Cold Bonded and Low Temperature Sintered Artificial Aggregate Production by Using Waste Materials

Abstract

The paper presented the possibility of manufacturing aggregates from industrial waste materials and their ecological benefits. The cold bonding process to create aggregates uses substantially less energy than the sintering technique. This study deals with the outcomes of an experimental assessment of the physical and strength properties of environment-friendly cold-bonded and sintered fly ash (FA), ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS), and quartz (Q) lightweight aggregates. The waste materials were mixed with Portland cement at 20–50 percent by weight to make artificial lightweight aggregates. To investigate the impacts of temperature on the physical properties, such as crushing strength, density, and water absorption, the pellets were sintered at 300, 600, and 900 °C for an hour. The results show that all the produced aggregates might be categorized as lightweight aggregates due to the combinations' average densities being less than 2,000 kg/m3. The fly ash lightweight aggregates had higher density and crushing strength, as well as decreased water absorption. The density and crushing strength improved somewhat by raising the temperature, while the water absorption decreased with increased temperature. In this research, the most efficient mineral admixture concentration has been evaluated as 50 percent for both fly ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag and 30 percent for quartz for cold-bonded pellets. Furthermore, superior physical qualities have been reported at the 900 °C sintering temperature.