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This work describes the study of phase development during the setting of various clinker formulations prepared with industrial wastes or by-products, namely sludges (generated in the Al-anodising and surface coating industrial processes, in potable water filtration/cleaning operations and in the cutting process of natural marble) and foundry sand. For comparison, similar formulations were also prepared with commercial high purity grade raw materials and processed in identical conditions. To circumvent the experimental restrictions imposed by the use of Vicat’s needle (i.e. large amount of material), electrical resistivity measurements were conducted by alternate current (a.c.) impedance spectroscopy to follow the hydration process and setting behaviour. During setting, the temperature evolution of the water/cement pastes was also recorded. Impedande spectroscopy (IS) studies were found to be a reliable method and, in some systems, can be a more sensitive technique to detect on-going hydration reactions.Este trabajo describe el estudio del desarrollo de fases durante el fraguado de diferentes formulaciones de clinker preparados con residuos industriales o subproductos, denominados barros (generados en los procesos de recubrimientos industriales por anodizado de Al, en procesos de filtración/depuración de agua potable y en procesos de corte de mármol) y arenas de fundición. Con el objeto de comparar, se prepararon formulaciones similares a partir de materias primas comerciales de alta pureza y procesadas en idénticas condiciones. Para sortear las restricciones experimentales de inherentes a la aguja de Vicat (esto es, grandes cantidades de material), se realizaron medidas de resistividad eléctrica en corriente alterna (a.c.) de espectroscopía de impedancia para seguir el proceso de hidratación y fraguado. Durante el fraguado, la evolución de la temperatura de las pastas de agua/cemento se registró. Los estudios de espectroscopía de impedancia mostraron ser un método fiable y en algunos casos, pueden emplearse como técnica sensible para detectar el inicio de las reacciones de hidratación.

We report the preparation of ceramic pigments using industrial wastes as primary sources. In this context, the use of Al-rich sludge generated in the wastewater treatment unit of an anodising or surface coating industrial plant, and a galvanizing sludge from the Cr/Ni plating process, will be detailed. The ceramic pigments reported here were prepared using typical solid state reactions involving the metal rich sludge. The main focus will be on the synthesis of chrome-tin orchid cassiterite (Sn,Cr)O2, chrome-tin red malayaite Ca(Cr,Sn)SiO5, victoria green garnet Ca3Cr2Si3O12, and chrome alumina pink/green corundum (Cr,Al)2O3 pigments. The pigments were fully characterised and then were tested in a standard ceramic glaze after. Typical working conditions and colour development will be reported.Se presenta la preparación de pigmentos cerámicos empleando residuos industriales como fuente de materias primas. Se detallan el uso de barros ricos en aluminio obtenidos en los tratamientos de depuración de aguas de plantas industriales de anodizado y barros de galvanizados de chapados de Cr/Ni. Los pigmentos cerámicos se prepararon empleando reacción en estados sólido a partir del barro rico en metal. Los principales pigmentos estudiados son orquídea casiterita de cromo-estaño (Sn,Cr)O2, malayita rojo de cromo-estaño Ca(Sn,Cr)SiO3, granate verde victoria Ca3Cr2Si3O12, y corindón rosa/verde de cromo alúmina (Cr,Al)2O3. Los pigmentos fueron caracterizados y ensayados después de ser vidriados en cerámicas estándares. Se presentan las condiciones de trabajo y el desarrollo de color.

Alumina based ceramic materials, containing Al-rich sludge as the major component, were processed by extrusion. The sludge derived from the wastewater treatment of aluminium anodising industrial process. Long rods were produced using a vacuum screw extruder, by a careful control of all relevant processing parameters. Then, thick discs were obtained by cutting dried selected rods, to be tested as probes for sintering-dependent electrical properties. The sintering process was followed by performing common dilatometric/thermal analyses but the evolution of electrical conductivity, estimated by impedance spectroscopy (IS), was also used for this purpose. Results show that sintering-dependent morphological evolution up to 1300ºC strongly affects the electrical behaviour of samples, and as a consequence IS seems to be a useful technique to follow the firing process.Los materiales cerámicos basados en alúmina, conteniendo barros ricos en Al como componente mayoritario fueron procesados por extrusión. Los barros empleados provienen de tratamientos de lavado de residuos de un proceso industrial de anodizado de aluminio. Se produjeron varillas empleando un extrusor de tornillo en vacío con control de todos los parámetros relevantes del proceso. A partir de varillas seleccionadas, se obtuvieron por corte en seco discos cerámicos para evaluar la dependencia de la sinterización y las propiedades eléctricas. El proceso de sinterización se siguió mediante ensayos dilatométricos y análisis térmicos, junto con la evolución de la conductividad eléctrica mediante espectroscopia de impedancia. Los resultados mostraron la evolución de la sinterización y la dependencia morfológica hasta 1300ºC, que afecta fuertemente a la respuesta eléctrica y como consecuencia la espectroscopia de impedancia parece ser una técnica útil en el seguimiento de los procesos de cocción.

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), possessing high thermal and chemical stability, non-toxicity, facile synthesis, and low band gap energy is a promising candidate for photocatalytic applications. In this study, bulk and exfoliated g-C3N4 were synthesised from different precursors (melamine and urea). Moreover, the surface of bulk g-C3N4 and exfoliated g-C3N4 was modified with graphene (0.5 wt% and 1 wt%) aiming to obtain a prolonged carrier lifetime. The effect of g-C3N4 synthesis from various precursors and the influence of graphene content on the photocatalytic activity during the degradation of a water–methanol mixture under UVC irradiation were examined, in comparison to commercial P25. Hydrogen, methane and carbon monoxide were the decomposition products; hydrogen was the main product of decomposition, whereas CH4 and CO resulting from the reduction of CO2 were generated in a significantly smaller amount. All the produced photocatalysts, whether pure or modified with graphene, exhibited higher activity than the commercial photocatalyst P25. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the use of lightweight aggregates (LWA), namely perlite (PER) and vermiculite (VER) in cement mortars. The workability of mortars was defined in rheometer and flow table tests. Three distinct LWA levels were added (0 - 3, 4.5 - 7, and 9- 10.5 wt%) requiring the use of distinct water/solids (W/S) ratios (0.18, 0.265 and 0.35, respectively). In order to evaluate the performance of such formulations in the hardened state, the flexural and compressive strength after 28 days curing was also measured. In general, LWA caused a high variation on the yield stress and spread on table, being the yield stress the best rheological parameter to be related with the flow table. PER exerts a strong impact on initial yield stress, while the effect of VER is stronger for longer rheology testing periods. The compressive strength ranged from 12.3 MPa (0 % LWA) to 2.77 MPa (PER) and 2.39 MPa (VER).

The application of sustainability principles in construction encourages the development of new products, with new functionalities and applications, able to improve buildings environmental performance. The use of latent heat storage materials in lime mortars aims to reduce the energy consumption of buildings. This work intends to evaluate the impact of phase change materials (PCM) incorporation in rheological and hardened state properties of aerial lime mortars. A fresh state characterization was conducted through the rheological study complemented with flow table tests of different mortar formulations. To complete the mortar characterization some hardened state properties (porosity, mechanical strength and microstructure) after 28 days, were also evaluated. It was concluded that, the PCM microcapsules incorporation does not compromise aerial lime mortars overall performance and may help to improve some characteristics like workability and mechanical strength. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the energy demand in old buildings, improving their performance and sustainability.