Cement and Concrete Composites 86 (2018) 130e138

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Cement and Concrete Composites

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/cemconcomp

Performance of mortar prepared with recycled concrete aggregate

enhanced by CO2 and pozzolan slurry
Caijun Shi a, *, Zemei Wu a, b, **, Zhijie Cao a, Tung Chai Ling a, Jianlan Zheng c
a
Key Laboratory for Green & Advanced Civil Engineering Materials and Application Technology of Hunan Province, College of Civil Engineering, Hunan
University, Changsha 410082, China
b
Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla 65401, MO, USA
c
Department of Civil Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350002, China

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: One of the most promising strategies to manage the large volume of construction and demolition (C&D)
Received 8 March 2017 waste is recycling and utilizing it for the production of new concrete. However, recycled concrete
Received in revised form aggregate (RCA) derived from C&D waste possesses relatively higher porosity and water absorption
16 September 2017
capability, which often limits its wild utilization. In this study, pozzolan slurry (includes silica fume,
Accepted 30 October 2017
Available online 5 January 2018
nano-SiO2, and fly ash slurries) and CO2 treatments as enhancement methods for RCA were investigated.
Test results showed that CO2 treatment was more effective in reducing water absorption and enhancing
fluidity, whereas pozzolan slurry treatment could decrease fluidity. Mortars prepared with treated RCA
Keywords:
Recycled concrete aggregate
exhibited better mechanical strength and higher resistance towards carbonation and chloride-ion
Pozzolan slurry treatment diffusion than those with untreated RCA. Both pozzolan slurry and CO2 treatments enhanced not only
CO2 enhancement the properties of RCA, but also the old and new interfacial transition zones (ITZs) as demonstrated in the
Fluidity measured micro-hardness and SEM observation.
Mechanical properties © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Durability

1. Introduction performance. It is reported that the compressive and tensile

The quantities of construction and demolition (C&D) wastes
rapidly increase with the rapid development of economy and
construction. The reuse of C&D wastes by recycling them as ag-
gregates in concrete can not only conserve resources and enhance
sustainability, but can also alleviate the demand for landfill [1,2].
Generally, recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) consists of 65%e70%
original aggregates and 30%e35% original cement by the volume of
concrete [22]. However, some detrimental properties associated
with RCA can limit its uses in concrete applications [3]. These
detrimental effects are mainly due to the adhered old mortar
possesses relatively higher porosity and water absorption proper-
ties, resulting in poorer workability and lower mechanical strength
when used in new concrete [4]. Micro-cracking that occurs during
demolition and crushing processes could further weaken their
* Corresponding author.
** Corresponding author. Key Laboratory for Green & Advanced Civil Engineering
Materials and Application Technology of Hunan Province, College of Civil Engi-
neering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China.
E-mail addresses: cshi@hnu.edu.cn (C. Shi), zemianmian@gmail.com (Z. Wu).
strengths of concrete made with RCA were decreased by 40% when
compared to those with natural aggregate [5]. High water absorp-
tion can lead to high water demand of concrete [6]. When concrete
contains more than 50% RCA, cracks are more likely to appear
because of more introduction of weak interface and reduction in
tensile strength [7].
In the past few years, different treatment methods were adop-
ted to enhance the inferior properties of RCA. In general, the
enhancement techniques of RCA can be classified into two main
methods, as summarized in Table 1: (1) Physical treatment method
- through mechanical grinding, pre-soaking in water, polymer
emulsion, filler lime powder or calcium carbonate biodeposition,
etc. [8e9,11]; and (2) Chemical treatment method - through pre-
soaking in acid, pozzolan slurry or sodium silicate, CO2 enhance-
ment, etc. [10]. Removing adhered mortar may damage aggregates
due to intense collision and grinding and result in the second
pollution as well. Strengthening adhered mortar is to improve the
weak zones through chemical reaction and/or filling ability.
Tam et al. [11] pre-soaked RCA in hydrochloric acid (HCl), sul-
phuric acid (H2SO4), and phosphoric acid (H3PO4) solutions to
remove the adhered old mortar on the RCA surface, and

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2017.10.013
0958-9465/© 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
 C. Shi et al. / Cement and Concrete Composites 86 (2018) 130e138
Table 1
Treatment methods for recycled concrete aggregate [3].
Treatment method Physical treatment
Removing adhered mortar Mechanical grinding
Pre-soaking in water
Strengthening adhered mortar Polymer emulsion
Filler lime powder or calcium carbonate
biodeposition
e Carbonation
investigated the basic properties of the resulting RCA and concrete
mixes. Test results showed a significant reduction in water ab-
sorption of the RCA and an increase in mechanical properties of RCA
concrete. In order to effectively remove the old mortar and obtain
good-quality RCA, the concentration of acid solution used should be
controlled within a satisfactory range. Cuneyisi et al. [12] assessed
the influence of different acid concentrations (0.1, 0.5, and 0.8 mol
of HCl) and durations of treatment on the properties of aggregate
and concrete. They found that the use of low concentration of HCl at
0.1 molarity could potentially remove the loose adhered mortar on
RCA surface, and the time of immersion in an acid bath did not
show a significant influence on the amount of mortar lost.
Kou et al. [13] investigated the effect of the impregnation
method with different concentrations (6%, 8%, 10%, and 12%) of
polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) on the properties of RCA. The results indi-
cated that a 10% concentration of PVA was generally optimum for
reducing the water absorption. The use of impregnated PVA recy-
cled aggregate improved the mechanical properties and resistance
to chloride-ion penetration and shrinkage of RCA concrete. Spaeth
et al. [14] studied the water resistance effect of RCA using siloxane,
silane, and a combined solution of both polymers. Among all
polymer solutions, siloxane resulted in the highest reduction in
water absorption, followed by the combined solution and then
silane. In terms of the influence of solution concentration, 5%
siloxane resulted in a decrease of 45% water absorption, whereas
90% reduction was achieved by increasing the concentration up to
45%. In general, the polymer solutions can reduce the water ab-
sorption, but they may cause a negative impact on the concrete
properties, such as a decrease in compressive strength. Zhu et al. [2]
studied the durability of recycled aggregate concrete treated with
different dosages of silane-based water repellent agents. The
silane-based water repellent was used either for RCA surface
coating or integrally added into the concrete mixture. It was found
that both concrete surface and integral silane treatments can
improve the durability of recycled aggregate concrete by increasing
the resistance to capillary water absorption, carbonation, and
chloride-ion penetration.
Du et al. [15] blended various pozzolan slurries, such as cement
paste, cement with fly ash, and cement with waterproof powder
additive, and observed that RCA-treated waterproof cement-based
slurry gained better properties than the other two pastes. A study
by Singh et al. [16] found that a small particle size of pozzolan slurry
of nano-SiO2 was efficient in enhancing the quality of RCA due to its
high pozzolanic reactivity. Therefore, it can be concluded that the
efficiency of the slurry treatment relies on the type, particle size,
and the reactivity of pozzolan used as well as the content of calcium
hydroxide remaining in the adhered mortar for pozzolanic reaction.
Carbonation treatment is based on the interaction between
adhered paste (i.e. calcium hydroxide and hydrated calcium sili-
cate) and CO2 resulting in the formation of solid calcium carbonate
in a relatively short time [17,18]. Zhan et al. [19] reported that 24-h
CO2 curing of RCA led to decrease in water absorption by 19%e25%
and porosity by 18%e21% when compared to that before carbon-
ation. Kou et al. [20] adopted CO2 curing to improve the properties
131
Chemical treatment
Pre-soaking in acid
e
Pozzolan slurry (or mixed with a small amount of cement)
Sodium silicate
of concrete that prepared with recycled aggregates in a 100% CO2
chamber under a positive 0.1 Pa pressure. The drying shrinkage of
the mixture made with CO2 cured aggregate was approximately
10%e15% lower than that of the reference sample, while the
resistance to chloride ion penetration was 41%e46% greater. Shi
et al. [21] used CO2 to pre-cure and accelerate the carbonation re-
action and strengthen the concrete properties. This technique
increased the early strength of concrete associated with pore
refinement by calcium carbonate. Carbonation can increase the
solid content by 13% due to the chemical reaction between CO2 and
calcium hydroxide or calcium silicate hydrate [22,23]. According to
the aforementioned studies, there was a lack of comparison infor-
mation on the performance of recycled concrete/mortar that
treated by different methods.
This paper aims at evaluating the efficiency of different
enhancement methods, including pozzolan slurries and CO2
treatments, for recycled concrete aggregate (RCA). RCA used in this
study was crushed from parent concrete with a strength grade of
30 MPa. The properties of RCA before and after treatment were
examined and its effect of being added in the production of cement
mortar was identified. The fresh, mechanical, and durability prop-
erties of RCA mortar as well as the microstructure with particular
focus on the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) were examined and
compared.
2. Experimental program
2.1. Materials
2.1.1. Recycled concrete aggregate
Recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) used in this study was
derived from concrete samples with a strength grade of C30 (28-
d compressive strength of 30 MPa). RCA with a particle size less
than 4.75 mm and a fineness modulus of 2.45, i.e. sand, was pre-
pared in accordance with the Chinese standard of Type I fine
aggregate [24]. The particle size distribution of the RCA is presented
in Table 2.
2.1.2. Treatment of RCA with pozzolan slurries
Three different pozzolan slurries, namely silica fume slurry, fly
ash slurry, and nano-SiO2 slurry, were prepared. The specific sur-
face areas of silica fume, fly ash, and nano-SiO2 are 18,500, 427, and
160,000 m2/kg, respectively. Nano-SiO2 slurry was prepared with a
water-to-solid ratio of 20:1, whereas, for the silica fume and fly ash
slurries the water-to-solid ratio was fixed at 10:1. To ensure better
dispersion of the fine particles, ultra-sonication was used for mix-
ing the slurries. Following the mixing process, the dynamic vis-
cosity of the slurries was determined by using a digital viscometer
with a rotational speed of 30 rpm at a temperature of 15
C [25]. The
dynamic viscosity results are given in Table 3. The fly ash slurry
treatment rendered the lowest dynamic viscosity of RCA while the
nano-SiO2 slurry treatment exhibited the highest value.
For the slurry treatment, RCA was first dried at 60
C for 48 h.
After that, it was mixed in the freshly slurry for 30 min and soaked
132 C. Shi et al. / Cement and Concrete Composites 86 (2018) 130e138
Table 2
Particle size distribution of RCA.
Sieve size (mm) Retained percentage (%)
4.75 0 0
2.36 35
1.18 25
0.60 20
0.30 15
0.15 5 100
Table 3
Dynamic viscosity of pozzolan slurries.
Slurry Dynamic viscosity (mpa$s)
Silica fume 13
Fly ash 10
Nano-SiO2 21
for an additional 60 min. The treated RCA was then removed from
the slurry bath and drained to suppress the redundant slurry
adhering to the RCA. Finally, the treated RCA was dried in an oven at
a temperature of 100
C for 2 h, then the agglomerated hardened
aggregates were broken into smaller particles. Particles with a size
smaller than 0.15 mm were removed from the sample to eliminate
the excessive slurries. The weight measurement was taken before
and after treatment, and the results are summarized in Table 4.
Here R represents the reference sample, R-F, R-S, and R-N-S denote
the RCA mortars that were treated by fly ash, silica fume, and nano-
SiO2 slurries, respectively. It can be seen that the R-F sample
showed a higher mass gain, indicating that a higher amount of fly
ash slurry was impregnated and covered the RCA surface. In com-
parison, a very small amount of nano-SiO2 slurry was attached to
the RCA surface after treatment. The difference in mass of RCA
might be due to different dynamic viscosities as indicated in
Table 3. The lower viscosity of the slurry may result in more sucked
pozzolanic materials into the adhered paste of the recycled
aggregate due to desired bonding properties [26].
2.1.3. Treatment of RCA with CO2 (accelerated carbonation curing)
Similar to the method for slurry treatment, RCA after drying at
60
C for 48 h was used for CO2 curing. The RCA was placed in a
standard carbonation chamber for 3 days, where the temperature
and relative humidity were maintained constantly at 20
C and 60%
relative humidity, respectively, and the CO2 concentration was kept
at 20 ± 2% throughout the experiment. The RCA after carbonation
treatment was designated as R-C.
2.2. Mixture design and mortar specimen preparation
Table 5 presents the five mixtures for RCA mortars with a water-
to-binder ratio of 0.5 and a RCA-to-binder ratio of 2.5. The cement
used was Type 42.5 ordinary Portland cement. A total of five mix-
tures designated as R, R-C, R-S, R-F, and R-N-S were used in this
study. They denote the reference sample (mortar with 100% RCA
without treatment), samples treated by CO2 enhancement, silica
fume, fly ash, and nano-SiO2 slurries, respectively.
Table 4
Mass of recycled concrete aggregates and proportion of pozzolan.
ID Before treatment (g)
R-S 5000
R-F 5000
R-N-S 5000
Accumulated retained percentage (%)
35
60
80
95
2.3. Testing methods
2.3.1. Water absorption and apparent density of RCA
The water absorption and apparent density of RCA were deter-
mined according to the Chinese standard JGJ52-2006 [27]. For this
test, RCA sample was immersed in water for 24 h. The surface of the
saturated RCA sample was then dried by removing surface moisture
with a towel and a blower, and its weight under saturated surface
dry state was determined (mssd). Afterward, the RCA samples were
fully dried in an oven at a temperature of 105
C until achieving a
constant weight (mod). The water absorption (u) as a percentage is
given below:
mssd  mod
u¼  100% (1)
mod
where u is the water absorption of RCA (%); mssd is the mass of
saturated surface dry RAC sample before 105
C drying (g); mod is
the mass of RCA sample after 105
C drying (g).
2.3.2. Fluidity of freshly prepared mortar
An automatic mini-slump flow table with a diameter of 100 mm
and a height of 60 mm was used to evaluate the fluidity of RCA
mortar as described by the Chinese Standard GB2419-2005 [28].
The spread diameters of the fresh mortar in two perpendicular
directions were measured. Two diameters perpendicular to each
direction were determined and an average of three measurements
was reported. A greater spread value indicates higher flowability of
the mixture.
2.3.3. Compressive strength
Specimens measuring 40  40  40 mm were prepared for
compressive strength testing according to the Chinese Standard
GB/T 17671-1999 [29]. Three specimens were used for each test and
the average values were reported.
2.3.4. Carbonation
The carbonation resistance was measured in accordance with
the Chinese Standard GB/T50082-2009 [30]. Three cube specimens
measuring 100  100  100 mm were prepared and cured in a
standard curing room for 28 days. After that, samples were dried at
60
C for 48 h. Except two opposite surfaces, the other surfaces
were then sealed using wax. These specimens were then placed
into a carbonation chamber with a CO2 concentration of 20 ± 3%,
relative humidity of 70 ± 5%, and temperature of 20 ± 2
C until
testing age of 3, 7, 14, and 28 days. The samples were split, and the
After treatment (g) Pozzolanic proportion by weight of RCA (%)
5012.7 12.7
5015.3 15.3
5002.7 2.7
 C. Shi et al. / Cement and Concrete Composites 86 (2018) 130e138 133

Table 5
Mixture proportion for mortars.

ID Aggregate (g) Water(g) Slurry(g) Cement(g) Pozzolan to cement ratio (%)

R 5000 1000 e 2000 e

R-C 5000 1000 e 2000 e
R-S 5000 1000 12.7 2000 0.63
R-F 5000 1000 15.3 2000 0.76
R-N-S 5000 1000 2.7 2000 0.13

fractured surface was immediately cleaned and sprayed with a
phenolphthalein solution at a 1% concentration. The carbonation
depths were then quantified and mean values of three samples
were reported.
2.3.5. Chloride-ion migration testing
Rapid chloride migration testing (RCMT) was performed by
monitoring the amount of electrical current that passed through a
cylinder sample with a thickness of 50 mm and a diameter of
100 mm [31]. These sample disks were mechanically cut from
cylinder samples with 100 mm diameter and 200 mm length and
were cured for 28 and 56 days. Chloride-ion migration test was
performed on RCA mortars at 28 and 56 days and coefficient of
chloride migrations were measured.
2.3.6. Micro-hardness across the interfacial transition zones (ITZs)
In order to examine the influence of pozzolan slurry and CO2
treatments on the microstructural mechanical properties of sam-
ples, the micro-hardness (HV) across the old and new ITZs was
measured by a digital Vickers micro-hardness tester. A 10 g load
was applied on the samples for 10 s. Samples with a size of
20  20  5 mm were obtained from 28 days cured RCA mortars,
and a single face was selected for polishing. For each sample,
measurements across the distance of 20 to 200 mm from an
aggregate edge were taken. Five random aggregates were selected
for examination and the average values were reported.
2.3.7. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation
Small samples were carefully cut from the RCA treated and the
reference mortars using a diamond saw. The samples were dried at
60
C for 24 h, and then coated with a very thin layer of gold for
conduction before scanning electron microscope (SEM)
observation.
3. Results and discussion
treatment. This is mainly because the reaction of CO2 with hydra-
tion products (or unhydrated cement particles) attached to the RCA
surface can generate solid CaCO3 and silica gels, which eventually
help to fill empty spaces within the capillary pores of old mortar
[22,32]. However, the slurry treatment mainly aimed to coat a thin
layer of pozzolan slurry over the RCA surface.
3.2. Fluidity of RCA mortar
Fig. 1 shows the fluidity of mortars containing RCA treated with
pozzolan slurries and CO2. It seems that the CO2 treatment slightly
improved the fluidity of the mortar sample. However, a negative
impact on fluidity was observed in the mortar samples prepared
with RCA treated by pozzolan slurries, which is consistent with the
results from previous studies [22,33,34]. When compared to the
reference mixture (R), approximately 32% and 17% decrease in
fluidity were observed for the R-S and R-N-S samples, respectively.
This is probably due to the thin layer of pozzolan slurry on the
surfaces of RCA, absorbing portions of free water during mixing and
leaving less free water in the mixture to achieve the same fluidity.
In addition, the presence of silica fume and nano-SiO2 is expected to
affect the mobility of water and may cause agglomeration issues
due to the greater specific surface area.
3.3. Compressive strength of RCA cement mortar
The compressive strength of cement mortar prepared with
different treated RCAs at 3, 7 and 28 days is shown in Fig. 2. In
general, both slurry treatment and CO2 strengthening of RCA
enhanced the compressive strength of the mortar with prolonga-
tion of curing age [10]. Interestingly, the RCA treated with pozzolan
slurries performed slightly better than RCA strengthening with CO2.
As illustrated in Fig. 2, the 3-d compressive strengths of the R-S, R-
N-S, and R-F samples were improved by 45.7%, 19.6%, and 17.7%,
respectively. The greater strength gain for the R-S and R-N-S

3.1. Properties of recycled concrete aggregate

Table 6 summarizes the water absorption and apparent density

of RCA treated with different slurries and CO2 strengthening. The
results indicated a decrease in water absorption and an increase in
the apparent density of RCA after pozzolan slurry and CO2 treat-
ments. However, it seems that the CO2 treatment was more effec-
tive in reducing the water absorption and in increasing the
apparent density of RCA when compared to the pozzolan slurry

Table 6
Water absorption and apparent density of RCA with and without treatment.

Type of RCA Water absorption (%) Apparent density (kg/m3)

R 5.3 2490
R-C 3.9 2562
R-F 4.0 2513
R-S 4.2 2501
Fig. 1. Fluidity of freshly prepared mortars containing RCA treated with different
R-N-S 4.2 2495
methods.
134 C. Shi et al. / Cement and Concrete Composites 86 (2018) 130e138
Fig. 2. Compressive strength of mortars containing RCA treated with different
methods.
samples is mainly attributed to their finer particle size and pres-
ence of the rich silica on the surface layer of RCA, which could
enhance the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) between the RCA and
the new cement paste via pozzolanic reaction, leading to better
bonding and mechanical strength of the mortar [35,36]. As the
curing age increased to 28 days, the compressive strengths of R-S,
R-N-S, and R-F were 55.2%, 39.4%, and 17.6% higher than that of the
reference sample R. This finding agrees well with those of some
researchers stating that the pozzolanic effect of silica fume and
nano-SiO2 become more obvious with the increase of curing age
[20,22].
It should be noted that CO2 treatment had no influence on the 3-
d compressive strength of the RCA mortar. However, at 7 and 28
days, their strengths were higher than those of the R and R-F
samples. This might be due to the silica gels resulting from chemical
reaction between CO2 and C-S-H at later ages to form secondary
calcium silicate, which improves the ITZ [37]. This finding agrees
well with Xuan et al. [38] who reported that 6 months aged
carbonated RCA resulted in a 22.6% increment of concrete strength.
3.4. Carbonation of cement mortar
Fig. 3 depicts the change in carbonation depth with time for
cement mortar. Compared with the reference sample R, the
carbonation depth of cement mortar prepared with treated RCA
decreased. The mortar prepared with untreated RCA (R sample) had
Fig. 3. Carbonation depth of mortars containing RCA treated with different methods.
the highest carbonation depth at all ages. The carbonation depths of
R sample at 14 and 28 days were about 2 and 1.6 times higher than
those of the R-S sample, respectively. This indicates that the
treatment of RCA with silica fume slurry is an effective solution to
improve the ITZ of RCA, and thus creating a denser microstructure
to reduce the penetration of carbon dioxide.
Fig. 4 illustrates the relationship between the carbonation depth
and the 28-d compressive strength of RCA cement mortar. From the
left to right side of the X-axis, the labels consequently denote the
28-d compressive strength of the R, R-F, R-C, R-N-S, and R-S sam-
ples. For a given compressive strength value, the longer the
carbonation curing age was, the greater the carbonation depth of
mortar sample was. This is due to prolonged explosion period for
the migration of CO2 into internal concrete. In addition, the
carbonation depth decreased with the increase of the 28-
d compressive strength. The carbonation depth was found to
have a close linear relationship with the 28-d compressive strength
of mortar samples, regardless of the exposure time to carbonation.
This slower progress of carbonation in the higher strength of
mortars could be related to their denser structure. Exponential
correlation between 180-d carbonation depth and 28-
d compressive strength was observed in a previous study [39].
When 28-d compressive strength increased from 32 to 55 MPa, the
180-d carbonation depth decreased by 81% [38]. In this research,
the carbonation depth was reduced by 30%e80%, depending on
curing age, with compressive strength increased from 39 to 61 MPa.
3.5. Chloride-ion migration of RCA cement mortar
Fig. 5 depicts the chloride migration coefficients of RCA mortars
at 28 and 56 days. Compared with the reference sample, the
chloride migration coefficient decreased with the incorporation of
the treated RCA in the mortar samples. At 28 days, the reference
sample had an approximately 6.3, 3.2, 3.0, and 1.5 times higher
chloride migration coefficients than those of the R-S, R-N-S, R-C,
and R-F samples, respectively. This implies that the slurry and CO2
treatments enhanced the resistance to chloride-ion penetration.
Similarly, a study of Zhang et al. [40] demonstrated that surface-
treated RCA with nano-SiO2 slurry enhanced the new ITZ in con-
crete, contributing to the prevention of chloride-ion migration. As
can be also seen from Fig. 5, increasing the curing age from 28 to 56
days seems to have no obvious influence on chloride-ion migration
for all RCA mortars, which might be due to relatively stable
compressive strength.
It is always interesting to establish a relationship between the
coefficient of chloride penetration and 28-d compressive strength.
The R-squared value of 0.83 was determined from the linear best-fit
line plotted in Fig. 6, which shows that there is a strong linear
relationship between the two parameters. The increase of
compressive strength led to a decrease in the coefficient of chloride
penetration. Such results are also consistent with the carbonation
results as presented in Fig. 4.
3.6. Micro-hardness and SEM observation of ITZs in RCA mortar
The influence of pozzolan slurry and CO2 treatments on micro-
hardness across the old and new ITZs in RCA mortar is shown in
Fig. 7. Based on the results, five different phases can be distin-
guished, including, aggregate, old ITZ, old matrix zone, new ITZ, and
new matrix zone. An approximate width of 20e40 mm for old and
new ITZs was identified. For a given type of RCA mortar, the old ITZ
region was constantly weaker than that observed in the new ITZ. A
previous study by Otsuki et al. [41] also reported that recycled
concrete aggregate has the lowest strength of adhesive mortar,
presenting a lower micro-hardness in the old ITZ. The scientific
 C. Shi et al. / Cement and Concrete Composites 86 (2018) 130e138
Fig. 4. Relationship between carbonation depth and 28-d compressive strength of RCA mortar.
Fig. 5. Coefficient of chloride migration of RCA mortars at 28 and 56 days.
explanations were discussed through SEM observation in the
following paragraphs.
As expected, all RCA treatments caused an increment in micro-
hardness and a denser microstructure. Compared to the reference
sample R, the micro-hardness values of R-S, R-N-S, R-C and R-F
samples in the old ITZ were increased by 67.7%, 55.6%, 40.3%, and
32.3%, respectively. Furthermore, this positive effect was more
obvious in the new ITZ, and a higher percentage of increment of
microhardness was observed. This implies that the slurry and CO2
treatments of RCA not only enhanced the RCA properties, but also
improved the new ITZ. This leads to the formation of a denser
interface and more connected mortar composition. Therefore, the
mechanical properties and durability were improved as discussed
in the earlier sections.
Fig. 8 presents the SEM observation of old and new ITZs in the
reference sample and the R-C sample after 28 d CO2 curing. In
Fig. 8(a) and (b), obvious micro-cracks and/or pores were observed
135
between the aggregate and the old matrix. However, a plenty of
new hydration products were found in Fig. 8(c) and (d). Especially
in the R-C sample, fiber-like and cotton-like substances occurred,
which might be CaCO3 and/or silica gel associated with chemical
reaction between CO2 and Ca(OH)2 and/or C-S-H. They helped to fill
the voids, densified the ITZ, and eventually improved the micro-
hardness of new ITZ [22]. This demonstrates why the micro-
hardness of old ITZ was lower than that of the new ITZ. Mean-
while, compared to the R-C sample, the R sample exhibited more
pores and column-like products with greater size, growing in the
porous area. The column-like products would be ettringite, which
can fill the pores but can also exert an expansion stress to the in-
ternal structure of concrete if excessive amount existed. Therefore,
carbonation treatment significantly enhances the quality of the
new ITZ.
In general, the compressive strength of mortar increased as the
micro-hardness of the old and new ITZs increased, and a good
linear correlation with R2 up to 0.9 can be observed as shown in
Fig. 9. The greater micro-hardness of the ITZ was because of the
denser microstructure associated with lower w/c ratio and higher
compressive strength of the matrix.
4. Conclusions
In this study, pozzolan slurry, including silica fume, nano-SiO2,
and fly ash slurries, and CO2 treatments were used to improve the
properties of RCA. The workability, mechanical properties, and
durability of mortar prepared with treated RCA were examined and
compared to the mortar with untreated RCA. Based on the exper-
imental results, the following conclusions can be drawn:
(1) Pozzolan slurry and CO2 treatments reduced the water ab-
sorption by 21%e26% and slightly increased the apparent
density of RCA. The use of CO2 and fly ash slurry treated RCA
had limited influence on the fluidity of fresh mortar, while
RCAs treated with silica fume and nano-SiO2 slurries caused
136 C. Shi et al. / Cement and Concrete Composites 86 (2018) 130e138

Fig. 6. Relationship between coefficient of chloride migration and compressive strength of RCA mortars.

Fig. 7. Micro-hardness of new and old ITZs across RCA mortar.

a slight reduction in the fluidity of the mixes due to the large
specific surface area.
(2) The use of treated RCA clearly increased the compressive
strength and durability performance of the produced mor-
tars. Among the four treatments, silica fume slurry was the
most effective one in producing greater strength and more
durable mortar to enhance the ITZ between the RCA and the
new matrix. However, the fly ash slurry was the least effi-
cient one.
(3) The compressive strength was found to have a close linear
relationship with the observed carbonation depth and coef-
ficient of chloride migration, regardless of curing age. The
 C. Shi et al. / Cement and Concrete Composites 86 (2018) 130e138 137

Fig. 8. SEM observation of new and old ITZs in mortar before and after carbonation.

Fig. 9. Relationship between micro-hardness and compressive strength of RCA mortars.

138 C. Shi et al. / Cement and Concrete Composites 86 (2018) 130e138
higher the mortar strength was, the lower the carbonation
depth and coefficient of chloride migration were.
(4) The pozzolan slurry and CO2 treatments appeared to be
effective in enhancing the quality of both old and new ITZs as
demonstrated by greater micro-hardness and denser struc-
ture with the appearance of fiber-like and cotton-like prod-
ucts from SEM observation. This implied that the treatments
of RCA not only enhanced the RCA properties, but also
improved the ITZs of mortars.
Acknowledgement
Financial support from National Natural Science Foundation of
China under contract U1605242 is greatly appreciated.
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