The incorporation of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) into asphalt concrete supports circular economy goals by reducing reliance on virgin materials and minimizing construction waste. However, RCA’s inherent limitations, such as high porosity, microcracking, and poor interfacial bonding, compromise the structural integrity and durability of asphalt mixtures. This study introduces sugarcane molasses (SCM), a naturally derived, carbohydrate-rich byproduct of sugarcane refining, as a novel and eco-friendly surface treatment for RCA aimed at enhancing its compatibility with asphalt binders. SCM was applied at 5-6% by weight of RCA replacing coarse aggregate at varying levels (0-100%) to assess its effect on asphalt mixture performance. A comprehensive laboratory testing program was conducted, including microstructural analysis, aggregate impact and crushing strength tests, and performance evaluation using Marshall properties, resilient modulus, wheel tracking, moisture susceptibility, and fatigue resistance. SCM treatment resulted in a significantly denser and smoother interfacial transition zone (ITZ), reduced porosity, and improved cohesion at the aggregate-binder interface. Treated mixtures exhibited notable enhancements across all performance metrics: Marshall stability increased to 14.2 kN at 100% RCA, resilient modulus loss remained under 7%, Tensile strength ratio (TSR) values consistently exceeded the 80% threshold, and fatigue resistance peaked at 50% RCA with the highest asphalt flexibility ratio (AFR) and ductility. The findings demonstrate that SCM effectively mitigates the mechanical and durability shortcomings of untreated RCA. Among all mixes, 50% SCM-treated RCA yielded the most balanced performance. Although SCM treatment was found to be slightly cost-ineffective, the cost-performance index highlights its positive potential, particularly for 50% SCM-treated RCA mixtures. However, these results are material-specific, and field validation is essential to confirm performance across different RCA sources and environmental conditions.
Worldwide, enormous amounts of waste cause major environmental issues, including scrap tires and plastic, and large waste, a consequence of the demolition of buildings, including crushed concrete, crushed clay bricks, and crushed thermo-stone. From that point, it’s possible to consider that the recycling processes for these materials and using them in the manufacturing field will reduce the adverse effects on the environment of these wastes and the consumption of natural resources. Sustainable concrete blocks can be considered as one of the products produced by using these materials as partial volume replacement of the coarse, fine aggregate, or cement content, considering their dry density, workability, absorption, co
... Show MoreThis study utilized low-cost agricultural waste (molasses production waste powder) to extract copper ions from aqueous solutions. The present investigation explored a range of factors that influence the adsorption process, including temperature, pH, ionic strength, contact time, quantity of adsorbent, and particle size. Spectrophotometric analysis was used to determine the solution's absorbance both before and after the adsorption procedure. The Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models were used to match the equilibrium data. The Freundlich model was determined to be the best isotherm model using the linear regression coefficient R2=0.9868. Thermodynamic parameters, including enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs free energy, were calculate
... Show MoreBackground:: Infertility is a very common condition affecting approximately 13-14% of couples in the reproductive age. In general population; about 85% of couples have achieved conception within a year. Intrauterine insemination is one of the procedure which have a role in the treatment of infertile couple.Objectives:is to confirm that the use of ovulation induction in the course of intrauterine insemination elevates the pregnancy success rate.Method:This study had been conducted between December 2013 till December 2014 in AL-Elwiyah maternity hospital and AL-Samaraii hospital / Baghdad.On history and clinical examination; the chosen couple had the following criteria; primary infertility for more than one year, no previous IUI trials, hu
... Show MoreThere is no access to basic sanitation for half the world's population, leading to Socioeconomic issues, such as scarcity of drinking water and the spread of diseases. In this way, it is of vital importance to develop water management technologies relevant to the target population. In addition, in the separation form of water treatment, the compound often used as a coagulant in water treatment is aluminum sulfate, which provides good results for raw water turbidity and color removal. Studies show, however, that its deposition in the human body, even Alzheimer's disease, can cause serious harm to health and disease development. The study aims to improve the coagulation/flocculation stage related to the amount of flakes, i
... Show MoreIndustrial and urban development has resulted in the spread of plastic waste and the increase in the emissions of carbon dioxide resulting from the cement manufacturing process. The current research aims to produce green (environmentally friendly) concrete by using plastic waste as coarse aggregates in different proportions (10% and 20%) and nano silica sand powder as an alternative to cement in different proportions (5% and 10% by weight). The results showed that compressive strength decreased by 12.10% and 19.23% for 10% and 20% plastic waste replacement and increased by 12.89% and 20.39% for 5% and 10% silica sand replacement respectively at 28 days. Flexural strength decreased by 12.95% and 19.64% for 10% and 20% plastic waste r
... Show MoreReinforced concrete (RC) slabs strengthened with carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) and subjected to flexural actions may experience many types of failure, including FRP debonding, FRP rupture and concrete crushing. Of these different types of failure modes, FRP debonding stands out as the most predominant type of failure because of its dependence on the relatively weak bond interface between the soffit of the RC member and the FRP sheet attached to it. Many anchorage systems have been developed to enhance the performance of strengthened systems, one of which is the hybrid anchor, which combines the effects of patch anchors and spike anchors. Hybrid anchors have shown significant enhancement when used with RC members subjected to shear
... Show MoreThis study aims to find the effect of water-cement ratio on the compressive strength of concrete by using ultrasonic pulse velocity test (UPVT). Over 230 standard cube specimens were used in this study, with dimensions of 150mm, and concrete cubes were cured in water at 20 °C. Also, the specimens used in the study were made of concrete with varied water-cement ratio contents from 0.48 to 0.59. The specimens were taken from Diyarbakir-Turkey concrete centers and tested at the structure and material science lab, civil engineering, faculty of engineering from Dicle University. The UPV measurement and compressive strength tests were carried out at the concrete age of 28 days. Their UPV and compressive strength ranged
... Show MoreA Novel artificial neural network (ANN) model was constructed for calibration of a multivariate model for simultaneously quantitative analysis of the quaternary mixture composed of carbamazepine, carvedilol, diazepam, and furosemide. An eighty-four mixing formula where prepared and analyzed spectrophotometrically. Each analyte was formulated in six samples at different concentrations thus twentyfour samples for the four analytes were tested. A neural network of 10 hidden neurons was capable to fit data 100%. The suggested model can be applied for the quantitative chemical analysis for the proposed quaternary mixture.
Novel artificial neural network (ANN) model was constructed for calibration of a multivariate model for simultaneously quantitative analysis of the quaternary mixture composed of carbamazepine, carvedilol, diazepam, and furosemide. An eighty-four mixing formula where prepared and analyzed spectrophotometrically. Each analyte was formulated in six samples at different concentrations thus twentyfour samples for the four analytes were tested. A neural network of 10 hidden neurons was capable to fit data 100%. The suggested model can be applied for the quantitative chemical analysis for the proposed quaternary mixture.