EFFECTIVE USE OF LOCAL WASTE TOWARDS LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE IN ADVANCING RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE

Recent era has seen an abrupt expansion of infrastructure development in the Arabian Gulf, resulting in increased consumption of natural resources and subsequent depletion of their reserves. Therefore, identifying sustainable alternatives to traditional construction materials is a pressing need. The volcanic and sedimentary waste materials locally available in the Arabian region provide a good solution because they can create lightweight concrete and also help to protect the environment. This has led to a lot of academic interest in exploring how to use waste materials in lightweight concrete. Lightweight concrete presents numerous benefits compared to traditional normal-weight concrete in the realm of building and bridge construction. Nevertheless, it is imperative to ensure sufficient sutability against environmental conditions when employing waste-derived aggregates. This research is dedicated to the development of sustainable lightweight concrete utilizing waste materials, including volcanic pumice, scoria in conjunction with expanded clay and calcined clay to produce eco-friendly mixtures. The incorporation of these materials in appropriate proportions is anticipated to improve the performance of lightweight concrete, a matter of growing significance within the construction sector. The attainment of high strength in lightweight aggregate concrete could potentially be acieved through the incorporation of different pozzolanic materials, such as silica fume, fly ash, scoria powder, calcined clays, and shales, together with water-reducing admixtures. However, the mechanical preoperties of such concrete are significant concern and will be assessed in parallel with its physical properties. Furthermore, this research explores the effect of steel fibers on the performance of lightweight concrete formulated with these by-products. Overall, this work aims to address suitable and innovative strategies to develop high-quality, sustainable lightweight concrete, thereby contributing to more resilient and environmentally responsible infrastructure.