.35% and 3.90% by mass. There was no clear

relationship between CO2 uptake and water to solid ratio in CSWs. Moreover, this implies

that the influence of the water content of CSW on the CO2 uptake of the mixture was not

obvious. In fact, previous researches have reported that both the carbonation conditions

and the types of active carbonation components would affect the CO2 uptake [25, 35].

Figure 9 CO2 uptakes by carbonated mixtures

As shown in Figure 9 (b), prolonging the carbonation duration resulted in a continuous

uptake of CO2, but over 75% of the experimental CO2 uptake occurred in the first 3 h. After

144 h of mineral carbonation, 52g of CO2/kg concrete mixture was attained for the tested

mixture with the S3 CSW. Herein, CSW was considered as a cementitious binder in the

concrete mixture. When subjected to accelerate carbonation, it would be certainly able to

help CO2 sequestration in the carbonated mixture due to its rich calcium and silicate

contents.

4. Conclusion

In this study, concrete slurry waste (CSW) with a high pH value was recycled and reused for

the production of new construction products. By adopting accelerated carbonation

19
technique, the fresh CSW was considered as a cementitious binder for the fabrication of

construction products as well as a main CO2 capture medium. The major findings can be

summarised below:

 The concentrations of CaO and SiO2 in CSWs were high and over 30%, which was due

to hydration products from cement, residual cement components and some siliceous

sands that were used for concrete production.

 The pore solution pH values of all collected CSWs stored for 28 days ranged from

12.5 to 13.0. An obvious decrease of pH value from 13.0 to 9.0 was observed after

one hour accelerated carbonation;

 Variation in the water to solid ratio of the collected fresh CSWs was from 0.76 to

1.12, which significantly affected the compressive strength development of final

concrete products;

 The compressive strength of the concrete mixture prepared with CSWs and FRCA

developed rapidly within the first few hours of accelerated carbonation and attained

81% of the equivalent strength of the 28 day air cured counterpart subjected to a 3-

hour accelerated carbonation;

 Compared to non-carbonated concrete mixtures, an obvious decrease (about 50%)

in drying shrinkage of the carbonated mixture was observed. The water content in

CSWs had an insignificant effect on the drying shrinkage of the carbonated mixtures;

 The range of CO2 uptake by the 3-h carbonated concrete mixtures was between 3.35%

and 3.90% by mass, which was over 75% of the 144-h CO2 sequestration extent.

However, it was slightly influenced by the variation of the water content in CSWs.

20
Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the Innovation and Technology Support Programme Guangdong-

Hong Kong Technology Cooperation Funding Scheme (ITSP-TCFS) and the Hong Kong

Polytechnic University (Projects of Strategic Importance). We would also like to thank

Gammon Construction Limited for providing the cement slurry waste for the experiment.

References

[1] M. Behera, S.K. Bhattacharyya, A.K. Minocha, R. Deoliya, S. Maiti, Recycled aggregate from C&D

waste & its use in concrete - A breakthrough towards sustainability in construction sector: A review,

Constr Build Mater, 68 (2014) 501-516.

[2] B.J. Sealey, P.S. Phillips, G.J. Hill, Waste management issues for the UK ready-mixed concrete

industry, Resour Conserv Recy, 32 (2001) 321-331.

[3] J.A. Ferriz-Papi, Recycling of fresh concrete exceeding and wash water in concrete mixing plants,

Mater Construcc, 64 (2014), e004.

[4] S.L. Correia, F.L. Souza, G. Dienstmann, A.M. Segadaes, Assessment of the recycling potential of

fresh concrete waste using a factorial design of experiments, Waste Manage, 29 (2009) 2886-2891.

[5] A. Iizuka, Y. Sakai, A. Yamasaki, M. Honma, Y. Hayakawa, Y. Yanagisawa, Bench-scale operation of

a concrete sludge recycling plant, Ind Eng Chem Res, 51 (2012) 6099-6104.

[6] V.W.Y. Tam, Economic comparison of concrete recycling: A case study approach, Resour Conserv

Recy, 52 (2008) 821-828.

[7] A. Hasanbeigi, L. Price, E. Lin, Emerging energy-efficiency and CO2 emission-reduction

technologies for cement and concrete production: A technical review, Renew Sust Energ Rev, 16

(2012) 6220-6238.

[8] E. Agency, Hazardous Waste: Interpretation of the Definition and Classification of Hazardous

Waste, in, Environment Agency, UK, 2011.

21
[9] S.C. Kou, B.J. Zhan, C.S. Poon, Properties of partition wall blocks prepared with fresh concrete

wastes, Constr Build Mater, 36 (2012) 566-571.

[10] S.C. Kou, B.J. Zhan, C.S. Poon, Feasibility study of using recycled fresh concrete waste as coarse

aggregates in concrete, Constr Build Mater, 28 (2012) 549-556.

[11] J.X. Zhang, T. Fujiwara, Concrete sludge powder for soil stabilization, Transp Res Record, (2007)

54-59.

[12] M. Zervaki, C. Leptokaridis, S. Tsimas, Reuse of by-products from ready-mixed concrete plants

for the production of cement mortars, Journal of Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and

Environment 1(2013) 152-162.

[13] A. Iizuka, T. Sasaki, T. Hongo, M. Honma, Y. Hayakawa, A. Yarnasaki, Y. Yanagisawa, Phosphorus

adsorbent derived from concrete sludge (PAdeCS) and its phosphorus recovery performance, Ind Eng

Chem Res, 51 (2012) 11266-11273.

[14] A. Iizuka, M. Honma, Y. Hayakawa, A. Yamasaki, Y. Yanagisawa, Aqueous mineral carbonation

process via concrete sludge, Kagaku Kogaku Ronbun, 38 (2012) 129-134.

[15] Q.B. Tian, Y. Wang, L.N. Xu, X.H. Wang, H. Gao, Preparation and Properties of Glass-ceramics

made from Concrete Sludge, Rare Metal Mat Eng, 36 (2007) 979-982.

[16] Z.X. Yang, N.R. Ha, K.H. Hwang, J.K. Lee, A Study of the performance of a concrete sludge-based

geopolymer, J Ceram Process Res, 10 (2009) S72-S74.

[17] B. Chatveera, P. Lertwattanaruk, N. Makul, Effect of sludge water from ready-mixed concrete

plant on properties and durability of concrete, Cement Concrete Comp, 28 (2006) 441-450.

[18] N. Su, B.Q. Miao, F.S. Liu, Effect of wash water and underground water on properties of

concrete, Cement Concrete Res, 32 (2002) 777-782.

[19] T. Sasaki, Y. Sakai, A. Iizuka, T. Nakae, S. Kato, T. Kojima, A. Yamasaki, Evaluation of the capacity

of hydroxyapaptite prepared from concrete sludge to remove lead from water, Ind Eng Chem Res, 50

(2011) 9564-9568.

22
[20] B.J. Zhan, C.S. Poon, C.J. Shi, CO2 curing for improving the properties of concrete blocks

containing recycled aggregates, Cement Concrete Comp, 42 (2013) 1-8.

[21] BS EN 1015-3:2004, Methods of test for mortar for masonry — Part3:Determination of

consistence of fresh mortar(by flow table).

[22] H.H. Steinour, Some effects of carbon dioxide on mortars and concrete-discussion, J. Am. Concr.

Inst., (1959) 905-907.

[23] A. Morandeau, M. Thiery, P. Dangla, Investigation of the carbonation mechanism of CH and C-S-

H in terms of kinetics, microstructure changes and moisture properties, Cement Concrete Res, 56

(2014) 153-170.

[24] H. El-Hassan, Y.X. Shao, Carbon storage through concrete block carbonation curing, Journal of

Clean Energy Technologies, 2 (2014) 287-291.

[25] M. Fernandez Bertos, S.J.R. Simons, C.D. Hills, P.J. Carey, A review of accelerated carbonation

technology in the treatment of cement-based materials and sequestration of CO2, J Hazard Mater,

112 (2004) 193-205.

[26] K. Byfors, Influence of silica fume and flyash on chloride diffusion and pH values in cement paste,

Cement Concrete Res, 17 (1987) 115-130.

[27] K.Y. Ann, H.W. Song, Chloride threshold level for corrosion of steel in concrete, Corros Sci, 49

(2007) 4113-4133.

[28] R. Baciocchi, G. Costa, A. Polettini, R. Pomi, Effects of thin-film accelerated carbonation on steel

slag leaching, J Hazard Mater, 286 (2015) 369-378.

[29] G. Cappai, S. Cara, A. Muntoni, M. Piredda, Application of accelerated carbonation on MSW

combustion APC residues for metal immobilization and CO2 sequestration, J Hazard Mater, 207

(2012) 159-164.

[30] O. Velts, M. Uibu, J. Kallas, R. Kuusik, Waste oil shale ash as a novel source of calcium for

precipitated calcium carbonate: Carbonation mechanism, modeling, and product characterization, J

Hazard Mater, 195 (2011) 139-146.

23
[31] P.K. Mehta, P.J.M. Monteiro, Concrete : Microstructure, Properties, and Materials McGraw-Hill,

New York, 2006.

[32] S. Kashef-Haghighi, Y.X. Shao, S. Ghoshal, Mathematical modeling of CO2 uptake by concrete

during accelerated carbonation curing, Cement Concrete Res, 67 (2015) 1-10.

[33] J.K. Zhang, C.J. Shi, Y.K. Li, X.Y. Pan, C.S. Poon, Performance enhancement of recycled concrete

aggregates through carbonation, J Mater Civil Eng, 27 (2015) 04015029.

[34] R.L. Berger, J.F. Young, K. Leung, Acceleration of hydration of calcium silicates by carbon-dioxide

treatment, Nature-Phys Sci, 240 (1972) 16-17.

[35] B.J. Zhan, C.S. Poon, Q. Liu, S.C. Kou, C.J. Shi, Experimental study on CO2 curing for enhancement

of recycled aggregate properties, Constr Build Mater, 67 (2014) 3-7.

24