The development of low-carbon alkali-activated binders based on production waste is one of the most sought-after areas of development of building materials science. The article examines the results of studies of the structures of cupola dust and the assessment of its ability to hydrate when exposed to alkaline activation. Technological preparation of dust by sifting it through a 0.16 mm sieve and subsequent mechanical activation for 120 s to a specific surface area of 733 m²/kg is proposed. The best results were shown by the composition of cupola dust with an alkaline activator of 50 wt.% 8.3 M NaOH and 50 wt.% Na₂SiO₃. After 28 days of natural hardening for this composition, the bending strength was 12.7 MPa and the compressive strength was 68.3 MPa. The analysis of the influence of hardening conditions showed that the temperature–humidity treatment of concrete at a temperature of 90 °C for 12 h accelerates the process of curing to 80–90% of natural conditions. The porosity of the samples after heating was established, which is 24–25%. The mineralogical composition of the products of the cement matrix structure’s formation, which is represented by minerals of the zeolite group, was specified.

The development and implementation of “green” technologies in the construction sector, which ensure natural resource conservation, reduce harmful emissions and provide utilization of industrial waste, are key issues in material engineering of the XXI century. Extensive research has been devoted to solving these issues, including research in the field of concrete science. Still, the issue of developing concrete compositions with increased corrosion resistance remains much less studied. At the same time, reactive aggregates from industrial waste can have positive effect on durability of concrete, and the best result can be achieved by means of modification of a concrete mixture with highly effective additives. The article presents the research data in two lines—the study of applicability of reactive aggregates from waste products of nonmetallic and ceramic industries, mineral wool production and concrete scrap for production of corrosion-resistant concretes, as well as the assessment of possibility of Portland cement quantity reduction in a concrete mixture on local raw materials due to the introduction of additives based on polycarboxylates. The article presents the research evidence of the effect of dust and clay particles content on the quality of concrete with a polycarboxylate additive. The article describes the studies of corrosion resistance of concrete samples based on production wastes in sulfate environments and under the influence of carbon dioxide. The developed concrete compositions with waste use can be recommended for widespread application, rational use of resources, and production of durable high-quality concretes. The application of additives based on polycarboxylates makes it possible to produce concretes with the reduction of cement consumption in the mixture by 10–20% and decrease in the mode of thermo-wet treatment by two times.

Direct and indirect methods for determining the effective diffusion coefficient of CO2 in concrete are considered. The features of the diffusion process in a capillary-porous body are described. Based on the test results of samples of fine-grained concrete with different densities, a comparative analysis of the coefficients obtained by the main methods was carried out. The criteria for comparison were the dependence of the water-cement ratio on diffusion, as well as the rate of carbonization on time. The presence of significant deviations in the low permeability concretes of the coefficients obtained by the membrane methods of 72 % and the electrical conductivity of concrete saturated with electrolyte 85 % in the low permeability concrete from the values obtained by the carbonization method was established.

One of the ways to utilize mineral wool production waste is to use it in an alkaline hydraulic binder. However, this requires an assessment of the structure of the raw material and the effect of the alkaline activator on it. The article presents the results of a study of the influence of caustic soda solution concentrations of 5,6,7,8,9,10 mol/l on the properties of a cement-sand solution from dust-flying gas purification system of a cupola furnace of mineral wool production. The features of the formation of a cement matrix with changes in concentration have been studied. The maximum compressive strength of 28 MPa and flexural strength of 7.1 MPa were obtained at a concentration of 6 mol/l. It has been established that when dust is mixed with water, the mineral calcium silicate hydrate – gismondine – is formed. During the geopolymerization reaction, gismondin is significantly reduced due to the formation of N-A-S-H gel and ziolites.