Effects on the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Porous Concrete for Plant Growth of Blast Furnace Slag, Natural Jute Fiber, and Styrene Butadiene Latex Using a Dry Mixing Manufacturing Process

Abstract

To evaluate the effects of industrial by-products materials on the performance of porous concrete for plant growth, this study investigated the physical, strength, and freeze/thaw resistances of porous concrete for plant growth, prepared by replacing cement with blast furnace slag powder at 60% by weight, and replacing natural stone aggregates with coarse blast furnace slag aggregates at rates of 0%, 20%, 40%, 60% and 100% by weight. In addition, the effects of adding natural jute fiber and styrene butadiene (SB) latex to these concrete mixtures were evaluated. The void ratio, compressive strength, and freeze/thaw resistance of the samples were measured. With increasing replacement rate of blast furnace aggregates, addition of latex, and mixing of natural jute fiber the void ratio of the concrete was increased. Compressive strength decreased as the replacement rate of blast-furnace slag aggregates increased. The compressive strength decreased after 100 freeze/thaw cycles, regardless of the replacement rate of blast furnace slag aggregates or of the addition of natural jute fiber and latex. The addition of natural jute fiber and latex decreased the compressive strength after 100 freeze/thaw cycles. The test results indicate that the control mixture satisfied the target compressive strength of 10 MPa and the target void ratio of 25% at replacement rates of 0% and 20% for blast furnace aggregates, and that the mixtures containing latex satisfied the criteria up to an aggregate replacement rate of 60%. However, the mixtures containing natural jute fiber did not satisfy these criteria. The relationship between void ratio and residual compressive strength after 100 freeze/thaw cycles indicates that the control mixture and the mixtures containing jute fiber at aggregate replacement rates of 20% and 40% satisfied the target void ratio of 25% and the target residual compressive strength of over 80% after 100 freeze/thaw cycles. The mixtures containing latex and aggregate replacement rates up to 60% satisfied the target void ratio and compressive strength.

Plant Growth and Water Purification of Porous Vegetation Concrete Formed of Blast Furnace Slag, Natural Jute Fiber and Styrene Butadiene Latex

“…Also, this is attributed to the low slump of the relatively dry mixture, as the porous concrete may have insufficient fluidity so that the fibers partake in balling [11]. Therefore, the compressive strength of the porous vegetation concrete is decreased [11]. The addition of latex increased the compressive strength of the porous vegetation concrete, which is attributed to an increase in the early fluidity, promoting the coating of the binder around the aggregates and hence the adherence of the aggregates.…”

“…This is because the fiber enhances the bond strength between materials when concrete is subjected to flexural or tensile loading [26,27]. Also, this is attributed to the low slump of the relatively dry mixture, as the porous concrete may have insufficient fluidity so that the fibers partake in balling [11]. Therefore, the compressive strength of the porous vegetation concrete is decreased [11].…”

“…associated with this technique, and other aggregates are being sought [11,15]. Blast furnace slag aggregates are a by-product of the steel industry; if they could be used as a substitute for crushed stone, they would be particularly effective for resource-recycling.…”

“…Plant growth is inhibited in concrete because of the limited space for rooting and sprouting, the low water permeability and retentivity, and the low nutrient content [5][6][7][8]. Porous vegetation concrete allows water and nutrients to be supplied, enabling plant growth [9][10][11]. Also, CO 2 emissions are becoming an increasingly pressing concern because of the threat of global warming [5,12,13].…”

Performance Evaluation and Field Application of Red Clay Green Roof Vegetation Blocks for Ecological Restoration Projects

“…To improve on this method, studies and developments on roof vegetation have mainly focused on the weight reduction of permeable layers and soil [8,11]. Recently, porous vegetation concrete has become ecofriendly, since it reduces CO2 emissions from cement production by replacing some cement with blast furnace slag fine powder and red clay, thereby recycling industrial byproducts [12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. The vegetation concrete is a porous material that encourages the growth of plants by introducing nutrient-containing water into voids [12][13][14][15][16][17][18].…”