Grantee Research Project Results
Using hazardous byproduct of mining industry as a corrosion inhibitor
EPA Grant Number: SU836119Title: Using hazardous byproduct of mining industry as a corrosion inhibitor
Investigators: Nossoni, Goli
Institution: Manhattan College
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: November 1, 2015 through August 31, 2016 (Extended to October 31, 2017)
Project Amount: $14,830
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2015) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: P3 Awards , Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , Sustainable and Healthy Communities , P3 Challenge Area - Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
The goal of this research project is to determine the efficacy of a new sustainable concrete to alleviate corrosion of steel reinforcement in the presence of chloride. The sustainable concrete will utilize the industrial waste product “chat” as a mineral additive and/or aggregate with positive environmental effects. Chat is a byproduct of mining and milling operations in lead and zincs mines. Federal agencies have suggested that chat be used in concrete and asphalt as aggregates for environmental protection purposes since it contains varying concentrations of lead. However, a relatively unrealized positive potential of adding chat into concrete is that of chloride fixing which can significantly reduce and perhaps even eliminate corrosion of reinforcing steel.
The proposed project intends to improve the health and welfare of people, especially in the three states of Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma, by using a hazardous waste byproduct of the mining industry in a sustainable application. Further, this application has the potential to result in corrosion resistant infrastructure that can save up to $5.2 billion annually in the cost of maintaining our ageing infrastructure. The research will also benefit the future environment of the planet by reducing the demand for natural aggregate and replacing it with a hazardous byproduct, thereby removing the byproduct from the environment.
Approach:
The proposed research is interdisciplinary and involves civil and environmental engineering. Optimization of the concrete mix design with different percentages of chat replacing coarse and fine aggregate or both will be done in the concrete laboratory. The environmental and cost impact of using chat will be determined based on the increased life of steel reinforcement inside the optimized concrete when subjected to different chloride exposures
Expected Results:
The research will yield a concrete formulation, including percentages and optimum grain size selection (coarse or fine aggregate or mineral additive), that provides maximum corrosion protection of steel reinforcement. The chat percentage in concrete that will minimize lead leaching to meet the EPA limits for commercial/industrial settings (bridges and parking decks) will also be determined.
Publications and Presentations:
Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 1 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
Corrosion, Concrete, ChatProgress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.