New types of special concrete

It is specified in the Regulation (EU) No. 305/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council that the basic requirement for construction works on sustainable use of natural resources should notably take into account the recyclability of construction works, their materials and parts after demolition, the durability of construction works and the use of environmentally compatible raw and secondary materials in construction works. Concrete is precisely one of construction products in the composition of which there are some components from natural resources that can be replaced with various recycled materials and waste materials from other industries. The use of materials such as fly ash, silica fume, and slag, is well known in the production of cement and concrete. Recent investigations made in the field of concrete technology examine the ways in which concrete properties are influenced by natural organic materials of vegetable origin used as replacement of a part of aggregate, special bacteria that contribute to the filling of the concrete structure, and the possibility of self-cleaning and internal curing of concrete. All these investigations open possibilities for the reuse and recycling of industrial waste of varied origin, while at the same time they contribute to the sustainability of the concrete industry and construction industry in general, as it is a branch of industry that consumes extremely large quantities of natural resources, which is precisely why it also has a great potential for their preservation. A brief review of several new types of special concrete is given in this paper, with an emphasis on those types of concrete that contain a component of sustainable development.