Performance Evaluation of Self-Compacting Concrete Containing Ceramic Waste Tile Fine Aggregate in Aggressive Environments

Self-compacting concrete (SCC) needs a massive extent of natural fine aggregate, which is affecting the river ecosystems due to the nonstop over-mining of it. Researchers are continuously working to decrease the dependence on natural fine aggregates and looking for green substitute materials. Hence, in this study, using ceramic wastes in SCC to replace fine aggregate will lead to a green environment and find proper ways to reduce waste disposal problems. This research aims to assess the systematic performance of SCC in an acidic environment by introducing up to 100% ceramic waste tile aggregate (CWTA) as a replacement for fine aggregates. Performance of SCC was evaluated by sulphate attack, chloride penetration, corrosion attack, carbonation, compressive strength, static and dynamic modulus of elasticity, scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) tests. Outcomes indicated that incorporating up to 100% CWTA provided higher compressive strength and modulus of elasticity. All CWTA-based SCC mixes also showed superior resistance to chloride penetration, carbonation, corrosion and sulphate attack. Furthermore, the increment in replacement level after 60% has reduced most of the characteristics. However, mixes prepared with 80 and 100% CWTA also performed better than the control mix. It was noticed through SEM and EDS analyses that a considerable amount of hydration products were developed in CWTA-based SCC, which confirmed the reason for the better performance of this mix compared to conventional SCC. Besides, FTIR analysis noticed the lower decay of portlandite and calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) gel for CWTA-based SCC mixes, which might cause higher resistance for them against sulphate attack. Incorporating up to 60% CWTA can thus be recommended as a feasible substitute to fine aggregate in SCC structures subjected to harsh environments.