Potential usage of porous autoclaved aerated concrete waste as eco-friendly internal curing agent for shrinkage compensation

Autoclaved aerated concrete waste (AACW) is an inorganic porous construction and demolition waste, which is possible to be environmentally used as an internal curing agent, due to its water absorption and release characteristics. In present work, fine aggregate (sand) was replaced by AACW aggregate with the same volume for internal curing purpose. The potential curing effect of AACW was also compared with a classical internal curing agent, i.e. expanded perlite (EPA), under the same particle size condition. Results indicate that the compressive strength of AACW groups after 28-day sealing curing is basically the same as that of the control group. Compared with EPA, internal curing with AACW can better improve the internal relative humidity, reduce the autogenous shrinkage, and delay the cracking time of cement mortar. At the same time, AACW effectively refines the pore structure and improves the micro-hardness of the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) through internal curing, and enhances the resistance to chloride penetration. •AACW was environmentally used to compensate the autogenous shrinkage and delay the cracking time.•The compressive strength of AACW0.054 at 28d is basically the same as that of the reference group.•AACW refines the pore structure of cement mortar and enhances the microhardness of ITZ.•This work provides new ideas for the resource utilization of AACW and brings environmental benefits.