Evaluation of Cement Composites with Heavy Metal-Contaminated Recycled Aggregate: Toward Sustainable Utilization.

ABSTRACT: The use of recycled aggregate provides clear environmental advantages but may introduce chemical interactions that influence cement hydration, particularly when the material originates from mining by-products containing heavy metals. This study examines cementitious composites containing different volume fractions of recycled aggregate derived from Pb-Zn mine tailings and identifies the mechanisms responsible for the observed early-age hydration delay. The recycled aggregate was characterized using XRD, hydration was monitored through ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) and temperature evolution, mechanical performance was assessed at 1, 3, and 7 days, and phase evolution was interpreted using SEM-EDS and thermodynamic equilibrium modeling (GEMS/Cemdata18). The results show that heavy-metal-be

SUBMITTER: Turk T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12734575 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature