Beneficial Use of Industrial Wastes in the Built Environment
Elsa Olivetti, Atlantic Richfield Assistant Professor of Energy Studies
John Ochsendorf, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Proposed Work
Concrete is the most widely used man‐made material in the world. The fact that cement is responsible for 5–7% of global CO2 emissions motivates research in the area of alternative cementitious materials with reduced environmental impact. To that end, considerable research is being undertaken to use aluminosilicate materials —both natural and based on industrial byproducts— into cementitious materials using thermo‐ chemical treatment. Further work on use of industrial byproducts is needed to contribute to a fundamental understanding of the compositional variation in the wastes to increase their beneficial use. The goals of this research are to: 1) develop a framework for pathways to convert aluminosilicate‐based industrial byproducts into load‐bearing cementitious materials, and 2) evaluate use of these wastes from an environmental and economic perspective including investigation into final product leaching potential. This project will focus on use of bio‐derived and coal‐based boiler ash as well as aluminum dross generated in the US.
