• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.425-432
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• 2023

In this study, we aim to develop a carbon-reducing concrete technology by incorporating biochar. Performance evaluation experiments were conducted on concrete mixtures containing biochar with insulating and carbon-capturing properties, which are essential for key infrastructure sectors such as construction and tunnels. Concrete mixtures were designed with different biochar incorporation rates of 0 %, 5 %, 10 %, 15 %, and 20 %, as w ell as w ater-to-binder ratios of 0.25, 0.30, 0.35, and 0.40. To assess the physical properties of each mixture, unit weight, total porosity, and permeability were measured, while mechanical properties were determined through the measurement of concrete compressive and flexural strengths. Key factors for enhancing the insulating effect of carbon-reducing concrete containing biochar were identified through regression analysis, indicating a close correlation among biochar incorporation rate, unit weight, concrete strength, and thermal conductivity. It is anticipated that it can be utilized as an insulating material to enhance thermal performance in northern regions with severe winter climates.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.416-424
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• 2023

Concrete emits a large amount of carbon dioxide throughout its life cycle, and due to the societal demand for carbon dioxide reduction, research on storing carbon dioxide in concrete in the form of minerals is ongoing. In this study, cyanobacteria, which absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and fix it as calcium carbonate, were applied to a porous concrete substrate, and the changes in the properties of the concrete substrate due to their special environmental curing condition were analyzed. The results showed that the calcium carbonate precipitation by the microorganisms was concentrated in the light-exposed surface area, and most of the precipitation occurred in the cement paste part, not in the aggregate. This microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation enhanced the mechanical performance of the paste and improved the overall compressive strength as the curing age progressed. In addition, the increase in microbial biofilm and calcium carbonate improved the pore structure, which influenced the reduction in water permeability.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.595-608
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• 2024

In this study, aluminum lathe waste was used by replacing aggregates in certain proportions in order to obtain expansive concrete using recycled materials. For this reason, five different aluminum wastes of 1%, 2%, 3%, 4% and 5% were selected and also reference without aluminum waste was produced. Based on the mechanical tests conducted, which included slump, compression, splitting tensile, and flexural tests, it was evident that the workability of the material declined dramatically once the volume ratio of aluminum exceeded 2%. As determined by the compressive strength test (CST), the CS of concrete (1% aluminum lathe wastes replaced with aggregate) was 11% reducer than that of reference concrete. It was noted that the reference concrete's CS values, which did not include aluminum waste, were greater than those of the concrete that contained 5% aluminum. When comparing for splitting tensile strength (STS), it was observed that the results of STS generally follow the parallel inclination as the CS. The reduction in these strengths when 1% aluminum is utilized is less than 10%. These ratios modified 18% when flexural strength (FS) is considered. Therefore, 1% of aluminum waste is recommended to obtain expansive concrete with recycled materials considering minimum loss of strength. Moreover, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis was performed and the results also confirm that there was expansion in the aluminum added concrete. The presence of pores throughout the concrete leads to the formation of gaps, resulting in its expansion. Additionally, for practical applications, basic equations were developed to forecast the CS, STS, and FS of the concrete with aluminum lathe waste using the data already available in the literature and the findings of the current study. In conclusion, this study establishes that aluminum lathe wastes are suitable, readily available in significant quantities, locally sourced eco-materials, cost-effective, and might be selected for construction using concrete, striking a balance among financially and ecological considerations.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.31-38
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• 2012

The recycled aggregate for construction, slag, coal ash and such may elute leachates by chemical reaction when in touch with water, and to confirm this, generally the waste process test is executed. If the test result criteria are met, it can be used as replacement aggregate. In case of steel slag, however, the chemical reaction does not end in a short term, but occurs over a long time, generating eluted leachate. Thus, in this study, the leachate from steel slag were analyzed for heavy metal, and the pH change and environmental characteristics of eluted leachate were analyzed. According to the experiment result, the chemical reaction of free CaO and water within the steel slag occurred more actively when stirred, and the smaller the grain size, the higher the pH was. As the result of waste process test, all test items for the two types of specimen were found to have no heavy metal, but from the ICP test analysis result, heavy metals such as Al, Pb, Zn, Fe were detected. It could be confirmed that chemical reaction would occur upon contact of steel slag and water, and heavy metal may be detected depending on experiment conditions and analysis methods, the long-term environmental characteristics should be examined for utilization of steel slag.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.77-84
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• 2023

As the installation of solar panel accelerates, so does the number of solar panels reaching their end-of-life (EOL). However, the EOL solar panels is becoming a concern, as they contain potentially hazardous materials and are not easily recycled. Coping strategies such as effective collection, disposal, and recycling methods will be important to manage the growing number of EOL solar panels in the coming years.Therefore, many studies have focused on the development of EOL solar panel recycling technology. One recycling technology for EOL solar panels applicable to the construction field is the application of extracted tempered glass from EOL solar panels as construction materials. This study summarized the EOL solar panel disassembly technology and evaluated the mechanical properties of mortar using extracted tempered glass as fine aggregate. The results showed that when tempered glass was used as a fine aggregate in mortar, the compressive strength, flexural strength, and macro pores in the 1-3 ㎛ with 200-300 ㎛ range were affected, regardless of the disassembly technology of EOL solar panels. Especially, we found that the mechanical performance of mortar using chemically treated tempered glass was noticeably decreased due to changes in the chemical composition of the extracted tempered glass resulting from the removal of K₂O and CuO due to chemical reactions. Meanwhile, it was found that when fly ash was used as a binder, the reduction of mechanical performance could be alleviated.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.33-40
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• 2024

The volume of shells, a prominent form of marine waste, is steadily increasing each year. However, a significant portion of these shells is either discarded or left near coastlines, posing environmental and social concerns. Utilizing shells as a substitute for traditional aggregates presents a potential solution, especially considering the diminishing availability of natural aggregates. This approach could effectively reduce transportation logistics costs, thereby promoting resource recycling. In this study, we explore the feasibility of employing wasted shell aggregates in 3D concrete printing technology for marine structures. Despite the advantages, it is observed that 3D printing concrete with wasted shells as aggregates results in lower strength compared to ordinary concrete, attributed to pores at the interface of shells and cement paste. Microstructure characterization becomes essential for evaluating mechanical properties. We conduct an analysis of the mechanical properties and microstructure of 3D printing concrete specimens incorporating wasted shells. Additionally, a mix design is proposed, taking into account flowability, extrudability, and buildability. To assess mechanical properties, compression and bonding strength specimens are fabricated using a 3D printer, and subsequent strength tests are conducted. Microstructure characteristics are analyzed through scanning electron microscope tests, providing high-resolution images. A histogram-based segmentation method is applied to segment pores, and porosity is compared based on the type of wasted shell. Pore characteristics are quantified using a probability function, establishing a correlation between the mechanical properties and microstructure characteristics of the specimens according to the type of wasted shell.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.23-31
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• 2016

It was found that there was no problem in recycling by-products (waste rock and tailings) from Yangyang iron mine themselves through matter conversion because they are not hazardous according to results of KSLT method. In case of using tailings as sub-materials of cement, it recommended the use of less than 3% tailings dosage not to exceed 0.6% of total alkali ($R_2O$) content based on standard quality of portland cement (KS L 5201). Non sintered eco-brick corresponding to class 1 quality of recycled clay brick (KS I 3013) can replace 15% of cement with tailings and 100% of general fine aggregate with waste rock from iron mine. As mentioned above, recycling the by-products (waste rock and tailings) as sub-materials of cement and non sintered eco-brick could gain both environmental and economic benefits, that is, reduction of scale and maintenance cost of tailing ponds, decrease of energy use and $CO_2$ emission.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.15 no.10
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• pp.5-13
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• 2014

In this research, in order to study insulation effect of commercial XPS and recycled PE aggregates for prevention of frost heave in the roadbed of railroad track from the freezing temperature, model tests were carried out in the large freezing room. For this, thermal conductivities were measured for various dry densities, water contents, temperatures and mixing ratios of PE aggregates. From the tests, it can be seen that thermal conductivities of roadbed decrease with the increase of the ratio of mixed PE aggregates. However it was sensitive to the changes of temperature and water content due to the amount of water in the voids. From the model test of railroad track, it can be seen that the time to reach $0^{\circ}C$ was longer for XPS than that for the PE aggregates. Also the test shows best insulation effect can be achieved when XPS board was installed above the PE aggregate layer rather than the opposite order.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.467-482
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• 2020

This research focused on analyzing the post-fire behavior of high-performance concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) columns, with the concrete containing tire rubber and steel fibers, under axial compressive loading. The finite element (FE) modeling of such heated columns containing recycled aggregate is a branch of this field which has not received the proper attention of researchers. Better understanding the post-fire behavior of these columns by measuring their residual strength and deformation is critical for achieving the minimum repair level required for structures damaged in the fire. Therefore, to develop this model, 19 groups of confined and unconfined specimens with the variables including the volume ratio of steel fibers, tire rubber content, diameter-to-thickness (D/t) ratio of the steel tube, and exposure temperature were considered. The ABAQUS software was employed to model the tested specimens so that the accurate behavior of the FE-modeled specimens could be examined under test conditions. To achieve desirable results for the modeling of the specimens, in addition to the novel procedure described in this research, the modified versions of models presented by previous researchers were also utilized. After the completion of modeling, the load-axial strain and load-lateral strain relationships, ultimate strength, and failure mode of the modeled CFST specimens were evaluated against the test data, through which the satisfactory accuracy of this modeling procedure was established. Afterward, using a parametric study, the effect of factors such as the concrete core strength at different temperatures and the D/t ratio on the behavior of the CFST columns was explored. Finally, the compressive strength values obtained from the FE model were compared with the corresponding values predicted by various codes, the results of which indicated that most codes were conservative in terms of these predictions.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.607-618
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• 2022

This study involves the development of a Hwangto permeable block for rainwater storage tanks. The permeable products that form continuous voids between Hwangto binders and aggregates are fine milled slag powder, which is an industrial by-product generated during the production of Hwangto and iron, and ferro nickel slag. The properties of Hwangto permeable blocks were studied using recycled resource aggregates. The target quality is based on KSF 2394. The Hwangto permeable block for a rainwater storage tank is made of water-permeable material, and the permeability of the Hwangto permeable block itself is 0.1mm/sec or higher, with a physical performance of over 5.0MPa in flexural strength and over 20.0MPa in compressive strength. The physical properties of Hwangto permeable block for rainwater storage tanks were researched and developed. In order to prevent flooding due to heavy rain in summer and the urban heat island phenomenon due to depletion of ground water, continuous pores are formed in the block to secure a permeability function to prevent rainwater from accumulating in the pavement of the floor, and to prevent slippage for comfortable and safe storage.