Mechanical behaviour of concrete based on aquaculture co-products

A possible way to reduce CO2 emissions linked to cementitious materials is to use alternative resources, particularly co-products from other industries. Oyster shell co-products are a calcareous resource produced by aquaculture currently available in coastal areas and must be valorized. The present study investigates the impact of crushed oyster shells used as aggregates in concrete on its mechanical behavior. Thus, concrete samples with 50% aggregates replaced by crushed oyster shells were formulated. Two different types of cement were used: CEMI for reference and low-carbon cement CEMIII-C. Mechanical strength and Young’s modulus were assessed at 28 days, and cracking under compression was followed by acoustic emission technique. Results show that oyster shell aggregates slightly reduce concrete's mechanical resistance but significantly decrease its Young’s modulus. However, cracking behavior under compression remains similar during compression loading.