Ecological Footprint Assessment of Concrete: Partial Replacement of Cement by Water Treatment Sludge and Stone Dust

Yakub Ansari, Dilawar Husain, Umesh Kumar Das, Jyotirmoy Haloi, Nasar Ahmad Khan, Ravi Prakash () and Mujahid Husain
Additional contact information
Yakub Ansari: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Engineering and Management, Jaipur 303807, India
Dilawar Husain: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Maulana Mukhtar Ahmad Nadvi Technical Campus, Mansoora Malegaon, Nashik 423203, India
Umesh Kumar Das: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Engineering and Management, Jaipur 303807, India
Jyotirmoy Haloi: Department of Civil Engineering, NIT, Silchar 788118, India
Nasar Ahmad Khan: Department of Civil Engineering, Maulana Mukhtar Ahmad Nadvi Technical Campus, Mansoora Malegaon, Nashik 423203, India
Ravi Prakash: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad 211004, India
Mujahid Husain: Department Civil Engineering, SSBT College of Engineering & Technology, Bambhori Jalgaon 425002, India

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 9, 1-20

Abstract: Currently, most concrete industries use conventional cement (Ordinary Portland Cement) as a binding material which involves natural resource depletion, colossal CO 2 emissions, and a huge energy supply. The present study addresses this critical issue by using stone dust (sun-dried and calcinated) and water treatment sludge (sun-dried and calcinated) to replace cement partly in M20-grade concrete production. The environmental impact of ready-mixed concrete (RMC) production with conventional cement and partially replaced cement by other cementitious material, i.e., stone dust and water treatment sludge in concrete, is assessed through ecological footprint (EF) indicator. Moreover, a novel sustainability index is proposed for ready-mixed concrete plants to scale the environmental impact of different types of concrete (or grades) on the sustainability scale (environmental, social, and economic sustainability). The results showed that the sun-dried water treatment sludge and sun-dried stone dust could effectively replace cement (15% by weight) in the concrete, with a comparable compressive strength over the M20 ready-mixed concrete. The EF of conventional M20 RMC is estimated to be 0.02295 gha/m 3 . The EF of concrete (with sun-dried water treatment sludge) is reduced by 13.14% of the conventional ready-mixed concrete. The Ecological Sustainability Index (ESI) of the ready-mixed concrete plant is estimated to be 718.42 $/gha. Using water treatment sludge and stone dust in concrete production can be an innovative solution because it simultaneously solves the problem of waste disposal, large carbon emissions, cost, and high environmental impact.

Keywords: ready-mixed concrete; ecological footprint; stone dust; water treatment sludge (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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