It is disclosed the use of amorphous silica reagent produced from serpentine as pozzolane additive material, and more particularly a concrete mixture, such as high performance and ultra-high performance concrete, comprising a hydraulic binder; sand; aggregates, chemical admixture, mineral admixture as silica fume and an amorphous silica reagent (AmSR), wherein the AmSR is admixed for example with General Use Portland Cement and provides synergistic effect when combined with silica fume.

The invention relates to a method for activation of concrete mixing water. The method includes preliminary action on the mixing water in continuous flow by pulsed high-voltage electrohydraulic discharges with supply DC voltage from 500 V to 5000 at a pulse frequency from 2 Hz to 10,000 Hz and a current from 0.1 A to 10 A on electrodes of copper and/or iron and/or titanium. Then the water is treated in a mechanical and/or ultrasonic cavitator in the developed cavitation mode and at a water pressure from 0.8 atm to 6 atm without addition of plasticizers and/or surface-active agents.

The invention relates to a method for activation of concrete mixing water. The method includes preliminary action on the mixing water in continuous flow by pulsed high-voltage electrohydraulic discharges with supply DC voltage from 500 V to 5000 at a pulse frequency from 2 Hz to 10,000 Hz and a current from 0.1 A to 10 A on electrodes of copper and/or iron and/or titanium. Then the water is treated in a mechanical and/or ultrasonic cavitator in the developed cavitation mode and at a water pressure from 0.8 atm to 6 atm without addition of plasticizers and/or surface-active agents.

A composite including a polymeric material or emulsion and biochar. The composite includes 1 wt % to 20 wt % of the biochar. Making the composite includes combining biochar with a polymeric material or emulsion to yield a modified polymeric material or emulsion, and homogenizing the modified polymeric material or emulsion to yield the composite. Functionalizing biochar includes removing contaminants from the biochar to yield decontaminated biochar, oxidizing the decontaminated biochar to yield oxidized biochar, and functionalizing the oxidized biochar. Making nitrogen-doped biochar includes combining urea and wood residue to form a mixture, and heating the mixture in an oxygen-free environment to form the nitrogen-doped biochar.

A method of preparing a carbonated supplementary cementitious materials, includes carbonating the carbonatable mixture to obtain a first carbonated cementitious material, milling the first carbonated cementitious material, and carbonating the milled mixture to obtain the carbonated supplementary cementitious material.

The invention relates to radiation-treated reinforcement fibers, reinforced asphalt and portland cement concrete, and grout, methods for producing the same and application for their use. The radiation treatment includes exposing reinforcement fibers to electromagnetic energy, e.g., gamma rays, and/or electron-beam (E-beam) radiation. As a result of the treatment, the radiation-treated reinforcement fibers have a modified or deformed surface, e.g., an abraded and/or porous surface, as compared to reinforcement fibers without a radiation treatment.

Method for the production of granulate materials designed to be used for manufacturing articles in slab or block form from a mixture. The method comprises the steps of a) melting a mixture of selected minerals having a specific chemical composition for obtaining a casting of molten material, c) cooling the cast material until a predetermined temperature is reached and d) crushing and/or grinding the material to obtain granules having a selected grain size and suitable for use respectively as aggregates or fillers in the mixture for manufacture of the articles. Moreover, the method comprises, downstream of the melting and casting step a), a step b) of keeping the molten and cooled material at a temperature of between 1030-1170° C. for a predetermined time period of at least 15 minutes. The granulate materials thus obtained have a content of silicon dioxide in crystalline form of less than 1%. The invention also relates to a plant for the production of granulate materials suitable for use as aggregates or fillers for the manufacture of articles in slab or block form.

Described are cementitious reagent materials produced from globally abundant inorganic feedstocks. Also described are methods for the manufacture of such cementitious reagent materials and forming the reagent materials as microspheroidal glassy particles. Also described are apparatuses, systems and methods for the thermochemical production of glassy cementitious reagents with spheroidal morphology. The apparatuses, systems and methods make use of an in-flight melting/quenching technology such that solid particles are flown in suspension, melted in suspension, and then quenched in suspension. The cementitious reagents can be used in concrete to substantially reduce the CO.sub.2 emission associated with cement production.

A method for making a low cost, lightweight carbon aggregate from coal at, above, or below atmospheric pressure, and a lightweight concrete composition utilizing the lightweight carbon aggregate is described.

Disclosed herein are a lightweight geopolymer foam with low thermal conductivity and a manufacturing method therefor in which coal bottom ash and fly ash are used together as materials for the geopolymer foam and silica fume is added to a mixed solution of an alkali activator and sodium hydroxide. The geopolymer foam can be utilized for improving insulation performance and safety for a structure constructed with eco-friendly cement.