Performance of Green Concrete and Inorganic Coating Materials

Green concrete (GC) was developed for realizing sustainable development, recycling waste materials, and reducing environmental pollution. For the practical use of GC, various harmful materials must blocked from entering its cracks and pores; and its strength and durability must be improved. The use of an inorganic coating material (ICM) for GC effectively prevents the intrusion of harmful materials and repairs the concrete. ICMs can reduce the permeability and increase the durability of concrete. This study investigated GC, construction waste, and ICMs and used recycled sand and gravel as well as construction waste as substitutes for cement. The results indicate that the coarse aggregate substitution, water-binder ratio, and recycled fine aggregate substitution must be controlled suitably in GC. Furthermore, the coating layer, fine aggregate substitution, and aging of the ICM mut be controlled suitably. GC with an ICM showed poorer performance than conventional concrete, mainly because of the high porosity. Nonetheless, the ICM somewhate reduces the porosity and resists the penetration of chloride ions, thereby promoting concrete quality.