In this work, sugarcane bagasse fiber, a waste product of agroindustry, was added to mortar mixes at different proportions looking to seal porosities so as to improve the resistance of concrete to carbonation and to improve its mechanical properties. To evaluate the behavior of bagasse fibers in the alkaline media typical of mortars, bagasse fibers were subjected to solutions with alkaline pH values, and their chemical structure and morphological behavior was evaluated using FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) and SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy). Using mortar cylinders in an accelerated carbonation chamber to obtain results in short lapses, the compressive strength and the carbonation were evaluated. The FTIR analysis results indicate that pH values of 11 and 12 causes a delignification, while at pH 9 and 10, a swelling of the molecule occurs because of the addition of hydroxyl ions, behavior that is confirmed with SEM images. A clear effect of the fiber addition on the performance of concrete was observed as the carbonation front of 35 mm for the sample without fibers was reduced to 2 mm for the sample with 2% fiber addition, resulting in an increase of 5 MPa in compressive strength. These results indicate that in the range of mortar pH, chemical changes occured over the sugarcane surface that could cause the growth of fibers and could partially seal the porosity in the mortars, thus enhancing its performance.

The present research work shows the effect on the carbonation of Portland cement-based mortars (PC) with the addition of green materials, specifically residues from two groups: agricultural and industrial wastes, and minerals and fibres. These materials have the purpose of helping with the waste disposal, recycling, and improving the durability of concrete structures. The specimens used for the research were elaborated with CPC 30R RS, according to the Mexican standard NMX-C-414, which is equivalent to the international ASTM C150. The aggregates were taken from the rivers Lerma and Huajumbaro, in the State of Michoacan, Mexico, and the water/cement relation was 1:1 in weight. The carbonation analyses were performed with cylinder specimens in an accelerated carbonation test chamber with conditions of 65 +/− 5% of humidity and 25 +/− 2 °C temperature. The results showed that depending on the PC substitutions, the carbonation front advance of the specimens can increase or decrease. It is highlighted that the charcoal ashes, blast-furnace slags, and natural perlite helped to reduce the carbonation advance compared to the control samples, consequently, they contributed to the durability of concrete structures. Conversely, the sugarcane bagasse ash, brick manufacturing ash, bottom ash, coal, expanded perlite, metakaolin, and opuntia ficus-indica dehydrated fibres additions increased the velocity of carbonation front, helping with the sequestration of greenhouse gases, such as CO₂, and reducing environmental pollution.

This work shows the performance of cathodic protection systems formed by an API (American Petroleum Institute) X52 steel exposed to seawater and coupled with galvanic anodes of Mg, Mg-1Cr, and Mg-1Nb fabricate by sintering technique at a temperature of 500 °C. Potential monitoring indicates that X52 steel of the three systems remained in the protection zone. Mg-Nb/X52 system showed the more stable potentials since the first day; the recorded values remained between −1.0 and −1.1 V vs. SCE (saturated calomel electrode) during the seven days of exposure time. Current density records show that Mg/X52 system had the most stable values, while the other two systems (Mg-Cr/X52 Mg-Nb/X52,) had current fluctuations. The Mg-X52 system recorded the most negative potential values, which can be attributed to a greater magnitude and a better distribution of the cathodic protection current. However, the Mg-Nb/X52 system had a better result because the current drained by the system was constant throughout the experiment.

This research evaluation consisted of a detailed statistical analysis of the recorded data in 72 reinforced concrete specimens, from 12 natural test sites (in nine countries) located in chloride-laden environments (marine airborne-exposure test sites located between 50 m and 250 m from seashore), during a natural exposure period of 10 y. The parameters evaluated included the concrete physical-mechanical characteristics; meteorochemical information; natural reinforcing steel’s instantaneous corrosion current density (icorr) and cumulative icorr; and concrete chloride concentration; surface crack width and rebar cross-section loss correlations. This statistical analysis resulted in empirical instantaneous icorr predictions as a function of the exposure microclimates, through linear multiple regressions. These models showed a high linear dependence of the cumulative icorr with the concrete capillary absorption as well as with the meteorochemical parameters. Results obtained in this investigation showed higher corrosion aggressiveness in tropical environments when compared to nontropical ones. The cumulative icorr proved to be an effective tool to indicate the corrosive likelihood and differentiate the stages of Tuutti’s service life model.

In this study, the corrosion performance of dissimilar welded joints between ASTM A615 and AISI 304 stainless steel with and without buttering using Inconel 182 was evaluated. In both cases, the filler metal was ER-309L and the base metals were prepared with a 45° single bevel. One half of the specimens were welded with “buttering” using Inconel 182. The electrochemical results showed that despite welding defects, the welded specimens formed a passive layer in alkaline environments. The specimens welded with buttering exhibited the best corrosion resistance and mechanical properties.