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The growing environmental sensitivity and the reduction of natural resources create, in Italy and other developed countries, an increasing interest in the search for alternative materials to be used in road construction works. In recent years, the problems related to environmental sustainability have made it increasingly difficult to remove natural aggregates from quarries and, at the same time, the regulations for the management of waste dumps are more and more restrictive. For this reason, the use of recycled aggregates is experiencing a continuous increase in the civil construction sector. This paper deals with the study of construction and demolition waste (CDW) in the field of road construction, in particular for the construction of embankment, road subgrades, foundation layers and unbound bases for flexible superstructures. Three different particle size fractions were used to prepare the mixtures: the first having a coarse size and designation 0–63 mm, the second intermediate size with aggregates of 0–31.5 mm grain size and the third with the finest aggregates having a grain size of 0–4 mm. The study was carried out by analyzing three granulometric fractions, verifying the best application for each of them. Subsequently, the mix-design was investigated, operating in compliance with the requirements imposed by UNI 11531-1, EN ISO 14688, EN 13242 and EN 13285. For the unbound layers of subgrade, foundation and base, which require greater resistance to fragmentation, the use of CDW alone has shown some limitations. Therefore, in the experimentation, it was decided to mix the CDW with a granulated slag coming from the steel production in the electric arc furnaces (EAF) and with an additional CDW (0–31.5 mm) coming from the recovery of concrete with slag. EAF granulated slag was used in small quantities, due to its relatively high cost. Four eco-friendly and recycled mixtures were studied, with low economic impact and high environmental sustainability, suitable for the construction of unbound layers of road superstructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brick has been always one of the most used materials in the construction sector, but the traditional manufacturing process is responsible of relevant environmental and human health impacts. This context has encouraged the development and use of new building materials, such as geopolymers, which represent a great opportunity to improve sustainability and produce better performance and environmental friendly materials in the construction sector. In this study is developed an environmental evaluation of the geopolymeric and Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) based concrete blocks manufacturing process using the Life Cycle Assessment methodology. The analysis is performed using CML 2 baseline 2000 and Eco indicator 99 methodologies. This study highlights that future research and development in the field of geopolymer concrete technology represents a potential solution for environmental protection. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 35: 1699-1708, 2016 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reservoir silting is an unavoidable issue. It is estimated that in Italy, the potential rate of silting-up in large reservoirs ranges from 0.1% to 1% in the presence of wooded river basins and intensive agricultural land use, respectively. In medium and small-sized reservoirs, these values vary between 0.3% and 2%. Considering both the types of reservoirs, the annual average loss of storage capacity would be of about 1.59%. In this paper, a management strategy aimed at sediment productive reuse is presented. Particularly, the main engineering outcomes of an extensive experimental program on geopolymer binder synthesis is reported. The case study deals with Occhito reservoir, located in Southern Italy. Clay sediments coming from this silted-up artificial lake were characterized, calcined and activated, by means of a wide set of alkaline activating solutions. The results showed the feasibility of this recovery process, optimizing a few chemical parameters. The possible reuse in building material production (binders, precast concrete, bricks, etc.) represents a relevant sustainable alternative to landfill and other more consolidated practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last 20 years, there have been a series of seismic events in Italy that have caused serious damage to civil and building structures. This has led to a significant increase in the use of concrete for the reconstruction of new structures and the repair of existing structures damaged by earthquakes. At the same time, the concrete industry is responsible for the most significant environmental damage during the life cycle of the built environment. The environmental disadvantages characterizing the concrete industry are related to the constant growth of the exploitation of natural aggregates. Therefore, it is necessary to use alternative and innovative aggregates that provide good concrete performance and lower environmental impacts. In this study, a very promising route from an environmental point of view is given by the use of artificial aggregates from industrial waste as substitutes for natural aggregates. An innovative low cost and energy saving granulation process has been employed to produce lightweight aggregates using fly ash from the incineration of municipal solid waste and ground granulated blast furnace slag. The final aim of this research is to demonstrate the environmental sustainability of artificial aggregates, through a comparison of three different mixtures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]