Pilot Scale Production of Precast Concrete Elements with Wood Biomass Ash

Abstract

Downsizing fossil fuel dependence and greenhouse gas emissions is at the forefront of a sustainable future. The expansion of renewable energy while striving to minimize dependence on fossil fuels has led to biomass taking the lead among renewable energy sources, with wood having the broadest application. Along with the growing trend of using biomass as a renewable energy source, the combustion of wood biomass results in wood biomass ash (WBA), leading to compelling amounts of waste. In this study, the technical feasibility of fly WBA from different Croatian power plants was analyzed to evaluate its potential use in precast concrete drainage elements and curb units. By implementing a performance-based design, the influence of various factors in thermal processing of wood biomass was investigated, together with a detailed characterization of WBA in order to assess the feasibility of using WBA as a secondary raw material in a large-scale industrial batching plant. The compressive strength and durability properties (water absorption, permeability, and freeze–thaw resistance) of concrete mixtures with WBA as a replacement for 15 wt% cement were evaluated and compared with the precast concrete manufacturer’s technical requirements. The main concerns identified were compositional inconsistency of WBA, workability downturn, delay in initial reactivity rate, and increased water absorption. Concrete with WBA based on a circular design has been found to be a viable solution to cement depletion, stepping up from recycling to reuse of industrial waste.

Performance Characterization and Evaluation of Innovative Cement Mortars and Concretes Made with Recycled EPS

“…Numerous studies and experiments have focused on the use of sustainable raw materials, particularly the valorization and reuse of waste materials in the production of mortars and cements. This approach aims to optimize the properties of construction materials, especially mechanical and thermal ones, while reducing the extraction and use of raw materials and minimizing landfill waste disposal [28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43]. In various studies, waste products, such as fly ash (FA) [28,32], plastic waste [33], green pozzolan (GP) [34], waste paper sludge ash (WPSA) [35], food waste [36,40], and wood biomass ash (WBA-wood bottom ash) from power plants [38,39] have been added to concrete or mortar mixes.…”

“…This approach aims to optimize the properties of construction materials, especially mechanical and thermal ones, while reducing the extraction and use of raw materials and minimizing landfill waste disposal [28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43]. In various studies, waste products, such as fly ash (FA) [28,32], plastic waste [33], green pozzolan (GP) [34], waste paper sludge ash (WPSA) [35], food waste [36,40], and wood biomass ash (WBA-wood bottom ash) from power plants [38,39] have been added to concrete or mortar mixes. The use of EPS and recycled expanded polystyrene (R-EPS), as a replacement for aggregate in concrete and mortar formulations, has been extensively experimented with, successfully achieving lightweight and thermally efficient mortars.…”

Strength of Concrete Using Partial Addition of Residual Wood Ash with Respect to Cement

“…52, No. 1 renewable energies seek to minimize dependence on fossil fuels such as biomass with wood resulting in large amounts of waste with polluting consequences that affect the environment (Gabrijel et al, 2021;Šantek et al, 2021). However, the possibility of using fly ash from the combustion of woody biomass -girasol as an admixture in concrete arises from the need to improve the mechanical properties as such (Jura & Ulewicz, 2021).…”

The Impact of High-Alkali Biofuel Fly Ash on the Sustainability Parameters of Concrete

“…Due to its pozzolanic properties, BFA is used as an active additive to modify the functional properties of a binder [26]. BFA can be applied in the manufacture of concrete mixtures and prefabricated concrete elements [33]. For instance, BFA in porous concrete acts as both a binder and a filler.…”