TITLE:
TRANSITION - Transforming waste into high-performance 3D printable cementitious composites
DESCRIPTION:
Overview
Materials used for 3D printing usually contain large amounts of cement and other high-value powders to ensure cohesiveness and thus extrusion. As a result, 3D-printed structures have a high carbon footprint. One of the industrial wastes that have the potential to reduce the carbon footprint of 3D-printed structures is oil shale ash. In the Baltic States, oil shale is an important mineral resource, which is used as an energy source for generating electricity in thermal power plants. This process produces large amounts of ash, which is accumulating in landfills over decades. According to previous research, ash is suitable as a partial substitute for cement and high-value powders in cement composites for 3D-printing. Cement-based mixes for 3D printing consist of carefully selected input components from reactive and inert powders, water, aggregate and chemical admixtures, and are considered to be extremely sensitive to small changes in grain size, chemical and mineralogical composition. The development of printable mixtures thus requires advanced methods for their characterization, which are not available in concrete plants. One solution to bring forward the maturity level of the extrusion-based additive manufacturing technology is to offer a pre-mixed, pre-characterized mixture of dry components (water excluded) on the market for interested customers.Project Aims
To develop a high-performance cementitious composite that incorporates industrial waste, especially oil shale ash, and is suitable for extrusion-based additive manufacturing (3D-printing) of objects. In order to achieve these goals, two technologies will be innovatively implemented, namely (i) collision grinding to optimize the granular composition of oil shale ash particles, and (ii) high-frequency ultrasonic dispersion to promote the solidification of the composite and consequently improve the properties that ensure the stability of the fresh product during printing. Demonstration of the product's properties will take place in two stages, (i) during the testing of a small-scale prototype (evaluation of the printability of the mixture on several printers, establishment of a methodology for the assessment of printability) and (ii) by the construction of a large-scale prototype, which will be exposed to outdoor conditions. LCA and LCCA analysis of the pre-mixed dry product will also be performed.Involvement of ZAG: Characterization of input materials (WP2), optimization of mixture composition (WP3), establishment of a methodology for printability assessment and verification (WP4), material testing during and after construction of a small-scale prototype (WP4), LCA and LCCA (WP6).
Partners:
Project coordinator: Riga Technical University, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Institute of Materials and Structures (RTU). Project partners: Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), SIA SAKRET, Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute (ZAG).
DURATION:
2023/09/01 - 2026/08/31
FUNDING:
M-ERA.NET Call 2022
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