I Sverige ökar förbränningen av avfall som inte är ett helt definierbart bränsle. Detta är i mångt och mycket ekonomiskt och miljömässigt försvarbart genom den höga kvalitén på rökasreningen, som garanterar att en mycket liten del av föroreningar når atmosfären, utan dessa koncentreras i askorna. Avfallsaskor går till stor del till deponier och används där för sluttäckning eller för att deponeras, samt att en stor mängd flygaska transporteras till Langöya. Inom en tioårsperiod kommer deponierna vara sluttäckta och Langöya uppfyllt, samtidigt som mängden avfallsaskor ökar, vilket innebär krav på nya lösningar. Orsaken till att framförallt flygaskan klassas som farligt avfall är koncentrationen av tungmetaller och föroreningar som härrör från bränslet. Det har forskat i åratal om metoder som ger miljöriktig användning och metoder för att minska miljöpåverkan från askor, men ytterligare forskning krävs för att få svar på den långsiktiga miljöpåverkan samt alternativa användningsområden. Är avfallsaskorna farligt avfall eller en framtida resurs, en svår fråga att besvara, eftersom det är mycket arbete som behövs ifrån politiker, myndigheter, branschen, forskningen och gemene mans inställning till sopsortering för att lyckas förvandla ett farligt avfall till en resurs. / The combustion of waste is increasing in Sweden and the waste is not an entirely definable fuel. This is very much economically and environmentally defensible by the high quality of smoke purification, which ensures that a very small percentage of pollutants reaching the atmosphere, but on the other hand they are concentrated in the ash. Ashes from the incineration of waste go largely to landfills and are used to cap or to be deposited, and that a large amount of fly ash is transported to Langöya. Within a decade, the landfill will be completed covered and Langöya fulfilled, while the amount of ashes from the incineration are increasing, which would require new solutions. The reason for the particular fly ash as hazardous waste is the concentration of heavy metals and pollutions emanating from the fuel. It has been researched for years about the methods that provide environmentally sound use and methods to reduce the environmental impact of ashes, but further research is needed to find answer to the long-term environmental impact and alternative uses. Are ashes from waste hazardous waste or a future resource, a difficult question to answer, because there is much work needed from politicians, government agencies, industry, research and the general public attitude towards waste separation to successfully transform a hazardous waste into a resource.

O processo industrial para fabricação de MDF - Medium Density Fiberboard - utiliza como combustível a casca de madeira Pinus, cuja queima gera um resíduo cinzas de granulometria fina, que constitui um problema ambiental por conter algumas substâncias em quantidade acima da permitida pela NBR 10004:2004, que o classifica como resíduo de classe II A - não inerte. O objetivo geral desta pesquisa é testar a hipótese de que o resíduo cinzas podem ser utilizadas como fíler em misturas asfálticas, mediante a verificação das propriedades de interesse à engenharia através de ensaios de laboratório: resistência à tração por compressão diametral, módulo de resiliência, vida de fadiga, dano por umidade induzida, estabilidade e fluência Marshall. Foram realizados ensaios para determinação da massa específica das cinzas - resíduo, inclusive com picnometria de gás hélio. Primeiramente, o fíler mineral foi substituído em massa pelo resíduo, optando-se, em função dos resultados preliminares, pela equivalência em volume. As dosagens Marshall, para as misturas contendo resíduo, resultaram em um teor ótimo de ligante praticamente constante, independentemente do teor utilizado (3,5% e 6,0%). Quanto às propriedades mecânicas, nos ensaios de resistência à tração, os maiores valores foram verificados para as misturas contendo 3,5% de fíler mineral, enquanto as misturas contendo cinzas - resíduo - apresentaram os menores valores. Os maiores valores de módulo de resiliência foram das misturas contendo maiores teores de fíler, sendo que o fíler mineral resultou em maior módulo de resiliência do que o resíduo. Na avaliação do dano por umidade induzida, apenas as misturas contendo 6,0% de fíler mineral se mostraram não susceptíveis, enquanto que as misturas contendo resíduo foram as que apresentaram maior susceptibilidade. O resíduo também diminuiu a vida de fadiga, sendo a diferença para as misturas com fíler mineral mais acentuada para o menor teor de fíler. Apesar dos resultados indicarem uma piora de características com a utilização do resíduo, os valores obtidos ainda se situam, na maioria dos casos, acima dos limites mínimos estabelecidos pelas normas técnicas, encorajando pesquisas adicionais, principalmente em função do problema ambiental representado pelas cinzas da queima da casca de Pinus. / The industrial production of MDF - Medium Density Fiberboard - uses Pinus wood skin as a fuel, which, after the burning process, generates a fine gradation residue, an ash that is an environmental problem due to the content of some substances, above the quantity allowed by the NRB 10004:2004, and it is classified as a class II-A - non-inert product. The general purpose of this work is to test the hypothesis that the residue can be use as a filler in hot-mix asphalt, through the evaluation of technological properties by laboratory tests such as indirect tension, resilient modulus, fatigue life, moisture susceptibility, Marshall stability and creep. The evaluation of specific gravity of the residue was done by the gas pycnometer method. Initially, the substitution of the mineral filler by the residue was done in terms of weight, but the preliminary results showed that the best option was the substitution in terms of volume. The Marshall mix design for mixtures containing the residue resulted in a binder content approximately constant for both residue contents considered in this work (3.5% and 6.0%). The indirect tension test results showed higher values for mixtures containing 3.5% of mineral filler, being the lowest values associated to mixtures that use residue. The higher the filler content, the higher the resilient modulus and mixtures with mineral filler presented higher resilient modulus values. Only the mixture with 6.0% of mineral filler passed the moisture susceptibility test, and mixtures with residue presented higher moisture susceptibility. The residue also weakened the fatigue life, being the difference higher for mixtures with lower filler content. Although the results show a worsening of asphalt mixtures properties due to the use of the residue as a filler, for most of the obtained results the value remained above the minimum acceptable by technical standards, encouraging further researches on this subject, mainly due to the environmental problem associated to the burning of Pinus wood skin.

O processo industrial para fabricação de MDF - Medium Density Fiberboard - utiliza como combustível a casca de madeira Pinus, cuja queima gera um resíduo cinzas de granulometria fina, que constitui um problema ambiental por conter algumas substâncias em quantidade acima da permitida pela NBR 10004:2004, que o classifica como resíduo de classe II A - não inerte. O objetivo geral desta pesquisa é testar a hipótese de que o resíduo cinzas podem ser utilizadas como fíler em misturas asfálticas, mediante a verificação das propriedades de interesse à engenharia através de ensaios de laboratório: resistência à tração por compressão diametral, módulo de resiliência, vida de fadiga, dano por umidade induzida, estabilidade e fluência Marshall. Foram realizados ensaios para determinação da massa específica das cinzas - resíduo, inclusive com picnometria de gás hélio. Primeiramente, o fíler mineral foi substituído em massa pelo resíduo, optando-se, em função dos resultados preliminares, pela equivalência em volume. As dosagens Marshall, para as misturas contendo resíduo, resultaram em um teor ótimo de ligante praticamente constante, independentemente do teor utilizado (3,5% e 6,0%). Quanto às propriedades mecânicas, nos ensaios de resistência à tração, os maiores valores foram verificados para as misturas contendo 3,5% de fíler mineral, enquanto as misturas contendo cinzas - resíduo - apresentaram os menores valores. Os maiores valores de módulo de resiliência foram das misturas contendo maiores teores de fíler, sendo que o fíler mineral resultou em maior módulo de resiliência do que o resíduo. Na avaliação do dano por umidade induzida, apenas as misturas contendo 6,0% de fíler mineral se mostraram não susceptíveis, enquanto que as misturas contendo resíduo foram as que apresentaram maior susceptibilidade. O resíduo também diminuiu a vida de fadiga, sendo a diferença para as misturas com fíler mineral mais acentuada para o menor teor de fíler. Apesar dos resultados indicarem uma piora de características com a utilização do resíduo, os valores obtidos ainda se situam, na maioria dos casos, acima dos limites mínimos estabelecidos pelas normas técnicas, encorajando pesquisas adicionais, principalmente em função do problema ambiental representado pelas cinzas da queima da casca de Pinus. / The industrial production of MDF - Medium Density Fiberboard - uses Pinus wood skin as a fuel, which, after the burning process, generates a fine gradation residue, an ash that is an environmental problem due to the content of some substances, above the quantity allowed by the NRB 10004:2004, and it is classified as a class II-A - non-inert product. The general purpose of this work is to test the hypothesis that the residue can be use as a filler in hot-mix asphalt, through the evaluation of technological properties by laboratory tests such as indirect tension, resilient modulus, fatigue life, moisture susceptibility, Marshall stability and creep. The evaluation of specific gravity of the residue was done by the gas pycnometer method. Initially, the substitution of the mineral filler by the residue was done in terms of weight, but the preliminary results showed that the best option was the substitution in terms of volume. The Marshall mix design for mixtures containing the residue resulted in a binder content approximately constant for both residue contents considered in this work (3.5% and 6.0%). The indirect tension test results showed higher values for mixtures containing 3.5% of mineral filler, being the lowest values associated to mixtures that use residue. The higher the filler content, the higher the resilient modulus and mixtures with mineral filler presented higher resilient modulus values. Only the mixture with 6.0% of mineral filler passed the moisture susceptibility test, and mixtures with residue presented higher moisture susceptibility. The residue also weakened the fatigue life, being the difference higher for mixtures with lower filler content. Although the results show a worsening of asphalt mixtures properties due to the use of the residue as a filler, for most of the obtained results the value remained above the minimum acceptable by technical standards, encouraging further researches on this subject, mainly due to the environmental problem associated to the burning of Pinus wood skin.

<p>  </p> <p>Concrete is the second most consumed material in the world after water and is an essential element of constructed infrastructure. Over 14 billion m3 of concrete are being produced annually, resulting in a serious impact on the environment. The production of cement, which is the main component of concrete, is responsible for 5 – 8 % of global CO2 emissions. As a result, several global initiatives have been undertaken to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. This carbon neutrality target coincides with the Paris Agreement's goal to limit global warming to 1.5 °C. A well-known, and successful strategy to reduce CO2 emissions in the concrete industry is to use supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) as a partial replacement for cement. However, it is projected that in 2030 the demand for two of the most commonly used SCMs, fly ash and slag cement, will exceed their supply. Using nontraditional and natural pozzolans (NNPs) can help to close this supply gap, but there is a lack of knowledge regarding the reactivity and long-term performance of these materials.</p> <p>The purpose of this research was to perform experiments on several NNPs, some of which can be supplied in commercially viable quantities with the objective of evaluating their performance in cementitious systems (mortars and concretes) with the goal of accurately assessing their potential for use as alternative SCMs. The mortar study was performed using a total of 11 different NNPs, belonging to 4 distinctive groups and distributed as follows: 3 from the group of calcined clays (CCs) - CC1, CC2, and CC3, 3 from the group of natural pozzolans (NPs) - NP1, NP2 and NP3, 2 from the group of fluidized bed combustion (FBCs) ashes - FBC1 and FBC2, and 3 from the group of bottom ashes (GBAs) - GBA1, GBA2, and GBA3.</p> <p>The concrete study was performed on 4 different materials, one from each of the previously mentioned groups. The materials selected for concrete study were the worst-performing members of each group, as determined by the analysis of the test results obtained from mortars. These included CC2, NP3, FBC1, and GBA3 materials. This approach was adopted under the assumption that achieving adequate concrete characteristics with lowest-quality materials will all but assure satisfactory performance of concretes with higher-quality materials. </p> <p>The findings generated from this research indicate that several of the NNPs used in this study present a viable alternative to traditional SCMs. As an example, out of the 11 NNPS, 9 were found to conform to the requirements of the ASTM C618-19, the standard specification currently used to assess the suitability of coal fly ash and raw or calcined natural pozzolans for use in concrete. Results obtained from tests performed on mortars demonstrated that, when used at the replacement level of 25%, all 11 NNPs produced mixtures with characteristics similar to those obtained from the plain cement (OPC) mortar. For that reason, this level of replacement was selected to prepare concrete specimens. The results collected from concrete specimens showed that, when compared to plain concrete, mixtures with all 4 NNPs attained comparable (or improved) mechanical (compressive and flexural strength), durability (freeze-thaw resistance), and transport (formation factor and rate of water absorption) properties. As in the case of traditional SCMs, the mixtures with NNPs were found to require extended curing times to fully realize their property-enhancing potential associated with pozzolanic reactions. Overall, the best performing materials were those from the CCs group, followed by those belonging to, respectively, NPs, GBAs, and FBCs groups. </p>