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Low-cost bricks were manufactured using construction and demolition waste (CDW). Lime and cement used as binding agents mixed with CDW and water. The bricks present better technological properties than standards. The use of this waste reduce the raw materials demands and environmental impacts.

Background Conflict and humanitarian crises increase the risk of both intimate partner violence and nonpartner sexual violence against women and girls. We measured the prevalence and risk factors of different forms of violence against women and girls in South Sudan, which has suffered decades of conflict, most recently in 2013. Methods A population-based survey was conducted among women aged 15-64 in three conflictaffected sites in South Sudan: Juba, Rumbek, and the Protection of Civilian Sites (PoCs) in Juba between 2015 and 2016. Findings A total of 2,244 women between the ages of 15-64 were interviewed. Fifty percent (in the Juba PoCs) to 65% (in Juba and Rumbek) of all female respondents experienced either physical or sexual violence from a partner or non-partner in the course of their lifetimes. Approximately 35% of respondents have experienced rape, attempted rape or other forms of sexual violence by a non-partner during their lifetime. For ever-partnered women, lifetime prevalence of physical and/or sexual partner violence ranged between 54% in the Juba PoCs and 73% in Rumbek. Restrictive marital practices and gender norms, and experiences of conflict were major drivers of both partner and non-partner violence. Conclusion Women and girls in South Sudan suffer among the highest levels of physical and sexual violence in the world. Although the prevalence of sexual assault by non-partners is four times the global average, women are still at greatest risk of physical and sexual assault from

18The industry of phosphoric acid produces a calcium-rich by-product known as

This paper reports the preparation of sulphur polymer cements (SPCs) incorporating waste ilmenite mud for use in concrete construction works. The ilmenite mud raw material and the mud-containing SPCs (IMC-SPCs) were characterised physico-chemically and radiologically. The optimal IMC-SPC mixture had a sulphur/mud ratio (w/w) of 1.05 (mud dose 20 wt%); this cement showed the greatest compressive strength (64 MPa) and the lowest water absorption coefficient (0.4 g cm−2 at 28 days). Since ilmenite mud is enriched in natural radionuclides, such as radium isotopes (2.0·103 Bq kg−1228Ra and 5.0·102 Bq kg−1226Ra), the IMC-SPCs were subjected to leaching experiments, which showed their environmental impact to be negligible. The activity concentration indices for the different radionuclides in the IMC-SPCs containing 10% and 20% ilmenite mud met the demands of international standards for materials used in the construction of non-residential buildings

This paper reports the results of a study focused on the production of ceramic tiles from ilmenite mud (MUD), a waste generated by the industry devoted to the TiO 2 pigment production. Ceramic tiles were produced from mixtures of a commercial red stonewaremixture (RSM)with different concentrations of mud (3, 5, 7, 10, 30 and 50 wt%). The samples were sintered to simulate a fast-firing process. The sintering behaviour of the fired samples was evaluated according to ISO methodologiesby linear shrinkage, water absorption and porosity measurements. Both green powder and fired samples were characterised by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC/TG), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and bending strength measurements. Moreover, since this activity is a NORM (Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material) industry, the radionuclides activity concentrations were measured by both gamma and alpha spectrometry techniques. Finally, the TCLP leaching test (Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure, USEPA) was performed to assess the risks of the use of undissolved mud tilesfrom an environmental perspective. The results obtained demonstrated that ilmenite mud can be successfully valorisatedin the manufacture of red stoneware ceramic bodies, witheven better technological properties than commercial ones. The addition ofmud as additive (from 3% to 10%) had a beneficial effectto thesintering processes, inproving the bending strength (up to 15 %) and reducing both apparent porosity and water absorption (up to 50%).

Mullite (3Al2O3·2SiO2) is an aluminosilicate characterized by excellent physical properties, which makes it an important ceramic material. In this way, ceramics based on mullite find applications in different technological fields as refractory material (metallurgy, glass, ceramics, etc.), matrix in composite materials for high temperature applications, substrate in multilayer packaging, protective coatings, components of turbine engines, windows transparent to infrared radiation, etc. However, mullite is scarce in nature so it has to be manufactured through different synthesis methods, such as sintering, melting-crystallization or through a sol-gel route. Commonly, mullite is fabricated from pure technical grade raw materials, making the manufacturing process expensive. An alternative to lowering the cost is the use of mining waste as silica (SiO2) and alumina (Al2O3) feedstock, which are the necessary chemical compounds required to manufacture mullite ceramics. In addition to the economic benefits, the use of mining waste brings out environmental benefits as it prevents the over-exploitation of natural resources and reduces the volume of mining waste that needs to be managed. This article reviews the scientific studies carried out in order to use waste (steriles and tailings) generated in mining activities for the manufacture of clay-based ceramic materials containing mullite as a main crystalline phase.

h i g h l i g h t s The addition of phosphogypsum waste in ceramic bodies was evaluated. The new ceramic tiles shown even better technological properties than standards. No significant environmental impact and human risk on use this building material. The use of this waste can reduce the raw materials demands and phosphogypsum piles.