Sustainability assessment and impact of different recycled rubber aggregates on the performance of cement mortars


ÖKSÜZER N.

CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY, 2024 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Publication Date: 2024
  • Doi Number: 10.1007/s10098-024-03074-9
  • Journal Name: CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, IBZ Online, ABI/INFORM, Agricultural & Environmental Science Database, Aqualine, CAB Abstracts, Compendex, Environment Index, Greenfile, INSPEC, Pollution Abstracts, Public Affairs Index, Veterinary Science Database, Civil Engineering Abstracts
  • Karadeniz Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

This study aims to reuse rubber wastes that have completed their useful life in mortar mixtures by turning them into granules using different production techniques. For this purpose, rubber waste produced in two different ways (blasting method and cutting method) was used in the experimental design. Both rubber types were substituted into the mortar at rates of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50% instead of sand, with a maximum grain size of 4 mm. Flow table, shrinkage, compressive strength, flexural strength, density, water absorption, and ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) tests were applied to the 11 different prepared mixtures. Environmental impacts (carbon footprint and energy consumption) were also analyzed and compared with the results obtained. According to the results, the use of rubber waste reduced CO2 emissions and energy consumption by over 40%. The density and mechanical strengths results decreased with the substitution of rubber waste. On the contrary, shrinkage, UPV, and water absorption results had a tendency to increase. The mechanical strength of the rubber mixtures produced by the blasting method was lower than those produced with the cutting method. Lower density and better sound permeability performances were measured in mixtures containing rubber waste produced by the blasting method. For structural production, rubber waste produced by the cutting method can be replaced at a rate of up to 10% (>= 30 MPa), while this rate should be lower for those produced with the blasting method.