Characterization of Concrete Incorporating Municipal Solid Waste: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Concrete production consumes large quantities of natural aggregate, water and Portland cement, while municipal solid waste creates an escalating disposal burden for urban regions. The incorporation of municipal solid waste-derived materials in concrete therefore joins two engineering objectives: reduction of landfill demand and partial substitution of virgin construction resources. This review examines the characterization of concrete incorporating municipal solid waste (MSW), with focused on MSW incineration bottom ash, municipal solid waste incineration fly ash, waste glass, waste plastics and selected electronic-waste fractions. The literature on source variability, preprocessing, mix-design implications, fresh behavior, hardened mechanical performance, durability response and environmental safety. The review shows that MSW incineration bottom ash is the most technically developed MSW constituent for concrete, especially after aging, washing, ferrous and non-ferrous metal removal, crushing, sieving and carbonation. For normal-strength concrete, bottom ash used as fine aggregate or as a minor cementitious/binder component is most successful at replacement levels commonly below 20%, while higher replacement levels require density correction, water-demand compensation, pre-treatment and performance-based qualification. Fly ash from MSW incineration is more chemically problematic because of chlorides, sulfates, soluble salts, free lime, heavy metals and variable glassy phases; its use is therefore safer after washing, thermal treatment, vitrification, carbonation or immobilization within blended binders. Waste glass can improve packing and pozzolanic activity when finely ground, but coarse glass aggregate increases alkali-silica-reaction risk unless particle size, alkali content and supplementary cementitious materials are controlled. Waste plastics reduce density and thermal conductivity but normally reduce compressive, tensile and flexural strength because of low stiffness and weak interfacial transition zones. Across the literature, hardened properties and durability depend less on the label “municipal waste” than on particle size, absorption, deleterious phases, leaching potential, adhered contaminants and the interaction between the waste fraction and cement hydration. The most robust conclusion is that MSW can be incorporated into concrete when it is treated as an engineered secondary raw material rather than as an uncontrolled disposal residue.