Corrosion protection of reinforcement steel using solid waste materials in concrete production

In the present study, the use of industrial waste materials for the improvement of corrosion resistance and durability of concrete was investigated. For the experimental procedure, waste material generated by electrolytic manganese dioxide production and iron mill scale (calamine) in different proportions were used as cement replacements. Concrete specimens in various sizes were prepared, while the corrosion resistance was measured on cylindrical reinforced-cement mortars; specimens without additives (reference) were also constructed for comparison reasons. After demoulding, the specimens were partially immersed in sodium chloride solution up to testing. Current measurements and corrosion rate of steel rebars embedded in mortars were estimated, while the compressive strength and porosity of concretes were also measured. The experimental results indicate that additives may be used as supplementary cementitious materials in low replacement levels (5% w/w). Additionally, the additives seem to provide anticorrosion protection on the reinforcement steel against chloride ingress.