An example of harnessing crushed ceramic pots for the production of watertight concrete

Abstract

This article presents the results of the research program aimed to analyze the opportunities for using waste ceramic pots for the production of watertight concrete. The mechanically processed crushed ceramic pots were added to the concrete mix in two ways: as a microfiller and as a recycled fine ceramic aggregate. The ceramic meal with a fraction below 0.25 mm was obtained by processing crushed pots using a mill and disintegrator. The pulverized ceramic material was added in 10%, 20%, and 30% of the cement mass. Recycled fine ceramic aggregate with a particle diameter up to 4 mm was created using only industrial mill. The aggregate obtained from pots was used to replace 20%, 30%, and 40% of the sand mass. Altogether, seven different mixes were created. The testing covered following properties: compressive strength, water absorption, and depth of water penetration. Concretes modified with the ceramic meal obtained higher compressive strength, lower water absorption and lower values of depth of water penetration in comparison to reference concrete. Mixes with recycled fine ceramic aggregate were characterized by slightly higher compressive strength in comparison to the reference concrete and similar values of water absorption and depth of water penetration.

Influence of Varied Waste Ceramic Fillers on the Resistance of Concrete to Freeze–Thaw Cycles

“…Ordinary tap water and Portland cement CEM I 42.5R (CEMEX Polska, Rudniki, Poland) were used for the creation of all planned concrete mixes. The tap water characteristics were presented in a previous publication [ 19 ]. The chemical composition and other properties of the used cement (as given by producer) are presented in Table 1 .…”

“…The maximum size of the particle diameter of all FFs was 0.5 mm. The ball mill used, disintegrator, and the procedure of the preparation of ceramic fillers were thoroughly described in previous publications [ 19 , 21 ]. The granular compositions of all prepared fine and coarse fillers are presented in Table 2 .…”

“…All ingredients were mixed for 90 s. Ceramic fillers were utilized to partially substitute for the aggregate. Taking into account the previous experience of the research team with similar waste materials [ 19 , 22 , 23 , 24 ], we decided to substitute 10% (by weight) of the aggregate with ceramic fillers. The density of the natural aggregate, ceramic pots, ceramic tiles, and sanitary ceramics was equal to 2.61, 2.40, 2.65, and 2.52 kg/dm 3 , respectively.…”

“…Harnessing ceramic waste in the form of fine or coarse fillers can have a beneficial effect on the pore structure in concrete. Examinations of the freeze-thaw resistance of concrete modified by the addition of meal obtained from crushed ceramic pots were described by Halbiniak et al [ 19 ]. The concrete with the addition of the pulverized ceramic material in the amounts of 10%, 20%, and 30% of the cement mass was characterized by higher compressive strength, lower water absorption, and lower values of the depth of water penetration in comparison to the reference concrete.…”

“…One must keep in mind that ceramic waste (both white and red) is commonly available. Up to 30% of the pottery that is produced is crushed, damaged, or dismissed during production [ 19 ]. Building rubble from the demolition of degraded buildings and ceramic elements (both wall and roof) dismissed during the production process are the main source of waste red ceramics.…”