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Impact of aging on leaching characteristics of recycled concrete aggregate

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Abstract

The focus of this study was to evaluate the effects of stockpiling (aging) on leaching of elements in recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) that may contribute to tufaceous constituent formation. Speciation and leaching controlling mechanisms of these elements were identified via geochemical modeling. The effects of stockpiling were simulated by comparing freshly produced RCA with RCA aged as part of this study for 1 year both in the laboratory and in the field. Leachate samples were generated following batch water leach test (WLT) and US Geological Survey leach test (USGSLT) methods. USGSLTs were conducted both on the laboratory and field samples while WLT was only conducted on laboratory samples. During the laboratory aging, it is observed that the carbonate content of RCA, measured as calcite equivalent, increased 20 % (i.e., from ∼100 to 120 mg/g) within a year time frame. The leachate extracted from RCA showed minor changes in pH and more significant decreases in electrical conductivity (i.e., ∼300 to 100 μS/cm). A comparison between laboratory and field samples revealed that the RCA aged much slower in the field than in the laboratory within a year. Comparisons between two leach extraction methods on the laboratory conditions showed that the total leached concentrations (TLCs) of most of the constituents from USGSLT were appreciably lower than the ones measured via WLT method. The results of geochemical modeling analyses showed that Al, Si, Fe, Ca, Mg, and Cu exist in their oxidized forms as Al3+, Fe3+, Si4+, Ca2+, Mg2+, and Cu2+ and results revealed that these elements are primarily controlled by the solubility of gibbsite, hematite, silica gel, calcite, magnesite, and tenorite solid phases, respectively. One of the significant findings of the study was to identify the changes in leaching behavior of Ca, Si, Mg, Al, Fe, and Cu due to carbonation.

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Acknowledgments

Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research (VCTIR) provided financial support for this research. However, the conclusions and recommendations are those of the authors and do not reflect the opinions or policies of VDOT or VCTIR. The authors would also like to extend gratitude to Dr. Robert Jonas, Ms. Monica Marcelli, and Dr. Gregory Foster for graciously allowing the research team to utilize their ecology and chemistry laboratories in George Mason University. We thank the reviewers for their constructive and valuable comments to improve the quality of the article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA

    Aiyoub Abbaspour & Burak F. Tanyu

  2. Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA

    Bora Cetin

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  1. Aiyoub Abbaspour
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  2. Burak F. Tanyu
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Correspondence to Burak F. Tanyu.

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Abbaspour, A., Tanyu, B.F. & Cetin, B. Impact of aging on leaching characteristics of recycled concrete aggregate. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 20835–20852 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7217-9

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