Utilization of Recycled Ceramic Waste as Sustainable Fine Aggregate in High-Performance Green Concrete

Abstract

ABSTRACT The relentless depletion of natural sand reserves alongside the exponential generation of industrial ceramic waste presents a critical environmental and technical challenge for modern structural engineering. This comprehensive review evaluates the technical feasibility, mechanical behavior, durability performance, microstructural characteristics, and environmental lifecycle impact of replacing natural river sand with Recycled Ceramic Waste (RCW) as fine aggregate in High-Performance Green Concrete (HPGC). Ceramics— derived from sanitary ware, floor tiles, and structural bricks—exhibit high hardness, excellent chemical stability, and latent pozzolanic activity when finely ground. Synthesizing data from extensive experimental, numerical, and analytical studies published over the past decade, this paper details the influence of RCW fine aggregate substitution levels (ranging from 0% to 50%) on fresh concrete rheology, compressive strength, flexural behavior, elastic modulus, pore architecture, and transport properties. The synthesis demonstrates that an optimum fine aggregate replacement level of 20% to 25% enhances 28-day and 90-day compressive strengths by 5% to 10% and significantly reduces water permeability, rapid chloride penetrability (RCPT), and carbonation depth. These improvements stem from the angular morphology of ceramic particles, which enhances physical packing density, and the latent pozzolanic reaction between amorphous silica/alumina in ceramic dust and free calcium hydroxide, yielding secondary calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) gels that densify the interfacial transition zone (ITZ). However, higher replacement levels (>30%) lead to workability loss and slight mechanical degradation due to high particle angularity and intrinsic pore volume. A holistic evaluation reveals that integrating RCW into HPGC achieves up to a 28% reduction in embodied carbon, diverts tons of non-biodegradable waste from landfills, and reduces riverbed sand mining. Critical research gaps regarding long-term creep, shrinkage, fatigue behavior, and standardized processing protocols are identified, establishing a definitive framework for future industrial deployment.

KEYWORDS: Recycled Ceramic Waste (RCW); High-Performance Green Concrete; Sustainable Construction; Fine Aggregate Replacement; Pozzolanic Activity; Interfacial Transition Zone (ITZ); Durability; Embodied Carbon.