The idea of sustainable development assumes that natural resources must be treated as limited goods and that waste must be managed rationally. This idea and the constant striving to reduce production costs make the use of waste materials as substitutes for traditionally used raw materials from non-renewable sources increasingly popular. In cement concrete technology, there are many possibilities to use waste as components of mortars and concretes. The subject of this paper is a fine-grained material, obtained as a by-product during the preparation of aggregate for mineral-asphalt mixtures. The aim of the research was to test the suitability of the selected type of powder, namely limestone powder, as a component of cement composites. The paper presents an evaluation of the potential of using the limestone powder as a substitute for the fine aggregate, focusing on the impact of such a modification on aspects of durability. The sulfate degradation and chloride ion diffusion in concrete were investigated. The overall desirability function has been determined. It was demonstrated that the satisfactory value of the general desirability can be attributed to most of the investigated concretes. Positive test results support the potential of replacing part of natural fine aggregate with the tested waste limestone dust without a negative impact on the durability of concrete.

Sustainable development requires a holistic perspective that integrates the different aspects of production and consumption and promotes the transition to a circular economy. This approach aims to balance the needs of the present and future generations, as well as the social, environmental, and economic dimensions of development. By producing products that are durable, recyclable, and reusable, and by minimizing the use of energy and materials, the environmental impact of production can be reduced while also generating economic benefits and enhancing social well-being. The article addresses the multicriteria sustainability of producing mortar modified with sand from recycled concrete rubble. The research explored the possibility of replacing natural sand with recycled sand in proportions from 10% to 100%. The consistency of mixtures, flexural and compressive strengths after 2, 28, and 90 days, as well as the carbon footprint and cost of the aggregate used were analyzed. The waste management index and sustainable use of natural resources were also considered. The research and analysis showed that recycled sand could be successfully used as an alternative for natural aggregate, as there are clear environmental and economic advantages, and the basic technical characteristics do not differ significantly statistically from the unmodified composite.

Using recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) in new concrete production presents a sustainable solution to construction waste challenges, yet the inherent weaknesses of the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) between old and new cement matrices remain a critical limitation. This study evaluates three industrially feasible pretreatment methods—sieve-washing, water immersion, and resin impregnation - through a novel combination of semi-quantitative microstructural analysis and durability testing. Our findings demonstrate that resin treatment reduces carbonation depth by 38% compared to untreated RCA, primarily through pore structure modification. At the same time, water immersion enhances ITZ density by optimizing moisture release during hydration. However, resin-treated aggregates exhibited significantly lower compressive strength due to poor adhesion of the new paste. After 28 days, concrete with saturated recycled aggregate showed similar compressive (49.1 ± 0.7 MPa) and flexural strength (5.8 ± 0.3 MPa), but slightly higher carbonation depth than the concrete with only natural aggregate. The calcium concentration at a distance from the recycled grain indicates that saturated and resin pre-treatment influence the ITZ’s density best. The research establishes a practical framework for selecting pretreatment methods based on measurable ITZ characteristics and project-specific durability requirements, advancing academic understanding and practical implementation of sustainable concrete technologies.

The preliminary stage of asphalt mixture production involves the drying and dedusting of coarse aggregates. The most common types of coarse aggregates used are limestone and basalt. In the process of drying and dedusting the dryer filter accumulates large quantities of waste in the form of mineral powder. This paper introduces an investigation into limestone powder waste as a potential microfiller of polymer composites. Physical characteristics such as the granulation the of powder collected from the filter - in terms of the season of its collection and the type of input materials used - were analysed. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used for the investigation described within this paper. The obtained results were compared against those of other materials which can be used as polymer composites microfillers.

This paper addresses the tensile and flexural strength of HPC (high performance concrete). The aim of the paper is to analyse the efficiency of models proposed in different codes. In particular, three design procedures from: the ACI 318 [1], Eurocode 2 [2] and the Model Code 2010 [3] are considered. The associations between design tensile strength of concrete obtained from these three codes and compressive strength are compared with experimental results of tensile strength and flexural strength by statistical tools. Experimental results of tensile strength were obtained in the splitting test. Based on this comparison, conclusions are drawn according to the fit between the design methods and the test data. The comparison shows that tensile strength and flexural strength of HPC depend on more influential factors and not only compressive strength.

The objective of the research outlined in this paper is to propose an eco-friendly solution that simultaneously contributes to improving the characteristics of polymer composites. The analyzed solution entails the use of recycled aggregate from crushed concrete rubble. The authors conducted experiments to test the consistency, density, flexural strength, compressive strength, and microstructure of polymer concrete (PC) with different proportions of recycled aggregate (RA). It was found that PC with RA had a higher compressive strength, 96 MPa, than PC with natural aggregate, 89.1 MPa, owing to the formation of a double-layer shell of resin and calcium filler on the surface of porous RA grains. Using a resin with a lower viscosity could improve the performance of PC with RA by filling the cracks and penetrating deeper into the pores. RA is a valuable material for PC production, especially when it contains porous grains with poor mechanical properties, which are otherwise unsuitable for other applications. This article also highlights the environmental and economic benefits of using RA in PC, as it can reduce waste generation and natural resource consumption.