Mechanical performance and environmental potential of concrete with engineering sediment waste for sustainable built environment

•Engineering sediment waste can be converted into beneficial supplementary cementitious material.•The optimal calcination condition for engineering sediment waste is determined.•Use of calcined engineering sediment improves environmental performance of concrete.•The overall performance of recycled concrete is evaluated by multi-criteria analysis. The extensive use of underground space has led to an increasing amount of engineering sediment waste, which occupies about 60% of construction waste in China. At present, most of the engineering sediment waste is randomly dumped, occupying a lot of land resources and hindering sustainability of built environment. To solve these problems, this work proposes the recycling of engineering sediment waste via calcination and subsequent use as a cement substitute in concrete for construction. The optimal calcination condition is evaluated through strength activity index method. The mechanical properties, environmental and economic benefit of the concrete prepared with various substitution rates of calcined engineering sediment waste are determined using mechanical tests and the life cycle assessment. A multi-criteria analysis method is employed to comprehensively estimate the performance of concrete in terms of compressive and flexural strengths, global warming potential, energy consumption, and economic cost. The effect of calcined engineering sediment on the pozzolanic activity, cement hydration, CH content and microstructure of concrete has been quantitatively evaluated to reveal the mechanism behind the variation of mechanical properties. The concrete with 50% substitution of calcined engineering sediment showed superior environmental performance and economic benefit than those of reference concrete. This work contributes to an effective method for converting sediment waste into valuable resources to prepare concrete with low environmental impact and good mechanical performance, thereby promoting resource conservation and contributing to sustainability of built environment.