Reuse of sanitary ceramic wastes as coarse aggregate in eco-efficient concretes

The sanitary ceramics industry inevitably generates wastes, irrespective of the improvements introduced in manufacturing processes. The present study investigated the reuse of these wastes as recycled coarse aggregate in partial substitution (15%, 20% and 25%) of natural coarse aggregates in the manufacture of structural concretes. The results demonstrate that recycled, eco-efficient concretes present superior mechanical behaviour compared to conventional concrete and it was moreover appreciated that the recycled ceramic aggregate does not interfere in a negative way during the hydration process. It was also observed that the microstructure in the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) between recycled ceramic aggregate and paste was more compact than in the case of natural aggregate and paste.