Mechanical Properties and ITZ Microstructure of Recycled Aggregate Concrete Using Carbonated Recycled Coarse Aggregate

The effect of carbonation treatment and mixing method on the mechanical properties and interfacial transition zone（ITZ） properties of recycled aggregate concrete（RAC） was investigated. Properties of recycled concrete aggregate（RCA） were tested firstly. Then, five types of concretes were made and slump of fresh concrete was measured immediately after mixing. Compressive strength and splitting tensile strength of hardened concrete were measured at 28 d. Meanwhile, the microstructure of RAC was analyzed by backscattered electron（BSE） image. It was found that the water absorption ratio of carbonated recycled concrete aggregate（CRCA） was much lower when compared to the untreated RCA. Comparatively, the apparent density of CRCA was not significantly modified. The concrete strength results indicate that the mix CRAC-2 prepared with CRCA by adopting two-stage mixing approach shows the highest compressive strength value compared to the other mixes. The microstructural analysis demonstrate that the mix CRAC-2 has a much denser old ITZ than the untreated RAC because of the chemical reaction between CO2 and the hydration products of RCA. This study confirms that the ITZ microstructure of RAC can be efficiently modified by carbonation treatment of RCA and encourages broadening the application of construction and demolition wastes.

Contents of soil organic carbon and nitrogen in water-stable aggregates in abandoned agricultural lands in an arid ecosystem of Northwest China

Soil organic matter content in water-stable aggregates（WSA） in the arid ecosystems（abandoned agricultural lands especially） of China is poorly understood. In this study, we examined the WSA sizes and stability, and soil organic carbon（OC） and nitrogen（N） contents in agricultural lands with abandonment ages of 0, 3, 12, 20, 30 and 40 years, respectively, in the Minqin Oasis of Northwest China. The total soil OC and N contents at depths of 0–20, 20–40 and 40–60 cm in abandoned agricultural lands were compared to those in cultivated land（the control）. Agricultural land abandonment significantly（P0.25 mm） as the age of agricultural land abandonment increased. The effect of abandonment ages of agricultural lands on MWD was determined by the changes of OC and N accumulation in WSA sizes ＆gt;2 mm. The total OC and N contents presented a stratification phenomenon across soil depths in this arid ecosystem. That is, both of them decreased significantly at depths of 0–20 and 40–60 cm while increased at the depth of 20–40 cm. The WSA sizes ＆lt;0.053 mm had the highest soil OC and N contents（accounting for 51.41%–55.59% and 42.61%–48.94% of their total, respectively）. Soil OC and N contents in microaggregates（sizes 0.053–0.25 mm） were the dominant factors that influenced the variations of total OC and N contents in abandoned agricultural lands. The results of this study suggested that agricultural land abandonment may result in the recovery of WSA stability and the shifting of soil organic matter from the silt＋clay（＆lt;0.053 mm） and microaggregate fractions to the macroaggregate fractions. However, agricultural land abandonment did not increase total soil OC and N contents in the short-term.

A study of some Egyptian carbonate rocks for the building construction industry

A number of geotechnical analyses were carried out on selected carbonate rock samples from eight sites located in Egypt. This analysis was to assess the suitability of these rocks for building construction aggregate. The analyses included properties of uniaxial compressive strength, tensile strength, porosity, water absorption, and dynamic fragmentation. The success of building construction depends to a large extent on the availability of raw materials at affordable prices. Raw materials commonly used in the building industry include sands, gravels, clays and clay-derived products. Despite the widespread occurrence of carbonate rocks throughout Egypt, the low premium placed on their direct application in the building sector may be explained in two ways: firstly, the lack of awareness of the potential uses of carbonate rocks in the building construction industry(beyond the production of asbestos, ceiling boards, roof sheets and Portland cement); and secondly, the aesthetic application of carbonate rocks in the building construction depends mainly on their physical attributes, a knowledge of which is generally restricted to within the confines of research laboratories and industries. Thus this paper addresses the physical and mechanical characteristics of some Egyptian carbonate rocks, evaluating them for their suitability as building construction aggregates.

Chloride diffusion in concrete with carbonated recycled coarse aggregates under biaxial compression

Chloride attack on concrete structures is affected by the complex stress state inside concrete,and the effect of recycled aggregates renders this process more complex.Enhancing the chloride resistance of recycled concrete in a complex environment via carbonization facilitates the popularization and application of recycled concrete and alleviates the greenhouse effect.In this study,the chloride ion diffusion and deformation properties of recycled concrete after carbonization are investigated using a chloride salt load-coupling device.The results obtained demonstrate that the chloride ion diffusivity of recycled concrete first decreases and then increases as the compressive load increases,which is consistent with the behavior of concrete,in that it first undergoes compressive deformation,followed by crack propagation.Carbonation enhances the performance of the recycled aggregates and reduces their porosity,thereby reducing the chloride diffusion coefficient of the recycled concrete under different compressive load combinations.The variation in the chloride ion diffusivity of the carbonized recycled aggregate concrete with the load is consistent with a theoretical formula.

Limited impacts of occasional tillage on dry aggregate size distribution and soil carbon and nitrogen fractions in semi-arid drylands

Tillage management that minimizes the frequency and intensity of soil disturbance can increase soil carbon(C)and nitrogen(N)sequestration and improve the resilience of dryland cropping systems,yet the impact of occasional disturbance on soil aggregate formation and the soil organic carbon(SOC)storage within aggregates has not been studied well.We evaluated the effect of four tillage management practices on soil dry aggregate size distribution,aggregate-protected C and N,mineral-associated organic matter carbon(MAOM-C),particulate organic matter carbon(POM-C),and corn(Zea mays L.)and sorghum(Sorghum bicolor(L.)Moench)yields in a semi-arid dryland cropping system.Treatments included conventional tillage(CT),strip-tillage(ST),no-tillage(NT),and occasional tillage(OT)management in a corn-sorghum rotation.Soil macro-aggregates were 51-54%greater under ST,NT,and OT,while small and micro-aggregates were greater in CT.Conventional tillage reduced soil aggregate-associated C by 28-31%in macro-aggregates and 47-53%in small aggregates at 26 months(M)sampling compared to ST,NT,and OT.In clay+silt fraction,CT had 14-16%,21-26%,and 36-43%less SOC at 7,14,and 26M samplings,respectively,than ST,NT,and OT.Aggregate associated N was generally similar under ST,NT,and OT,which was greater on average than CT.Soil MOAM-C and POM-C under ST,NT,and OT were generally greater than respective SOC fractions under CT at 19 and 26 M after OT implementation.Corn and sorghum yields were similar among tillage systems in 2020,but greater under ST,NT,and OT than CT in 2021.Our results suggest that while frequent intensive tillage can lower SOC and N storage,a single stubble mulch occasional tillage after several years of NT does not lead to soil C and N losses and soil structural instability in semi-arid drylands.

Aggregated carbon dots-loaded macrophages treat sepsis by eliminating multidrug-resistant bacteria and attenuating inflammation

Sepsis,caused by uncontrollable infection and inflammatory response,leads to more than 30 million infected patients and results in high morbidity worldwide every year.Currently,no efficient approaches have been developed for sepsis therapy due to antimicrobial resistance and inflammatory storm.Here,we report macrophages loaded with aggregated carbon dots(ACDs)in the lysosome,termed MCDs,to treat sepsis in immunosuppressive mice.The ACDs are constructed by negative CDs and amine-abundant polyethyleneimine(PEI),enabling them to bear the strong antibacterial ability and enhanced photoluminescent efficacy.The ACDs are specifically located in the macrophage lysosomes,efficiently enhancing the multidrug-resistant bacteria-killing ability of MCDs.More importantly,the MCDs possess superior anti-inflammatory effects such as reducing the number of pro-inflammatory(M1)and stimulating anti-inflammatory(M2)macrophages.These effects upregulate the inflammatory cytokines(TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-4,and IL-10),ultimately resulting in increased sepsis survival.Our work provides an intelligent approach to overcoming multidrug-resistant bacteria-induced infection from sepsis patients and paves a new avenue on employing nanoparticle-loaded cells for combating inflammation-related infection.

Effects of ionic strength and temperature on the aggregation and deposition of multi-walled carbon nanotubes

The aggregation and deposition of carbon nanotubes（CNTs） determines their transport and fate in natural waters.Therefore,the aggregation kinetics of humic-acid treated multi-walled carbon nanotubes（HA-MWCNTs） was investigated by time-resolved dynamic light scattering in NaCl and CaCl_2 electrolyte solutions.Increased ionic strength induced HA-MWCNT aggregation due to the less negative zeta potential and the reduced electrostatic repulsion.The critical coagulation concentration（CCC） values of HA-MWCNTs were 80 mmol/L in NaCl and 1.3 mmol/L in CaCl_2 electrolyte,showing that Ca^（2＋） causes more serious aggregation than Na~＋.The aggregation behavior of HA-MWCNTs was consistent with Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theory.The deposition kinetics of HA-MWCNTs was measured by the optical absorbance at 800 ran.The critical deposition concentrations for HA-MWCNT in NaCl and CaCl_2 solutions were close to the CCC values,therefore the rate of deposition cannot be increased by changing the ionic strength in the diffusion-limited aggregation regime.The deposition process was correlated to the aggregation since larger aggregates increased gravitational deposition and decreased random Brownian diffusion.HA-MWCNTs hydrodynamic diameters were evaluated at 5,15 and 25℃.Higher temperature caused faster aggregation due to the reduced electrostatic repulsion and increased random Brownian motion and collision frequency.HA-MWCNTs aggregate faster at higher temperature in either NaCl or CaCl_2electrolyte due to the decreased electrostatic repulsion and increased random Brownian motion.Our results suggest that CNT aggregation and deposition are two correlated processes governed by the electrolyte,and CNT transport is favored at low ionic strength and low temperature.

Shear-critical reinforced concrete columns under various loading rates

This paper presents an experimental study of shear-governed reinforced concrete columns subjected to different loading rates. Four typical short columns were tested cyclically with loading rate of 0.05, 1, 3, and 5 Hz, simulating seismic load. Test result indicated that the loading rate does not affect the column behavior when the rate is up to 5 Hz. Furthermore, Carbon Nano-Fiber Aggregates （CNFAs） were utilized as internal sensors to detect the damage in the column. The test result shows that the CNFAs work well sensing the structural behavior. The CNFA output was further quantitatively correlated to the structural damage level. Finally, a finite element analytical model was constructed to describe the behavior of short columns with shear failure. The analytical model successfully modeled the cyclic loading test results.

Aqueous stability and mobility of C_(60) complexed by sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate surfactant

Surfactant complexation may have significant effects on the environmental behavior of nano-particles.In order to understand the ecological exposure of nano-materials,it is important to determine the stability and mobility of surfactant-complexed nano-materials in aqueous systems.In this study,the aggregation and transport of C（60） complexed by the surfactant sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate（SDBS）were investigated.It was found that SDBS-complexed C-（60） had aζ-potential of-49.5 m V under near-neutral p H conditions and remained stable during an aging period of 15 days.It had a critical coagulation concentration of 550 mmol/L for Na Cl,which was higher than common natural colloids and many kinds of raw nano-materials,and was comparable to those of many kinds of surface-modified nano-materials.SDBS enhanced the stability of C（60） colloid;however,at the same time,it also enhanced the colloidal particle aggregation rate.Much higher mobility was found for SDBS-complexed C（60） than C（60） colloid.Increase in ionic strength,Ca^2＋ concentration or Al^（3＋） concentration decreased the mobility.In general,SDBS-complexed C（60） had high stability and mobility.

Influences of perfluorooctanoic acid on the aggregation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes

The aggregation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes （MWCNTs） in the aqueous phase not only inhibits their extensive utilization in various aspects but also dominates their environmental fate and transport.The role of surfactants at low concentration in the aggregation of MWCNTs has been studied,however the effect of perfluorinated surfactants at low concentration is uncertain.To understand this interfacial phenomenon,the influences of perfluorooctanoic acid （PFOA）,and sodium dodecyl sulfate （SDS） as a control,on MWCNT aggregation in the aqueous phase were examined by the UV absorbency method.Influences of pH and cationic species on the critical coagulation concentration （CCC） value were evaluated.The CCC values were dependent on the concentration of PFOA,however a pronounced effect of SDS concentration on the CCC values was not observed.The CCC values of the MWCNTs were 51.6 mmol/L in NaCl and 0.28 mmol/L in CaCl 2 solutions,which suggested pronounced differences in the effects of Na＋ and Ca2＋ ions on the aggregation of the MWCNTs.The presence of both PFOA and SDS significantly decreased the CCC values of the MWCNTs in NaCl solution.The aggregation of the MWCNTs took place under acidic conditions and was not notably altered under neutral and alkaline conditions due to the electrostatic repulsion of deprotonated functional groups on the surface of the MWCNTs.