Sustainable Aluminium Reinforced Seawater Concrete

Sustainable Aluminium Reinforced Seawater Concrete

Freshwater is a very precious natural resource and it is widely reported that the world reserve of freshwater is fast depleting. This problem is becoming more complex due to development in infrastructure which is demanding more quantity of concrete and pressurizing freshwater resources. Focusing on this issue, this project utilizes seawater for concreting (mixing + curing) to conserve freshwater resources. But, the corrosion of steel reinforcement is inevitable with the use of seawater (due to chloride in the seawater) in concrete. Therefore, noncorrosive aluminium reinforcement will be used in this project to minimize the risk of corrosion. An invisible layer of Al2O3 on the surface of aluminium protects it from corrosion. Although, it is considered that the high alkalinity of concrete degrades this outer layer and corrode the aluminium. In this regard, the use of Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs) as a partial replacement of cement is found beneficial. Due to the pozzolanic activity, SCMs consume Ca(OH)2 formed by cement hydration and keep the pH so low that the concrete can be reinforced with aluminium bars even with seawater. In this project, calcined clay, natural pozzolanic material will be used as an SCM in concrete. Hence this project focuses on the possibilities of using seawater in aluminium reinforced concrete and reducing the burden of utilising freshwater. In addition, the use of calcined clay will reduce the cement content which leads to minimise the CO2 emission in environment and ultimately this project will produce a more sustainable concrete for the future. Moreover, the present research capability of researcher (limited to basic assessment of non-reinforced concrete) will be boosted by the assessment of aluminium reinforced concrete for corrosion, carbonation and shrinkage in conjunction with micro-scale analysis. The project results will contribute to Europe's positioning at the forefront of sustainability.