Showing papers on "Fly ash published in 2020"

Prediction of concrete strength in presence of furnace slag and fly ash using Hybrid ANN-GA (Artificial Neural Network-Genetic Algorithm)

Abstract: Mineral admixtures have been widely used to produce concrete. Pozzolans have been utilized as partially replacement for Portland cement or blended cement in concrete based on the materials' properties and the concrete's desired effects. Several environmental problems associated with producing cement have led to partial replacement of cement with other pozzolans. Furnace slag and fly ash are two of the pozzolans which can be appropriately used as partial replacements for cement in concrete. However, replacing cement with these materials results in significant changes in the mechanical properties of concrete, more specifically, compressive strength. This paper aims to intelligently predict the compressive strength of concretes incorporating furnace slag and fly ash as partial replacements for cement. For this purpose, a database containing 1030 data sets with nine inputs (concrete mix design and age of concrete) and one output (the compressive strength) was collected. Instead of absolute values of inputs, their proportions were used. A hybrid artificial neural network-genetic algorithm (ANN-GA) was employed as a novel approach to conducting the study. The performance of the ANN-GA model is evaluated by another artificial neural network (ANN), which was developed and tuned via a conventional backpropagation (BP) algorithm. Results showed that not only an ANN-GA model can be developed and appropriately used for the compressive strength prediction of concrete but also it can lead to superior results in comparison with an ANN-BP model.

Chloride diffusion resistance and chloride binding capacity of fly ash-based geopolymer concrete

Abstract: This study evaluated the chloride diffusion resistance of low-calcium fly ash-based geopolymer concrete through electrical and bulk diffusion techniques. The geopolymer concretes were prepared using 12 different heat curing conditions; three temperatures of 60, 75 and 90 °C and four curing durations of 8, 12, 18 and 24 h, as well as ambient curing. The mechanical and transport properties and microstructural characteristics of the geopolymer concretes were examined. NT BUILD 492 chloride migration and ASTM C1556 bulk diffusion tests were carried out. Results showed that the chloride diffusion resistance and the chloride binding capacity of fly ash-based geopolymer concrete is very low. The fly ash-based geopolymer concrete appears to be suitable for applications where there are little or no chloride-related durability concerns.

A Comprehensive Review of Rare Earth Elements Recovery from Coal-Related Materials

Abstract: Many studies have been published in recent years focusing on the recovery of rare earth elements (REEs) from coal-related materials, including coal, coal refuse, coal mine drainage, and coal combustion byproducts particularly fly ash. The scientific basis and technology development have been supported by coal geologists and extractive metallurgists, and through these efforts, the concept has progressed from feasibility assessment to pilot-scale production over the last five years. Physical beneficiation, acid leaching, ion-exchange leaching, bio-leaching, thermal treatment, alkali treatment, solvent extraction, and other recovery technologies have been evaluated with varying degrees of success depending on the feedstock properties. In general, physical beneficiation can be a suitable low-cost option for preliminary upgrading; however, most studies showed exceedingly low recovery values unless ultrafine grinding was first performed. This finding is largely attributed to the combination of small RE-bearing mineral particle size and complex REE mineralogy in coal-based resources. Alternatively, direct chemical extraction by acid was able to produce moderate recovery values, and the inclusion of leaching additives, alkaline pretreatment, and/or thermal pretreatment considerably improved the process performance. The studies reviewed in this article revealed two major pilot plants where these processes have been successfully deployed along with suitable solution purification technologies to continuously produce high-grade mixed rare earth products (as high as +95%) from coal-based resources. This article presents a systematic review of the recovery methods, testing outcomes, and separation mechanisms that are involved in REE extraction from coal-related materials. The most recent findings regarding the modes of occurrence of REEs in coal-related materials are also included.

Estimating strength properties of geopolymer self-compacting concrete using machine learning techniques

Abstract: There has been a persistent drive for sustainable development in the concrete industry While there are series of encouraging experimental research outputs, yet the research field requires a standard framework for the material development In this study, the strength characteristics of geopolymer self-compacting concrete made by addition of mineral admixtures, have been modelled with both genetic programming (GEP) and the artificial neural networks (ANN) techniques The study adopts a 12M sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate alkaline solution of ratio to fly ash at 033 for geopolymer reaction In addition to the conventional material (river sand), fly ash was partially replaced with silica fume and granulated blast furnace slag Various properties of the concrete, filler ability and passing ability of fresh mixtures, and compressive, split-tensile and flexural strength of hardened concrete were determined The model development involved using raw materials and fresh mix properties as predictors, and strength properties as response Results shows that the use of the admixtures enhanced both the fresh and hardened properties of the concrete Both GEP and ANN methods exhibited good prediction of the experimental data, with minimal errors However, GEP models can be preferred as simple equations are developed from the process, while ANN is only a predictor

Effects of water content, water type and temperature on the rheological behaviour of slag-cement and fly ash-cement paste backfill

Abstract: The pumping ability and placement performance of fresh cemented paste backfill (CPB) in underground mined cavities depend on its rheological properties. Hence, it is crucial to understand the rheology of fresh CPB slurry, which is related to CPB mixture design and the temperature underground. This paper presented an experimental study investigating the effects of binder type, content, water chemical properties and content, and temperature, on the rheological properties of CPB material prepared using the tailings of a copper mine in South Australia. Portland cement (PC), a newly released commercially manufactured cement called Minecem (MC) and fly ash (FA) were used as the binders added to the mine tailing materials. Various amounts of two different water types were added to the mixtures in the preparation of backfill material slurry. Six different temperatures ranging from 5 to 60 °C were to investigate the effect of temperature on CPB rheology. Overall, the increasing water content and decreasing temperature lead to lower yield stress. Based on the results obtained from the rheological properties of CPB slurry, it was found that at room temperature (25 °C), with regards to the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) performance, the replacement of 4% PC mixed CPB (28 days UCS 425 kPa) to 3% MC mixed CPB (28 days UCS 519 kPa), reduced the slurry yield stress from 210.7 to 178.5 Pa. The results also showed that the chemical composition of water affects the yield stress of CPB slurry and that MC mitigates the negative effect of mine-processed water (MW) and thus lead to improve the rheological properties of the slurry. However, the results suggested that the rheological properties of a mixture using MC is very sensitive to the water volume and temperature change. Therefore, using MC in backfill requires better quality control in slump mixing.