Improving the Mechanical, Corrosion Resistance, Microstructural and Environmental Performance of Recycled Aggregate Concrete Using Ceramic Waste Powder as an Alternative to Cement

This study investigates the effectiveness of replacing the cement with 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 wt.% of ceramic waste powder (HCCP) to improve the performance of recycled aggregate concrete (RCA) prepared using 25 wt.% wall tile ceramic coarse aggregates. The slump, initial and final setting time, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, electrical resistivity, bulk density, porosity, total and surface water absorption, pH level, ultrasonic pulse velocity, dynamic elastic modulus, chloride ion diffusion coefficient, chloride penetration depth, microstructure analysis, and environmental assessment properties were investigated. The results showed that replacing cement with HCCP by 5 to 20 wt.% prolonged the setting time and improved all hardened properties. The highest improvements in mechanical properties were observed at 5 wt.% HCCP, with increasing rates of 26.5%, 22%, and 22.4% at 90 days for compressive strength, tensile strength, and flexural strength, respectively. On the other hand, the optimum enhancement for the durability, microstructural, and environmental efficiency properties was recorded at a 20 wt.% HCCP replacement rate. However, the strength at this ratio tended to decrease but remained higher than that of the control RAC. For instance, the total water absorption, surface water absorption, void ratio, chloride penetration depth, and migration coefficient were reduced by 47%, 45%, 38%, 62.3%, and 55.52%, respectively, compared to the reference sample.