Published in Scientific Papers. Series E. Land Reclamation, Earth Observation & Surveying, Environmental Engineering, Vol. XIV
Written by Cornelia BAERĂ, Aurelian GRUIN, Ana-Cristina VASILE, Bogdan BOLBOREA, Alexandru ION, Luiza VARGA, Alexandra Marina BARBU
Waterjet cutting is an industrial method that uses high-pressure water jets to cut a variety of materials such as metals, concrete, wood, ceramic, stone, rubber, foams, plastic, etc. For improving the procedure performance, in terms of speed and cutting accuracy, abrasive agents like red garnet sand is mixed with the water, generating the Abrasive Water Jet (AWJ) methodology. This is known to present environmental drawbacks, including the production of wastewater, garnet sludge and corresponding dried wastes, and microscopic particles from the cut materials, still disposed in household landfills, which generate severe environmental issues. Using Garnet Sand (SG) wastes in cementitious materials (mortars and concrete) as partial aggregate substitution is an innovative approach to enhance sustainability in construction, offering several benefits like increased strength, durability performance, etc., reduced production costs due to the re-using material approach and ecological protection as well. Preliminary studies in this direction were conducted in the last years within NIRD URBAN – INCERC, Timişoara branch, showing encouraging results in the proposed aggregate substitution proposal in the regular mortar mixes, in accordance with initial international studies in the field. The current paper aims to confirm the initial results by specific extension of the research area, reaching some critical parameters, like SG material source variation, as a mandatory validation procedure of preliminary conclusion and foundation of further specific studies regarding the viability of the SGs recycling opportunities in construction products and their effective use.
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