Eco-sustainable approach for cementitious mix construction materials: A preliminary comparison between geopolymer and cement based matrices incorporating Tire recycled rubber

Sustainability concept in the cement and concrete industry involves various environmental and socio-economic aspects such as, low energy consumption, CO2 emission reduction, natural resources preservation, and recyclability [1]. “Green” concrete technology, has the potential for eco-friendly development, where industrial waste or low-carbon binders can reduce consumption of Portland cement and natural resource, leading to less environment pollutions [2]. This work presents an experimental study for the comparison between geopolymer matrix and a traditional cementitious matrix (i.e. Portland cement) filled with rubber particles, deriving from end-of-life tires, as replacement of raw mineral aggregates. Rubberized geopolymers can be attractive solutions to reduce dangerous emissions and promote the clean disposal of waste tires [3]. Rubber-modification could confer to the material specific performances in terms of lightweight, durability, deformability, and thermo-acoustic insulation properties [4]. To explore the potential of rubber-geopolymer compounds for the construction sector, an experimental comparative study with rubber-Portland mortars (Figure) was performed. Preliminary investigations were conducted on rubber-cement samples obtained by varying the binder, the sand-rubber replacement ratio, and the rubber particle size.