STM Journals Peer-reviewed research from Consortium e-Learning Network

Journal of Polymer & Composites Review Article Special issue

Sustainability and Mechanical Performance Evaluation of Cementitious Composites Reinforced with Waste Rubber Aggregates and Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag

  1. Aseem Kumar Department of Civil engineering, GLA University, Mathura
  2. Deepak Kumar Tiwari Department of Civil engineering, GLA University, Mathura, 281406

Abstract

The development of environmentally responsible composite materials has gained global momentum with the shift toward circular and sustainable construction practices. In this work, the performance of cementitious composites that partially substitute natural fine and coarse aggregates with recycled rubber aggregates from end-of-life tires and Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) as an additional cementitious material is examined. A total of thirty composite mixes were formulated by varying GGBS (10–30%) and rubber aggregate content (0–30%). Mechanical characterization included compressive, split tensile, and flexural strength testing at 3, 7, and 28 days, while impact resistance was evaluated to assess energy absorption and post-failure ductility. The SC10 mix (20% GGBS, 0% rubber) demonstrated the highest performance with a 28-day flexural strength of 7.8 MPa. Controlled incorporation of rubber aggregates (up to 10%) maintained mechanical integrity, whereas higher substitutions (20–30%) led to strength reduction due to weak interfacial bonding and increased porosity. However, rubberized composites exhibited significantly enhanced impact resistance and crack arresting capability, confirming a beneficial toughness-strength trade-off. The study establishes the potential of hybrid GGBS–rubber concrete as a sustainable composite material with promising structural and shock-resistant applications, aligning with circular economy principles by promoting industrial waste utilization.

Keywords

References (33)

  1. Abdal S, Mansour W, Agwa I, Nasr M, Abadel A, Onuralp Özkılıç Y, et al. Application of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete in Bridge Engineering: Current Status, Limitations, Challenges, and Future Prospects. Buildings. 2023;13(1):185. doi:10.3390/buildings13010185
  2. Miller SA, Horvath A, Monteiro PJM. Impacts of booming concrete production on water resources worldwide. Nature Sustainability. 2018;1(1):69-76. doi:10.1038/s41893-017-0009-5
  3. Karadumpa CS, Pancharathi RK. Study on energy use and carbon emission from manufacturing of OPC and blended cements in India. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2023;31(4):5364-5383. doi:10.1007/s11356-023-31593-3
  4. Song D, Yang J, Chen B, Hayat T, Alsaedi A. Life-cycle environmental impact analysis of a typical cement production chain. Applied Energy. 2016;164:916-923. doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2015.09.003
  5. Kole PJ, Löhr AJ, Van Belleghem F, Ragas A. Wear and Tear of Tyres: A Stealthy Source of Microplastics in the Environment. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2017;14(10):1265. doi:10.3390/ijerph14101265
  6. Gueboudji Z. From Trash to Treasure: Transforming Landfill Tyres, Plastics, and Glass into Sustainable Construction Resources. Springer Water. 2024:295-313. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-55665-4_12
  7. MacCracken MC. Prospects for Future Climate Change and the Reasons for Early Action. Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association. 2008;58(6):735-786. doi:10.3155/1047-3289.58.6.735
  8. Siddique R, Bennacer R. Use of iron and steel industry by-product (GGBS) in cement paste and mortar. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 2012;69:29-34. doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2012.09.002
  9. Munjal P, Hau KK, Hon Arthur CC. Effect of GGBS and curing conditions on strength and microstructure properties of oil well cement slurry. Journal of Building Engineering. 2021;40:102331. doi:10.1016/j.jobe.2021.102331
  10. Yang KH, Cho AR, Song JK, Nam SH. Hydration products and strength development of calcium hydroxide-based alkali-activated slag mortars. Construction and Building Materials. 2012;29:410-419. doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2011.10.063
  11. Li S. Microstructure and composition characterisation of three 20-year-old GGBS-OPC blended pastes. Construction and Building Materials. 2016;123:226-234. doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.06.057
  12. Jia Z, Chen C, Shi J, Zhang Y, Sun Z, Zhang P. The microstructural change of C-S-H at elevated temperature in Portland cement/GGBFS blended system. Cement and Concrete Research. 2019;123:105773. doi:10.1016/j.cemconres.2019.05.018
  13. Ganesh P, Murthy AR. Tensile behaviour and durability aspects of sustainable ultra-high performance concrete incorporated with GGBS as cementitious material. Construction and Building Materials. 2019;197:667-680. doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.11.240
  14. Kim Y, Hanif A, Usman M, Munir MJ, Kazmi SMS, Kim S. Slag waste incorporation in high early strength concrete as cement replacement: Environmental impact and influence on hydration & durability attributes. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2018;172:3056-3065. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.11.105
  15. Raghav M, Park T, Yang HM, Lee SY, Karthick S, Lee HS. Review of the Effects of Supplementary Cementitious Materials and Chemical Additives on the Physical, Mechanical and Durability Properties of Hydraulic Concrete. Materials. 2021;14(23):7270. doi:10.3390/ma14237270
  16. Ahmad J, Kontoleon KJ, Majdi A, Naqash MT, Deifalla AF, Ben Kahla N, et al. A Comprehensive Review on the Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) in Concrete Production. Sustainability. 2022;14(14):8783. doi:10.3390/su14148783
  17. Mohajerani A, Burnett L, Smith JV, Markovski S, Rodwell G, Rahman MT, et al. Recycling waste rubber tyres in construction materials and associated environmental considerations: A review. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 2020;155:104679. doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.104679
  18. Ren F, Mo J, Wang Q, Ho JCM. Crumb rubber as partial replacement for fine aggregate in concrete: An overview. Construction and Building Materials. 2022;343:128049. doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2022.128049
  19. Hoang AT, Nguyen TH, Nguyen HP. Scrap tire pyrolysis as a potential strategy for waste management pathway: a review. Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects. 2020;46(1):6305-6322. doi:10.1080/15567036.2020.1745336
  20. He S, Jiang Z, Chen H, Chen Z, Ding J, Deng H, et al. Mechanical Properties, Durability, and Structural Applications of Rubber Concrete: A State-of-the-Art-Review. Sustainability. 2023;15(11):8541. doi:10.3390/su15118541
  21. Pham NP, Toumi A, Turatsinze A. Rubber aggregate-cement matrix bond enhancement: Microstructural analysis, effect on transfer properties and on mechanical behaviours of the composite. Cement and Concrete Composites. 2018;94:1-12. doi:10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2018.08.005
  22. Mahran GMA, ElDeeb AB, Badawy MM, Anan AI. Enhanced mechanical properties of concrete using pre-treated rubber as partial replacement of fine aggregate. Innovative Infrastructure Solutions. 2025;10(3). doi:10.1007/s41062-025-01878-2
  23. Eissa M, Habib A, AL Houri A, Alibrahim B. Recent efforts on investigating the effects of recycled rubber content on the mechanical properties of structural concrete. Discover Civil Engineering. 2024;1(1). doi:10.1007/s44290-024-00017-7
  24. Ul Islam MM, Li J, Roychand R, Saberian M, Chen F. A comprehensive review on the application of renewable waste tire rubbers and fibers in sustainable concrete. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2022;374:133998. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.133998
  25. Siad H, Lachemi M, Ismail MK, Sherir MAA, Sahmaran M, Hassan AAA. Effect of Rubber Aggregate and Binary Mineral Admixtures on Long-Term Properties of Structural Engineered Cementitious Composites. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering. 2019;31(11). doi:10.1061/(asce)mt.1943-5533.0002894
  26. Gill P, Jangra P, Roychand R, Saberian M, Li J. Effects of various additives on the crumb rubber integrated geopolymer concrete. Cleaner Materials. 2023;8:100181. doi:10.1016/j.clema.2023.100181
  27. Wu K, Shi H, Xu L, Ye G, De Schutter G. Microstructural characterization of ITZ in blended cement concretes and its relation to transport properties. Cement and Concrete Research. 2016;79:243-256. doi:10.1016/j.cemconres.2015.09.018
  28. Hou Y, Yang K, Yin S, Chen X, Zhang L. Experimental study on mechanical properties, microstructure and ratio parameter optimization of mixed fiber-reinforced rubber cemented coarse aggregate backfill. Construction and Building Materials. 2023;409:134105. doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2023.134105
  29. Deng Z. Influence of recycled rubber and glass aggregates on magnesium sulfate resistance of geopolymers: Physio-mechanical properties and mechanisms. Construction and Building Materials. 2024;438:137134. doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2024.137134
  30. Li Y, Zhi S, Chai R, Zhou Z, He J, Yao Z, et al. Effects of Aggregate-to-Binder Ratio on Mechanical Performance of Engineered Geopolymer Composites with Recycled Rubber Aggregates. Buildings. 2025;15(14):2496. doi:10.3390/buildings15142496
  31. Mabrouk A, Raza A, Elhadi KM, Ahmed B, Kubica J, Chen W. Effect of curing temperature, silica fume, and waste tire rubber aggregate on material characterization of lightweight geopolymer composite. Construction and Building Materials. 2024;453:139063. doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2024.139063
  32. Pan H, Yang Z, Xue M, Su J, Yan X, Chen Z, et al. Fracture properties and sustainability assessment of strain-hardening alkali activated composites of up to 100 % rubber aggregate. Structures. 2025;81:110221. doi:10.1016/j.istruc.2025.110221
  33. Wang H, Qian LP, Xu LY, Li Y, Guan H. Upcycling of waste rubber using pelletized artificial geopolymer aggregate technology. Developments in the Built Environment. 2024;20:100554. doi:10.1016/j.dibe.2024.100554
Support