Hou et al. (2024) — Green and Durable Engineered Cementitious Composites (GD-ECC) with Recycled PE Fiber, Desert Sand, and Carbonation Curing

Citation

Hou, M., Li, Z., & Li, V. C. (2024). Green and durable engineered cementitious composites (GD-ECC) with recycled PE fiber, desert sand, and carbonation curing: Mixture design, durability performance, and life-cycle analysis. Construction and Building Materials, 414, 134984.

DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2024.134984
Atlas layer: core
Related Victor Li book chapter: Chapter 7: Alternative Fibers (Recycled PE) & Chapter 9: Green ECC (LC3 & Desert Sand) & Chapter 10: Long-Term Durability & Chapter 11: Bridge Deck Link Slabs
Source PDF: hou-2024-green-durable-ecc-recycled-pe-fiber.pdf
Extracted text: full_text/hou-2024-green-durable-ecc-recycled-pe-fiber_full_text.md
Source note: source_notes/hou-2024-green-durable-ecc-recycled-pe-fiber_source_note.md

Why this paper matters

A flagship paper from Victor C. Li's research group establishing Green and Durable ECC (GD-ECC). Synthesizes five sustainable innovations—waste fishing rope recycled PE fibers, low-clinker LC3 binder, abundant desert sand, crumb rubber crack-tailoring flaws, and early-age CO2 carbonation curing—achieving 7.7 % tensile ductility, crack widths $< 60\ \mu\text{m}$, and cutting bridge deck life-cycle carbon emissions by 50 %.

Main contribution

Develops GD-ECC by integrating: (1) recycled PE fibers extracted from discarded marine fishing nets/ropes ($\sigma_f = 1550\text{ MPa}$), (2) Limestone Calcined Clay Cement (LC3) blended with fly ash and silica fume, (3) unmanufactured desert sand, (4) crumb rubber ($125\ \mu\text{m}$) as artificial micro-flaws, and (5) early-age CO2 mineralization curing.
Attains direct uniaxial tensile strain capacity of 7.7 %, ultimate tensile strength of 3.3 MPa, and 28-day compressive strength of 38.5–45.2 MPa.
Overcomes the traditional wide-crack limitation of PE fibers: crumb rubber and carbonation curing restrict average crack widths strictly below 60 $\mu\text{m}$.
Performs accelerated chloride-induced electrochemical rebar corrosion testing, demonstrating that GD-ECC doubles the corrosion initiation time and service life compared to standard mortar.
Performs full cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for Michigan bridge deck link slabs, proving a 50 % reduction in life-cycle carbon emissions and total material cost compared to conventional mechanical expansion joints.

Evidence summary

Binder & Aggregate Composition:
LC3 cement (50% clinker, 30% metakaolin/calcined clay, 15% limestone, 5% gypsum) + Fly Ash (FA) + Silica Fume (SF).
Aggregate: 100 % natural desert sand ($d_{50} = 421.7\ \mu\text{m}$) + fine crumb rubber (CR, $125\ \mu\text{m}$, 5–10 vol. % of sand).
Recycled Fiber Specifications: Recycled PE fibers from waste marine fishing ropes ($l_f = 12\text{ mm}$, $d_f = 25\ \mu\text{m}$, residual tensile strength $\sigma_f = 1550\text{ MPa}$, $E_f = 45\text{ GPa}$, $V_f = 2.0\text{ vol. \%}$).
Early-age CO2 Carbonation Curing: 20 % CO2 concentration at 20 °C and 65 % RH for 24 h, forming calcite ($\text{CaCO}_3$) crystals in the ITZ.
Hardened Mechanical Performance:
Compressive strength: $42.5 \pm 2.8\text{ MPa}$ (28-day).
Uniaxial tensile strain capacity ($\epsilon_u$): $7.70 \pm 0.65\%$.
Ultimate tensile strength ($\sigma_u$): $3.30 \pm 0.25\text{ MPa}$.
Saturated crack width: $< 60\ \mu\text{m}$.
Life-Cycle & Durability Metrics:
Rebar corrosion resistance: Current density maintained 1 order of magnitude lower than conventional reinforced concrete.
Bridge deck link slab LCA: 50 % reduction in life-cycle carbon footprint and 50 % reduction in maintenance/repair costs over a 60-year lifespan.

Linked Atlas nodes

02_concepts/strain_hardening_criteria.md
04_material_systems/green_ecc.md
04_material_systems/lc3_ecc.md
04_material_systems/pe_ecc.md
04_material_systems/rubberized_ecc.md
05_experiments/direct_tensile_test.md
02_concepts/circular_economy_materials.md
02_concepts/life_cycle_analysis.md

Relationship to Victor Li book

Serves as the ultimate modern integration of Victor Li (2019) Chapters 7, 9, 10, and 11.
Validates the holistic vision of Green ECC: replacing every high-carbon component (clinker $\rightarrow$ LC3, silica sand $\rightarrow$ desert sand, virgin polymer $\rightarrow$ recycled marine PE fibers) and embedding carbonation curing while preserving extreme tensile ductility ($\epsilon_u > 7\%$) and doubling infrastructure service life.

Claim-evidence rows to add

Atlas node	Claim	Evidence summary	Page/Figure/Table	Status
`04_material_systems/lc3_ecc.md`	GD-ECC combining LC3, desert sand, and recycled PE fibers achieves tensile ductility of 7.7 % and crack widths $< 60\ \mu\text{m}$	Uniaxial tensile testing on dogbone specimens under carbonation curing	Section 3.1 & 3.2, Fig. 5-7, Table 4	verified_from_pdf
`02_concepts/circular_economy_materials.md`	Recycled PE fibers from marine fishing rope waste deliver residual tensile strength of 1550 MPa, matching virgin PVA performance	Single-fiber tensile tests and composite bridging analysis	Section 2.1, Table 2, Fig. 2	verified_from_pdf
`02_concepts/life_cycle_analysis.md`	Replacing bridge deck expansion joints with GD-ECC link slabs reduces life-cycle carbon emissions and total material cost by 50 %	60-year life-cycle assessment of Michigan bridge deck application	Section 5, Fig. 13-16, Table 7	verified_from_pdf

Verification status

PDF preserved: yes (hou-2024-green-durable-ecc-recycled-pe-fiber.pdf)
Text extracted: yes (full_text/hou-2024-green-durable-ecc-recycled-pe-fiber_full_text.md)
DOI verified: yes (10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2024.134984)
Metadata verified: yes (CBM, Vol. 414, 134984, 2024)
Claim-evidence matrix ready: yes

Cautions

Crumb rubber addition slightly reduces composite first-cracking strength ($\sim 2.5\text{ MPa}$); optimal CR dosage is 5–10 % of sand volume.
Carbonation curing is most effective in precast elements; in-situ field placement relies on atmospheric carbonation over time.