Disposal of construction wastes poses major challenge to the municipal administration in the developing countries. At the same time new developments in these countries are unscrupulously exploiting the natural resources. The sustainable development requires judicious and careful utilization of natural resources. In this context, reuse of construction and demolition waste can save the global natural resources to greater extent. In this work the bricks and concrete waste from construction sites were crushed to the desired sizes and mixed in various proportions to study its properties in the concrete both in fresh and hardened states. Six mixes of natural and recycled aggregates were used to make the coarse aggregates for the concrete. From each mix nine cylinders were cast, which were tested at 7,14 and 28 days. The properties of concrete with recycled aggregates were compared with the control mix having natural aggregates. The nominal ratio of cement sand and coarse aggregates were kept at 1:2:4 by weight for all mixes. The tests have shown that concrete with recycled aggregates made from old concrete and brick bats provide greater opportunities for reuse of construction wastes in concrete.
Limited information is available on the effect of slow-release boron (B) fertilizer onPinus radiata growth and physiological properties and soil microbiological activities. A 7-month-long pot experiment was carried out under glasshouse conditions to investigate the response of Pinus radiata to different rates (0.0222, 0.0446, 0.089, and 0.178 mg B g −1 soil), equivalent to 0, 4, 8 16, and 32 kg B ha −1 of ulexite, a slow-release B fertilizer. Hot 0.02 M calcium chloride (CaCl 2 )-extractable soil B, soil dehydrogenase activity, plant B concentration, growth, and photosynthesis were measured at the time of harvest. The B concentrations in the soil and plant organs (needles, stem, and roots) significantly increased with increasing rates of B fertilizer. The optimum B fertilizer rates of 4-8 kg B ha −1 produced the greatest plant growth and net photosynthetic rate. However, the B rates of 16 and 32 kg B ha −1 significantly reduced net photosynthetic rate, and the rate of 32 kg B ha −1 significantly reduced stem diameter growth when compared to the optimum B rates. Soil dehydrogenase activity, an indicator of soil microbiological activities, was significantly reduced by B application at the rates of 16 and 32 kg ha −1 . This study confirms the narrow range between B deficiency and toxicity in a tree crop and stresses the need for selection of the optimum rate of B fertilizer application.
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