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Despite extensive regulations, the systemic under-reporting of construction and demolition waste generation rates pervades the South African waste sector due to the extensive and active informal waste management practices that are typical of developing countries. This study merges the rapid development of high-technology 3D-printed concrete (3DPC) with the increasing pressure that the built environment is placing on both natural resource consumption and landfill space due to construction and demolition waste (CDW) by establishing an inventory of CDW that is suitable for use in 3DPC in South Africa. This is an essential step in ensuring the technical, economic, and logistical viability of using CDW as aggregate or supplementary cementitious materials in 3DPC. Of the methods considered, the lifetime material analysis and per capita multiplier methods are the most appropriate for the context and available seed data; this results in CDW estimates of 24.3 Mt and 12.2 Mt per annum in South Africa, respectively. This range is due to the different points of estimation for the two methods considered, and the per capita multiplier method provides an inevitable underestimation. In order to contextualise the estimated availability of CDW material for use in concrete in general, the demand for coarse and fine aggregate and supplementary cementitious material in South Africa is quantified as 77.9 Mt. This overall annual demand far exceeds the estimated CDW material (12.2–24.3 Mt) available as an alternative material source for concrete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper study the feasibility of reusing waste iron powder (WIP) in mortar as both natural fine aggregate (NFA) and cement replacement material. Within this context, the physical and mechanical properties of mortar made with five percentage replacements of 0 %, 25 %, 50 %, 75 %, and 100 % for NFA by WIP and 0 %, 2.5 %, 5 %, 7.5 %, and 10 % for cement by fine waste iron powder (FWIP) are studied at 7, 14 and 28 days. Cube, briquette, and prism specimens for compression, tension, and flexural strength, respectively, tests were used. It is found that the workability decreases, and the density of mortar increase with the increased replacement percentage of NFA by WIP. The compressive, tensile, and flexural strength of mortar made with WIP are significantly higher than NFA. The maximum increase in strength of mortar is observed for 75 % WIP, which is 30 % for compressive, 35 % for tensile, and 37 % for flexural strength, respectively, relative to the control at 28 days. Conversely, when FWIP is used as a cement replacement material, all strength decreases with an increase in FWIP. The maximum decrease in strength is observed for 10 % FWIP, which is 40 % for compressive and tensile, and 16 % for flexural strength, accordingly, relative to the control at 28 days. The results presented in this study demonstrate that, to some extent, WIP and FWIP can be used in concrete/mortar production. Successful application of these waste materials may add economical benefit in the production of sustainable building material as well as conserve the natural aggregates.

Managing disposable waste surgical face masks and plastic made from polyethylene (PE) resin is a real challenge. Thus, these are considered a great threat to the environment. Generally, surgical face masks are made of microplastic made of polypropylene materials. Both polypropylene and PE are not easily decomposable in the soil. Consequently, the presence of these waste materials can have detrimental effects on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, exacerbating the ongoing crisis faced by the animal kingdom and the broader biosphere. Hence, it is imperative to identify alternate and efficient methods for waste management. Given its significant economic importance, the construction industry holds a prominent position among many industries globally. Consequently, waste masks within the construction sector might assume a crucial role in mitigating plastic pollution. Concrete, one of the most widely used construction materials, is being adapted with various waste materials as the partial or complete substitutes for natural constituents, such as cement and aggregates. This study focused on using different percentages of used COVID-19 surgical masks in fiber form and PE as partial replacements of natural coarse aggregates in producing sustainable concrete. Mask fibers were used in concrete production at percentages of 0%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2% of the total volume of concrete. Similarly, PE aggregates replaced the coarse aggregates by volume at 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15% in concrete. The results showed that the strength of concrete reduced as the percentages of mask fiber and PE aggregates increased. However, the strength and crack-bridging capability of mask concrete are still acceptable for some structural and non-structural applications. The results obtained from this research could also help engineers to design sustainable concrete materials with mask fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study on the shear model uncertainty and structural reliability of ultra‐high‐performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) beams with stirrups is presented. Model uncertainty for the shear models given in the JSCE, AFGC and ACI 544 standards are characterized by comparison to nonlinear finite element analyses (NLFEA). In comparison to other shear basic parameters, a notable negative correlation between model uncertainty the transverse shear reinforcement ratio (ρwfywm) is observed. When combined with stochastic descriptions of the remaining parameters that describe these analytical models, reliability values for beams designed to the JSCE and AFGC specifications are found to fall 6%, and 12%, respectively, below the target values of these standards, while reliability values for the ACI 544 exceed the target value specified for this standard by 8%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]