Mechanical Properties and Life Cycle Assessment of Steel and Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced Alkali Activated Concrete

Efforts to reduce construction-related carbon emissions are driving the search for an environmentally friendly alternative to Portland Cement (PC). Alkali activated concrete (AAC) has grown in prominence over the past few decades as a potential alternative to PC concrete. Among the different binders used in AAC, the obligation of heat-curing is often addressed by replacing the fly ash precursor with ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS). However, the necessity to adopt fiber-reinforced AAC (FRAAC) is borne out of the need to compensate for the relatively poor early-age mechanical characteristics of ambient-cured AAC. On the other hand, as new building materials emerge, it is crucial to evaluate their impact on the environment before promoting their widespread implementation. In light of this, the current study focuses on the compressive and flexural strength tests for steel and polypropylene (PP) FRAAC. The fiber dosages w.r.t. AAC volume are varied as of 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3%. Life cycle assessments are performed to compare the environmental impacts of AAC to conventional PC concrete. The findings demonstrate a 13 and 11% enhancement in compressive strength of steel and PP FRAAC respectively, in comparison to plain AAC mix. The life cycle impact assessment reveals that the negative impacts of PC on the ecosystem and human health can be reduced by about 44% and 20% respectively, by adopting AAC as a substitute for PC concrete.