Cement-treated bases are soils, gravels or manufactured aggregates mixed with certain quantities of cement and water in order to improve the characteristics of a base or sub-base layer. Due to the exploitation of natural aggregates, it is a matter of importance to avoid shortage of natural resources, which is why the use of recycled aggregates is a practical solution. In this paper we studied the feasibility of the use of untreated electric arc furnace slags and foundry sand in the development of cement-treated bases and slag aggregate concrete with a lower quantity of cement. We analyzed the physical, mechanical and durability characteristics of the aggregates, followed by the design of mixes to fabricate test specimens. With cement-treated bases, results showed an optimal moisture content of 5% and a dry density of 2.47 g/cm³. Cement-treated bases made with untreated slag aggregate, foundry sand and 4% of cement content showed an unconfined compression strength at seven days of 3.73 MPa. For siderurgical aggregate concrete mixes, compressive strength, modulus of elasticity and flexural strength tests were made. The results showed that the mixes had good mechanical properties but durability properties could be an issue.

Modern society demands more sustainable and economical construction elements. One of the available options for manufacturing this type of element is the valorisation of end-of-life waste, such as, for example, the recycling of polymers used in industry. The valorisation of these wastes reduces costs and avoids the pollution generated by their landfill disposal. With the aim of helping to obtain this type of material, this work describes a methodology for recycling polyethylene for the manufacture of fibres that will later be used as reinforcement for structural concrete. These fibres are manufactured using an injection moulding machine. Subsequently, their physical and mechanical properties are measured and compared with those of the material before it is crushed and injected. The aim of this comparison is to evaluate the recycling process and analyse the reduction of the physical-mechanical properties of the recycled polyethylene in the process. Finally, to determine the properties of the fibre concrete, three types of concrete were produced: a control concrete, a reinforced concrete with 2 kg/m³ of fibres, and a reinforced concrete with 4 kg/m³ of fibres. The results show an enhancement of mechanical properties when the fibres are incorporated, particularly the tensile strength; and they also show excellent performance controlling cracking in concrete.

Concrete produced from electric arc furnace steel slag aggregates is one of the items that is highly regarded due to its strength, environmental friendliness and cost-effectiveness. Despite the growing interest in using this type of concrete, there are still doubts about the mix proportions and addition effects of electric arc furnace steel slags. In this paper, the performance of replacing natural aggregates by electric arc furnace steel slags aggregate is comprehensively investigated and its effect on mechanical properties is analysed. The relationship between the percentage of replacement of natural aggregate using electric arc furnace steel slags aggregate in two parts of coarse aggregate and fine-grained aggregate and the effect of each of these parts on mechanical properties in concrete is investigated, which may identify the optimal mix proportions of each aggregate that help to improve the strength of the eco efficient concrete using electric arc furnace steel slags.

In this work, the feasibility of partially and totally replacing natural sand with used foundry sand in self-compacting concrete was studied. Natural sand was replaced in 50% and 100% vol. by used foundry sand. The fresh state properties parameters analyzed in this study were slump flow, t₅₀₀, V-funnel, Japanese ring and L-box following EFNARC guidelines. Results indicated an improvement in the fresh state properties when used foundry sand was utilized for partial and total replacement. The mechanical properties compressive strength and splitting tensile strength were obtained and analyzed at 7 and 28 days. Regarding the compressive strength, used foundry sand enhanced compressive strength by up to 67% compared to control concrete. For splitting tensile strength, the self-compacting concrete with 50% vol. of used foundry sand displayed a slight decrease (2.8%) compared with the control concrete. SEM images showed that the concretes with used foundry sand had a less porous and more compacted matrix than the control concrete. It was concluded that the incorporation of used foundry sand in large volumes can be utilized as a sustainable alternative natural fine aggregate.