article · Case Studies in Construction Materials
Agricultural and food waste products present significant disposal challenges and environmental hazards when left in landfills or open fields. Grinding discarded eggshells into nano eggshell powder increases their chemical activity, creating a high-calcium material that can be paired with lower-calcium pozzolanic substances such as rice straw ash. Investigating these materials as partial cement replacements in ultra-high-performance concrete reveals clear engineering benefits. Formulations tested with rice straw ash at levels up to thirty percent and nano eggshell powder at two, four, and six percent of the total binder showed marked enhancements in performance. Combining these eco-friendly waste products improves the mechanical properties, durability, and drying shrinkage of the concrete while reducing overall cement content and lessening environmental pollution.
Conventional cement production generates substantial carbon emissions, while agricultural residues like rice straw and food waste like eggshells create severe disposal problems when discarded in open fields or landfills. Reusing these waste streams in ultra-high-performance concrete offers a dual benefit: it diverts harmful waste from the environment while creating stronger, more durable building materials with a lower overall carbon footprint.
This research could benefit concrete manufacturers and construction contractors seeking lower-cost, lower-carbon binders incorporating agricultural and food waste streams. As the work focuses on laboratory-scale material characterisation and mix formulations, it represents an early-stage development. Real-world adoption will require developing reliable regional supply chains for collecting, burning, and grinding rice straw and eggshells, as well as formal standardisation testing for structural applications.
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Egypt produces more rice straw than any other nation, and this residue is currently discarded in untreated landfills and open fields, causing environmental damage in the country. Furthermore, eggshells, a waste product used in bakeries, restaurants, and poultry farms, were typically disposed of in landfills, posing health hazards. So, grinding eggshells into nanoparticles, known as nano eggshell powder (NEP), increases its activity. In addition, to its high calcium content, NEP may be used with pozzolanic substances like rice straw ash (RSA), which have a lower calcium concentration. This study examined the characteristics of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) produced using RSA and NEP eco-friendly components within partial cement substitution. The ratios of RSA to cement were 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30%, while the NEP quantities were 2, 4, and 6% of the total binder. The results indicate that combining NEP and RSA as pozzolanic materials can improve concrete characteristics while decreasing cement content and reducing environmental contamination. Using RSA and NEP as substitutes for cement has also improved the material's mechanical characteristics, durability, and dry shrinkage.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.cscm.2023.e02291
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