Characteristics of Concrete Made with Treated Domestic Wastewater

Abstract

The dramatic increase in the worldwide production of concrete and its consequences in depleting freshwater resources has become an urgent challenge among researchers. Many countries use the desalination treatment method to secure their needed quantities of fresh water. However, desalination has negative environmental and economic impacts. For that reason, various alternatives to fresh water have recently been proposed by researchers. One of them is the tertiary treated domestic wastewater (TWW). From a sustainability perspective, utilizing TWW in concrete applications decreases the worldwide freshwater depletion and reduces the costs and energy associated with wastewater disposal and seawater desalination. In this study, two concrete mixes made entirely with fresh water and TWW were tested for their mechanical and durability characteristics. The experimental tests include the compressive strength and electrical resistivity of concrete. Test results revealed that TWW concrete had slightly lower compressive strength than freshwater concrete. Moreover, the corrosion susceptibility of TWW concrete was similar to that of freshwater concrete.