Thesis (M.Phil.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available in electronic version.

Concrete, the second most consumed material on earth after water, is a source of environmental problems due to global urbanization. The production of this construction material requires a large amount of natural resources, and portland cement (PC) is responsible for around 8 % of planet-warming CO2 emissions. Producing 1 ton of PC will release roughly 1 ton of CO2 into the atmosphere. In 2021, around 92 million metric tons of PC were produced in the U.S., and a total of 4.4 billion tons were manufactured worldwide. While there was a yearly increase of around 1.5 % in the direct CO2 intensity of cement production from 2015 to 2021, urgent annual declines of 3 % until 2030 are necessary to be in line with the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario. This dissertation presents different approaches and technologies to offset the CO2 footprint of the production of cement clinker, concrete, and cementitious materials in general. First, this dissertation investigated the possibility of using end-of-life tire (ELT) rubber powder and its zinc-recovered residual (treated ELT rubber) to partially replace fine aggregates of different construction and infrastructure materials including stabilized soft soil (0 %, 10 %, 30 %, and 50 % ELT rubber added by clay volume), portland cement concrete (0 %, 10 %, 20 %, and 30 % ELT rubber added by sand volume), and asphalt concrete (20 % ELT rubber added by sand volume). This work was discussed through aspects of engineering properties and environmental impacts. The results reveal that the ELT rubber had both negative and positive effects on the engineering properties of the three materials while this waste posed a huge leachability of zinc and total organic carbon (TOC) content when being subjected to aqueous environments. However, the findings indicate that all three materials' matrices could effectively immobilize most leachable zinc from the ELT rubber by more than 90 %. Meanwhile, only stabilized soft soil and asphalt concrete could effectively deal with leachable TOC content from ELT rubber, and portland cement concrete needed the addition of silica fume to reduce TOC concentration in its leachate. Second, while previous studies have shown that steel furnace slag (SFS) can stabilize clay soils, the evidence is not clear if the stabilization mechanism is chemical and/or mechanical. This dissertation used isothermal calorimetry (IC) to quantify the heat of hydration of the mixture to assess the chemical aspects of the stabilization. Specifically, kaolin and bentonite clays were each blended with 40 % SFS by mass at water-to-binder ratios ranging from 1.0 to 1.5. The hydration properties of stabilized mixtures using lime or PC were also tested for comparison at the same experimental conditions. The obtained thermal power and total heat curves of stabilized mixtures confirmed that, for the specific SFS in this study, there is a hydration process taking place in clay stabilized by SFS. Relative to lime and PC, the SFS performed similarly in terms of heat of hydration behavior. When blended into clays, SFS provided a more significant heat of hydration behavior than cement, but that was much milder than lime. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were also employed to qualitatively analyze the mineralogy of the stabilized mixtures. Finally, this dissertation adopted a Digestion-Titration Method (DTM) for the determination of CO2 content in cementitious materials that has been mineralized in the form of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). This method was modified based on tests that were originally developed in the early 1900s. The method uses hydrochloric acid to digest CaCO3 under vacuum conditions. The CO2 released is captured by a barium hydroxide solution, which is then titrated to quantify the amount of CO2 absorbed. A design of experiments approach was used to optimize the experimental conditions. Samples of known CaCO3 content were first evaluated to establish the baseline test performance, and additional tests were performed on portland cement and various rock samples. The results were also compared to TGA, including a discussion to compare the two test methods. The data suggest that the new test method is feasibly applicable to chemically determine the CO2 captured in cementitious materials, and it can be an alternative method for TGA with lower experimental cost and easier access. Overall, it is evident that cement, concrete, and construction materials are essential to the functionality of civilization. Dealing with CO2 emissions and natural resource depletion induced by the production of these construction materials is urgent for sustainable development. Attempts toward construction materials with lower embodied CO2 by using low-carbon aggregates (e.g., waste aggregates, recycled aggregates) and alternative cementitious binders while controlling the environmental effects of the utilized waste materials are currently viable sustainable approaches. In addition, tools or new test methods that can support measuring the effectiveness of these reduced carbon cementitious materials are necessary. This dissertation investigates the feasibility of the use of ELT rubber waste in construction materials to reduce the exploitation of natural resources considering engineering properties and environmental impacts. It also provides a deeper understanding of the hydration behavior of stabilized soil using SFS which is expected to partially or fully replace PC in the material. Experimentally, it develops a chemical test model as an alternative method for TGA with lower experimental cost, less interference, and easier access to determine the CO2 captured in cementitious materials. / Doctor of Philosophy / Concrete, the second most consumed material on earth after water, is a source of environmental problems due to global urbanization. The production of this construction material requires a large amount of natural resources, and portland cement (PC) is responsible for around 8 % of planet-warming CO2 emissions. This dissertation presents different approaches and technologies to offset the CO2 footprint of the production of construction materials (i.e., cement clinker, concrete, and general cementitious materials). First, this dissertation investigated the possibility of using end-of-life tire (ELT) rubber powder in different construction materials including stabilized soft soil, portland cement concrete, and asphalt concrete. This work was discussed through aspects of engineering properties and environmental impacts. The results reveal that the ELT rubber had both negative and positive effects on the engineering properties of the three materials. In return, all three materials' matrices could effectively immobilize most leachable zinc and total organic carbon (TOC) from the ELT rubber, which are detrimental to aquatic animals, plants, and humans. Second, this dissertation used isothermal calorimetry (IC) for the first time to study the heat of hydration of soil stabilized by steel furnace slag (SFS) to assess the chemical aspects of the stabilization. The work compared the hydration behavior of SFS in clayey soil with traditional stabilizers such as lime or portland cement. The results demonstrated that there were chemical reactions taking place during the hydration of stabilized soil using SFS, explaining the improvement in engineering properties of the stabilized soil. Moreover, this dissertation adopted a Digestion-Titration Method (DTM) for the determination of mineralized CO2 content in cementitious materials. The method uses hydrochloric acid to digest CaCO3 under vacuum conditions. The CO2 released is captured by a barium hydroxide solution, which is then titrated to quantify the amount of CO2 absorbed. The data suggest that the new test method is feasibly applicable to chemically determine the CO2 mineralized in cementitious materials, and it can be an alternative method for thermogravimetric analysis with lower experimental cost and easier access. Overall, it is evident that cement, concrete, and construction materials are essential to the functionality of civilization. Dealing with CO2 emissions and natural resource depletion induced by the production of these construction materials is urgent for sustainable development. This dissertation is expected to fill the knowledge gap in carbon neutral construction materials research, including increasing the use of low-carbon aggregates (e.g., waste aggregates, recycled aggregates) and alternative cementitious binders as well as developing new test methods that can support measuring the effectiveness of these reduced carbon cementitious materials.

Sontag (1978) writes, "Illness is the night-side of life, a more onerous citizenship. Everyone who is born holds dual citizenship, in the kingdom of the well and in the kingdom of the sick. Although we prefer to use only the good passport, sooner or later each of us is obliged, at least for a spell, to identify ourselves as citizens of that other place" (p.3).

Sustainability is a keyword in society today and industries have to contribute to reduce emissions and the use of virgin resources. Every year 90 000 ton old tires are gathered in Sweden. Today mostly used for energy recovery. End-of-life tires has been used in asphalt in the US for almost 50 years and is an effective way to utilize them. There are several possible advantages for rubberized asphalt: noise reduction, higher rutting resistance, increased durability, thinner layers etc. In Sweden, the rubberized asphalt has been tested in 25 different roads, where the Swedish Transport Administration have led the development. Commercially, the product have not yet been successful. There are several different studies for the product in Sweden, but nothing on the business side. The aim in this thesis was to develop a business model for the product on the Swedish market by finding key actors in the value chain, advantages and risks for the rubberized asphalt and studying different market segments. The study has two different research questions, Is there a need for a business model innovation for rubberized asphalt? and How can a business model be created for rubberized asphalt on the Swedish market and what will be the most important factors for establishing the business model? To answer the research questions, qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 different actors in the value chain. The result of the study presents; the value chain for the rubberized asphalt in Sweden, external forces in the industry, a business model and a proposed procurement model. The first question was evaluated and the answer was that business model innovation was needed for rubberized asphalt on the Swedish market, as well as product development and technical statements. The most important factors to penetrate the Swedish market were: spread the information of rubberized asphalt, find segments for market entry, process rubber granulate, handle the product correctly, push for changes in the procurement model and for actors in the value chain to work together. The results can serve as a tool for business model innovation and may be used for other sustainable and recycled products. The report also presents several practical contributions that can be of interest for the asphalt industry.

This thesis discusses and documents findings from an investigation of performance-based testing of asphalt cement (AC), warm mixed asphalt cement, asphalt rubber (AR), and warm asphalt rubber. A number of control, warm, and asphalt rubber binders from Ontario construction contracts were investigated for their compliance with conventional Superpave® test methods such as rolling thin film (RTFO), pressure aging vessel (PAV), dynamic shear rheometer (DSR), and bending beam rheometer (BBR), as well as additional specification tests such as extended BBR and double edge notched tension test. The quality and durability of those binders were determined. Quality means the ability of asphalt binder to reach a set of specific properties whereas durability is the measure of how well asphalt retains its original characteristics when exposed to normal weathering and aging process. One warm AC and two field-blended asphalt rubber samples showed high levels of physical hardening which can lead to premature and early cracking. The warm asphalt cement lost 8 °C when stored isothermally for three days at low temperatures according to Ontario’s extended bending beam rheometer (BBR) protocol (LS-308). The two asphalt rubber samples lost 10 °C and 12 °C following the same conditioning. Many of the studied asphalt samples showed deficient strain tolerance as measured in Ontario’s double-edge-notched tension (DENT) test (LS-299). In a study of warm rubberized asphalt cement with improved properties, a number of compositions were prepared with soft Cold Lake AC and a small quantity of naphthenic oil. These binders showed little chemical and physical hardening and reasonable critical crack tip opening displacements (CTOD). Strain tolerance was much improved by co-blending with a high vinyl type styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) polymer and a small amount of sulfur. / Thesis (Master, Chemistry) -- Queen's University, 2013-04-24 22:54:20.07

Este trabalho apresenta um estudo realizado com uma mistura asfáltica morna utilizando ligante aditivado com agente surfactante e borracha moída de pneus inservíveis. Um trecho experimental foi executado com a mistura asfáltica morna, localizado na SPA-248-055, Pista Oeste, entre os quilômetros 3+000 e 6+000 e comparado ao trecho de referência, localizado na mesma rodovia, entre os quilômetros 1+000 e 3+000. Foram feitos também ensaios fundamentais para caracterização do ligante modificado com borracha e com aditivo químico para mistura morna e também ensaios para verificar o comportamento mecânico da mistura de usina, de modo que possibilitou comparar seus resultados com uma mistura de referência, com produção na temperatura a quente. Os ensaios realizados para verificação do comportamento mecânico foram: resistência à tração, módulo de resiliência, fadiga e resistência à formação de trilha de roda no simulador de tráfego francês do LCPC. Comparando a mistura asfáltica morna com uma mistura de referencia, os resultados obtidos foram satisfatórios. Além destes experimentos também foram realizados ensaios de resistência ao dano por umidade induzida (DUI). No caso deste estudo, os resultados foram satisfatórios. Durante a produção da mistura asfáltica, foi realizada a análise da redução de emissões de poluentes, no momento da produção da mistura. Os resultados indicaram que há redução de poluentes como fumos totais, fumos solúveis e compostos orgânicos voláteis (VOC). Tanto o trecho experimental quanto o trecho de referência foram avaliados durante 3 anos quanto aos parâmetros de desempenho do pavimento, como irregularidade e condição de superfície. Os resultados obtidos mostram o comportamento positivo da mistura asfáltica morna, quando comparado ao pavimento do trecho de referência, ao longo de dois anos de observação. / This paper presents a study of a warm asphalt mix using binder additive with surfactant agent and tire crumb rubber. A test section was performed with the warm asphalt mixture, located in SPA-248-055, West Lane, between kilometers 3+00 to 6+000 and compared to the reference section, a hot mix section, located on the same highway, between kilometers 1 + 000 and 3 + 000. Basic tests were also made to characterize the rubber-modified binder and to verify the mechanical behavior of the plant mixture, than compared to results of a reference hot mixture. The tests performed to check the mechanical behavior were: tensile strength, resilient modulus, fatigue and rooting in French LCPC traffic simulator. Comparing the warm asphalt mixture with a mixture of reference, the results achieved were satisfactory. In addiction, in this research were also performed induced moisture damage, and check the adhesion of the binder to the aggregate. In the case of this study, the results were acceptable. During warm asphalt mix and hot mix production, analysis of reducing pollutant emissions were recorded. The results indicated that there is a reduction of pollutants such as total smoke, fumes soluble and organic volatile compounds. Both the experimental section and the reference section were evaluated for 3 years for pavement performance parameters such as roughness and surface condition. The results show a positive behavior of warm asphalt mix compared to the reference pavement section over two years of observation.

Este trabalho apresenta um estudo realizado com uma mistura asfáltica morna utilizando ligante aditivado com agente surfactante e borracha moída de pneus inservíveis. Um trecho experimental foi executado com a mistura asfáltica morna, localizado na SPA-248-055, Pista Oeste, entre os quilômetros 3+000 e 6+000 e comparado ao trecho de referência, localizado na mesma rodovia, entre os quilômetros 1+000 e 3+000. Foram feitos também ensaios fundamentais para caracterização do ligante modificado com borracha e com aditivo químico para mistura morna e também ensaios para verificar o comportamento mecânico da mistura de usina, de modo que possibilitou comparar seus resultados com uma mistura de referência, com produção na temperatura a quente. Os ensaios realizados para verificação do comportamento mecânico foram: resistência à tração, módulo de resiliência, fadiga e resistência à formação de trilha de roda no simulador de tráfego francês do LCPC. Comparando a mistura asfáltica morna com uma mistura de referencia, os resultados obtidos foram satisfatórios. Além destes experimentos também foram realizados ensaios de resistência ao dano por umidade induzida (DUI). No caso deste estudo, os resultados foram satisfatórios. Durante a produção da mistura asfáltica, foi realizada a análise da redução de emissões de poluentes, no momento da produção da mistura. Os resultados indicaram que há redução de poluentes como fumos totais, fumos solúveis e compostos orgânicos voláteis (VOC). Tanto o trecho experimental quanto o trecho de referência foram avaliados durante 3 anos quanto aos parâmetros de desempenho do pavimento, como irregularidade e condição de superfície. Os resultados obtidos mostram o comportamento positivo da mistura asfáltica morna, quando comparado ao pavimento do trecho de referência, ao longo de dois anos de observação. / This paper presents a study of a warm asphalt mix using binder additive with surfactant agent and tire crumb rubber. A test section was performed with the warm asphalt mixture, located in SPA-248-055, West Lane, between kilometers 3+00 to 6+000 and compared to the reference section, a hot mix section, located on the same highway, between kilometers 1 + 000 and 3 + 000. Basic tests were also made to characterize the rubber-modified binder and to verify the mechanical behavior of the plant mixture, than compared to results of a reference hot mixture. The tests performed to check the mechanical behavior were: tensile strength, resilient modulus, fatigue and rooting in French LCPC traffic simulator. Comparing the warm asphalt mixture with a mixture of reference, the results achieved were satisfactory. In addiction, in this research were also performed induced moisture damage, and check the adhesion of the binder to the aggregate. In the case of this study, the results were acceptable. During warm asphalt mix and hot mix production, analysis of reducing pollutant emissions were recorded. The results indicated that there is a reduction of pollutants such as total smoke, fumes soluble and organic volatile compounds. Both the experimental section and the reference section were evaluated for 3 years for pavement performance parameters such as roughness and surface condition. The results show a positive behavior of warm asphalt mix compared to the reference pavement section over two years of observation.