Osman Gencel

Bartin University · Civil Engineering Department

The study investigated the effect of two different cement types and expanded vermiculite powder (EVP) utilized as fine aggregate on the insulating and fire-resistance performance of lightweight mortars. To lower the density and heat conductivity of mortars, EVP was utilized as a 'full' replacement for river sand. Cements used were calcium aluminate...

As an alternative to ordinary Portland cement (OPC), alkali-activated materials (AAMs) have more recently been studied and found to have certain suitability in reducing ecological footprint of OPC binding systems. Nonetheless, due to recent concerns over the availability of certain precursors used AAMs (such as the reduction of coal fly ash availab...

Significant research investigations on the characteristics of unexplored clay deposits are being conducted in light of the growing need for clay in the ceramic industry and the variable chemistry of clays. Parallel to this, the generation of waste materials like fly ash, ferrochrome slag, and silica fume is also increasing, responsible for environm...

In this study, polymer/glass fiber fabric-based nanocomposite plates were fabricated with 0.01%-0.1% single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and filler materials (barite, magnetite, and colemanite) using a hand layup process. Mechanical properties (e.g., tensile strength, flexural strength, and Charpy impact strength), thermal conductivity, and rad...

As is well-known, polymer concrete is manufactured by mixing a thermosetting resin, such as polyester, and mineral aggregates, such as silica sand and marble. Such concrete presents low levels of ductility, and its load-bearing applications are limited, which suggests using reinforcement materials as fibers for improvement. However, it is not commo...

Waste marble is a byproduct that is produced as a result of cutting and reshaping marble stone that is commonly used in the construction sector. From a sustainability perspective, waste marble can be a potential alternative to limestone sand with slightly reduced ecological footprint which is aligned with novel concepts, such as circularity of cons...

Replacing natural aggregate with recycled plastic has been a strategy to reduce pollution associated with conventional concrete production and disposal of plastic materials. Due to the possibility of structures subject to acid attacks, it is of value to check the resistance of concrete against these attacks. The present study evaluates the behavior...

The energy utilization for artificial lighting, cooling, heating, and air conditioning in buildings results in the release of greenhouse gases and causes climate crises. In this regard, a novel light-transmitting cementitious composite (LTCC) was developed by substituting microencapsulated phase change material (MPCM) to reduce the building energy...

Recent trends in reducing the ecological footprint of the construction industry have increased the attention surrounding the use of alternative binding systems. Among the most promising are geopolymer binders, which were found to have the capability to substantially reduce the environmental impact of Portland cement use. However, even the use of th...

3D printing of concrete is commonly viewed as a promising way to manufacture novel structural sections with numerous benefits. This process, however, relies upon a specific set of timely parameters that can have significant impact on the long-term performance and durability of the printed sections, especially since they are potentially expected to...

Ecologically friendly composites have been made on the basis of wood sawdust and sillylated styrene as the binder. That binder acts simultaneously as a reinforcing agent. The surface structures were studied by a scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis. The bending strength increases with the increase in temperature fr...

Phase change materials (PCM) used in the development of building materials with thermal energy storage (TES) capacity can minimize temperature fluctuations by reducing the heating and cooling load in building envelopes due to their energy storage/release properties. The present study aims to produce, characterize and measure energy performance unde...

The cooperation between phase change materials (PCMs) and geopolymer (GP) is energy-efficient way for improving the thermal performance of construction materials. This study discusses the effect of PCM combination with GP matrix on obtained concretes' mechanical and thermal properties. Attapulgite/lauric-capric acid eutectic mixture (ATP/LCEM) comp...

Owing to the low tensile properties of concrete, the use of internal fibers received significant attention in concrete production. In recent years, using renewable and eco-friendly natural fibers has become a viable alternative to synthetic fibers. Toward this direction, the behavior of natural fiber-reinforced geopolymers containing industrial by-...

Thermal energy storage (TES) through the use of construction materials incorporating phase change materials (PCMs) can prevent temperature fluctuations and allow energy saving in buildings. With this background, aim of this work is to develop new kind eco-friendly foam concrete (FC) containing lauryl alcohol (LA)-impregnated rice husk ash (RHA) com...

This pioneering study focuses on the production, testing, and comparative assessment of iron-rich metallurgical wastes, including copper slag (CS), rolling mill scale (RMS), and ferrous-metal grinding dust (FGD), incorporated fired clay bricks. For this purpose, the fired clay bricks incorporating CS, FGD, and RMS are prepared considering three dif...

Recycling construction waste wood to produce magnesium oxychloride cement board (MOCB) is an eco-friendly and high-value strategy. The effects of extrusion force, admixtures, wood fiber content and size on the physical and mechanical properties of MOCB were systematically investigated in this study. The results show that an appropriate increase in...

In this study, the mechanical properties of an eco-friendly hemihydrate phosphogypsum-based composite (HPGC) added with basalt, glass, and PVA fibers upon exposure to high temperatures (250°C, 450°C, 650°C, and 850°C) were investigated. The fibers content (0%-1.35 vol.%) did not have a significant effect on compressive strength at ambient temperatu...

To follow resource conservation, the production of optimized and sustainable structures through the use of insulating materials such as foam concrete has become a trend in construction industry. Although foam concrete has numerous benefits, the larger use of Portland cement in its mixture and its relatively low thermo-durability properties because...

Phosphogypsum (PG) is an industrial waste from fertilizer production which causes environmental problems. Hemihydrate phosphogypsum (HPG) can be derived from dehydration of PG by low temperature calcination (about 180 °C). The low mechanical strength and poor water resistance of HPG restrict its application as building material. In view of this, va...

This study evaluates the luminescence performance of fired clay bricks coated with SrAl2O4:Eu/Dy phosphor. To do so, SrAl2O4:Eu/Dy phosphor was first produced using the traditional solid-state reaction synthesis technique. The prepared phosphor was then used for coating fired clay bricks to analyze the luminescence performance, decay characteristic...

It is well-known that polymer resins are products with a limited shelf life and must be sold quickly. Nevertheless, some of them are not sold on time, and are thus held in stock for long periods, which diminishes their properties. Monomers within the polyester resin gradually evaporate, resulting in a reduction in the expected properties. Thus, res...

As it is known, production of polymer concrete contemplates polymer resins as main component, for example polyester or epoxy; as well as mineral aggregates, including silica sand and marble. However, it is not common to add polymer fibers, because these sometimes decrease the mechanical properties. Thus, they need some physical or chemical modifica...

To improve the tensile capacity and control crack width, engineered cementitious composites (ECC) are considered as a promising strategy for structural reinforcement. However, the shrinkage deformation of ECC threatens the structural integrity and durability of the concrete structure. In this study, a novel ECC with low shrinkage and high ductility...

The key role of the building and construction sector, in terms of sustainability and decarbonization, has led building codes to tighten mandatory requirements related to buildings energy performance. Envelope quality, beyond light efficiency or the renewable energy contribution, is a key factor since the highest percentage of energy consumption is...

Due to the increased population in the urbanized areas, considerable attention is being paid on the development of energy-efficient buildings. In construction, the use of insulating foams has grabbed considerable attention in recent decades due to their porous structure that can reduce thermo-acoustic conductivity leading to higher energy efficienc...

Deeply understanding the synergistic effect and mechanism of different kinds of ionic complexing agents in cement-based materials is necessary. This paper aimed at investigating the synergistic effect of glycine and triethanolamine (TEA) on the mechanical properties, permeability and microstructure of mortars, and the synergistic mechanisms behind...

A comprehensive study involving the fabrication and characterization of gypsum plasterboards combined with microencapsulated phase change material (mPCM) is introduced to evaluate their benefits regarding thermoregulation management and energy saving performance in buildings. For this purpose, the produced new type of gypsum plasterboard was subjec...

Myristic acid (MA), Lauric Acid (LA) and Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) are promising organic Phase Change Materials (PCMs) for Thermal Energy Storage (TES). However, low thermal conductivity (TC) negatively affects their heat transfer efficiency during the heat storage/release periods in TES systems. In this regard, hexagonal Boron Nitride (h-BN) was c...

Thermal energy storage (TES) materials present very crucial role for heating and cooling load of building envelopes. This investigation focused on manufacturing of novel TES materials as a lightweight concrete by integration of microencapsulated PCM (MPCM) with foam concrete (FC) to improve thermal mass of buildings. Novel hybrid building material...

In construction industry, phase change materials (PCMs), have recently been studied and found effective in increasing energy efficiency of buildings through their high capacity to store thermal energy. In this study, a combination of Capric (CA)-Palmitic acid (PA) with optimum mass ratio of 85–15% is used and impregnated with recycled concrete powd...

In this study, influences of waste marble powder (WMP) and rice husk ash (RHA) partially replaced instead of fine aggregate and cement into foam concrete (FC) on compressive and flexural strength, porosity, and thermal conductivity coefficient were investigated using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) methods. T...

With the development of new cement-based raw materials, foaming agents and fillers used for special applications of foam concrete, the use of foam concretes has become widespread. Foam concrete is a type of concrete that stands out with its lightness, waste potential, controlled low strength, thermal insulation, acoustics performance, and durabilit...

Stearyl alcohol (SA) as one of organic phase change materials (PCMs) has promising thermal energy storage prospective. However, the leakage issue during solid-liquid phase change period and low heat harvesting and releasing rate significantly attenuates its TES potential. Towards to overcome these drawbacks, the SA was shape-stabilized using the cr...

As a typical cellular lightweight material, foam concrete is produced by mixing cement, water, aggregate and a suitable foaming agent and has a density usually below 1600 kg/m3. The large number of air spaces present in foam concrete ensures that the concrete has advantages such as lightweight, high fluidity during pouring, excellent thermal and so...

Recent advances in the development of high‐performance insulating composite materials have created a new trend in the construction industry for the production of optimized lightweight structural sections. Although such sections are often found to have enhanced strength‐to‐weight ratio, their lower fracture resistance and toughness are commonly know...

Within the scope of the present study, the marble cutting waste, which is an industrial waste of different sizes (< 75 µm and < 150 µm), was incorporated into the clay structure at various rates and a total of 36 series bricks were produced. The brick mixtures were prepared by the semi-dry molding method and the brick specimens were sintered for th...

The brittleness of concrete can be overcome by fiber reinforcement that controls the crack mechanisms of concrete. Corrosion-related durability issues can be prevented by synthetic fibers (SFs), while macro synthetic fibers have proven to be particularly effective to provide ductility and toughness after cracks. This experimental study has been per...

The experimental study investigates the feasibility of using two extensively waste (wastewater treatment sludge and oak wood ash) as raw materials in the manufacture of clay-free bricks. The wastes were characterized by particle-size distribution, chemical composition (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis, and scanning electron microscop...

Foam concrete refers to a type of low-density concrete that is commonly known to have favorable insulation and thermal performance due to its intentionally increased porosity. However, foam concrete is known to generally have a very low physico-mechanical and durability performance mainly due to its high porosity and the connectivity of the pores t...

Thermal energy storage (TES) by means of phase change materials (PCM) is of great concern to decrease heating and cooling loads. In building envelopes, one of the most efficient TES methods is integration of PCMs with construction materials for preventing temperature fluctuations by taking advantage of energy storage/release feature of PCMs. Aim of...

Geopolymer binders can be used as a sustainable alternative to Portland cement. Despite the extensive research regarding the influence of different parameters on the properties of geopolymers, the studies investigating the effect of Fe2O3 and MgO on the performance of geopolymer concrete are minimal. This study investigates the impact of micro Fe2O...

On islands far away from the mainland, the raw materials for concrete production are often more difficult to obtain. Converting the coral waste generated during the island construction process into a marine binder is an eco-friendly strategy. This research explores the multi-scale characteristics of cement paste mixed with coral powder (CP) from th...

This research purposes to develop fired bricks with good physical–mechanical properties by mixing water treatment sludge (WTS) and MSWI bottom ash (BA). BA was incorporated into the WTS at the dosages of 10–40 wt%, and specimens were fired at 900–1100 °C temperatures. The apparent porosity, water absorption, bulk density, compressive strength, ther...

Nanomaterials have distinctive characteristics that may significantly change the properties and performance of the matrix material into which they are incorporated, even if they are used at low rates. Considering beneficial sides, the nanomaterials also have the potential to be evaluated in building materials. The effect of nanofiber additive as a...

In this study, low-cost and eco-friendly AC obtained from waste apricot kernel shells (ACAS) was utilized to simultaneously solve the inherited drawbacks and enhance thermal conductivity of (Capric-Myristic acid (CA-MA), Lauryl alcohol (LAOH), n-Octadecane (OD) and Polyethylene glycol (PEG)) as different type organic PCMs. The ACAS/PCM composites h...

Foam concrete refers to a type of concrete with high porosity that can be produced with or without aggregate. Foam concrete has generally superior thermal insulation properties compared to conventional concrete. Despite its major thermal benefits, the high content of Portland cement, as well as its very high porosity, makes foam concrete prone to d...

Thermal conductive shape-stabilized composite phase change materials (PCMs) were produced using polyacrylic acid (PAA), dodecanol (DDA) and carbon nanofiber (CNF) by solution blending route. In the composites, DDA was used as the material with latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) capability and PAA was introduced as the main supporter and sha...

The reuse of construction and demolition wastes for producing recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) is an effective way to improve building materials sustainability and reduce the environment burden. In this study, the synergistic effect of steel slag powder (SSP) and waste glass powder (GP) on the compressive strength, microstructure and nanoscale cha...

The present investigation aims to develop a potential composite phase change material (PCM) with leak-resistive and high thermal conductivity. Sugar beet pulp (CSBP) as an industrial waste was carbonized to produce a porous framework and used for solving leakage issue and boosting thermal conductivity of capric-stearic acid eutectic mixture (CSEM)...

For lightweight chemical foaming mixtures, it is a technical challenge to control the stability while reducing its density. In this study, cenospheres (CP, a lightweight component) was used to replace part of fly ash (FA) to prepare ultra-lightweight foamed geopolymer concrete (UFGC), and the relationship between the fresh properties of the paste a...

Fly ash wastes (silica, aluminum and iron-rich materials) could be smartly valorized by their incorporation in concrete formulation, partly replacing the cement. The necessary binding properties can be accomplished by a simple procedure: an alkali activation process, involving partial hydrolysis, followed by gel formation and polycondensation. The...

Solar thermal energy efficiency of cementitious mortar is enhanced by introducing a phase change material (PCM) with thermal energy harvesting/releasing ability. Within this framework, a new type of cement based-thermal energy storage mortar (CBTESM) was developed by substituting blast furnace slag (BFS)/capric acid (CA) shape-stabilized PCM (SSPCM...

Novel cement based mortars containing bottom ash (BA) and phase change material (PCM) as thermal energy storing material were developed for thermal controlling of buildings. Form-stable BA/Capric-Stearic (C-S) acid eutectic mixture composite was produced at an impregnation rate of 30 wt% C-S. Melting temperature and latent heat capacity of form-sta...

Polymer Concrete (PC) has been widely used in reinforced concrete structures over the past few decades. Despite that, few studies have performed on its mechanical behavior. The present work investigates the PC mechanical behavior. Polymer concrete mixes were prepared and tested with three different polymer content (10%, 15% and 20%) and two filler...

In the present study, the suitability of using water treatment sludge (WTS) as the main raw material and expanded vermiculite (EV) as aggregate in the production of fired bricks was investigated. Mixtures containing between 75–100% WTS by weight (wt.) and 5–25% EV by wt. were prepared at various proportions. The mixtures were compressed under 40 MP...

In the present study, raw silica fume (RSF) was evaluated as carrier matrix to create PEG-included form-stable latent heat storage materials (FS-LHSMs), and carbon nanofiber (CNF), carbon nanotube (CNT) and graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) were used for enhancing thermal conductivity of the developed FS-LHSMs. The obtained novel RSF/PEG, RSF/PEG/CNF, RS...

Polymers are well known as easily flammable. On the other hand, the use of polymers – as such and also as constituents of composites and coatings – is growing rapidly. We discuss polymers and polymer-based materials from the point of view of flammability. We also note more briefly the effects of fires on humans. Some measures towards limiting that...

Recently, foam concrete (FC) has been widely considered due to higher workability, lightweight, lower cost, thermal and fire resistance relatively to conventional concrete. This study intends to measure the properties of FC incorporating bottom ash (BA) as fine aggregates (FA) and polypropylene fibers (PPF). A total of 18 concrete mixes were produc...

Phase change materials (PCMs) have been widely studied to decrease energy consumption and dependency on fossil fuels that causes environmental concerns, and improve building energy efficiency. In this regard, this study aimed to fabricate structural cement based mortar with indoor thermo-regulation function utilizing form stable PCM (FSPCM). FSPCM...

Method of externally bonded reinforcement (EBR) is one of the most prominent systems for retrofitting reinforced concrete (RC) beams containing fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP). Many studies conducted in this field confirm the fact that the majority of the beams strengthened in this way experience failure due to the sudden detachment of FRP sheets f...

This paper presents an experimental study of the effects of cement dosage and waste tire rubber as aggregate on the mechanical, transport and abrasion characteristics of foam concretes subjected to H2SO4 and freeze–thaw cycles. Foam concrete mixtures were made with two percentages 0, and 20 of silica fume (SF) as partial substitution of Portland ce...

The results of the impact of cement type and expanded vermiculite powder (EVP) on the thermal, mechanical characteristics and durability of lightweight mortars at high temperature and RSM modelling are presented in the paper. The lightweight mortars were fabricated by replacing fine aggregate with EVP in certain proportions. In the production of th...

In recent years, people are exposed to radiation depending on the technology developed which may cause serious incurable health problems. To protect from radiation exposure, various radiation shielding materials are used in different areas. In this study, zinc extraction residue (ZER), which is released during zinc production containing various hea...

This study was performed to the evaluation of waste micro cellulosic fiber (CF) as a pore-making material in fired clay brick. The waste CF at the loading ratio of 2.5 – 15 wt% was used in the clay bricks. Cylindrical-shaped samples were prepared and the firing process was performed at 950 °C for two hours. The characterization of the bricks was do...

The paper and pulp industry (PPI) is permanently searching for new ways of managing its residues due to the increasing pressure of new environmental concerns and policies adopted worldwide. In addition, the manufacturing of construction materials such as fired clay bricks (FCBs) is also facing the transformation of its traditional market, which is...

Solid-liquid phase change materials (PCMs) have been preferred for solar passive thermal energy storage (TES) applications. However, low thermal conductivity and leakage issue of molten PCMs considerably restrain their TES potential. In this framework, n-Heptadecane (HD) as a solid-liquid PCM was incorporated with carbonized lemon peel (CLP) for de...

In this study, the self-cleaning and photocatalytic properties of clay bricks fired under various temperatures under visible light were addressed. Within this framework, the photocatalytic performance together with adsorbance properties of clay bricks fired at 900 °C, 1000 °C, and 1100 °C were evaluated by means of a UV–vis spectrophotometer. It re...

This study investigated the hybrid effects of micro-steel (MS) and basalt fibers (BF) on the physico- mechanical properties and durability of mortars with and without silica fume (SF). Three groups of mixtures containing SF contents of 0%, 10% and 20% as cement replacement were produced with the inclusion of 0.25%, 0.5 and 0.75% steel fibers and 0....

Due to the production of industrial slags in massive amounts, there is a high demand for recycling these slags and avoiding their dumping in landfills. This article aims to recycle industrial slags in brick manufacturing and investigates the performance of fired clay bricks incorporating different kinds of industrial slags such as granulated blast...

The global generation of millions of tonnes of water treatment sludge (WTS) per day is triggering waste management problems and the up-cycling of WTS in masonry bricks is an eco-friendly solution. Effect of different dosages of WTS on the performance of clay bricks has been studied by researchers. Scant work is available regarding the performance o...

The focus of this study is to investigate the effect of using coarse recycled concrete aggregates (RCAs) as an alternative material to natural coarse aggregate on the fresh, mechanical and durability behavior of concrete reinforced with steel fiber. Eighteen unique concrete mixes with RCA content of 0%, 50%, and 100% and steel fiber content of 0%,...

This study implemented an experimental program to evaluate performance of high strength mortars with basalt fibers (BF) and silica fume (SF) at ambient and elevated temperatures. The effects of ambient and elevated temperatures and curing regimes on the physical, mechanical and durability properties of BF reinforced SF blended mortars were investig...

This study presents investigation on microstructural, mechanical, durability and thermal characteristics of hemp fibers (HFs) reinforced foam concrete with fly ash (FA) and Taguchi optimization approach. Three series of foam concretes mixtures were produced with foam contents of 50, 75 and 100 kg/m³. There is a reference mixture without HFs and FA....

In this review, steel slag usage in the cement and concrete industry and its environmental effects were examined. Also, its physical and chemical structure, its effect on the characteristics of concrete, and its applications in different usage areas were specified. Within the scope of the study, literature was examined by reviewing investigations o...

Novel environment-friendly structural components having high thermal insulation performance were proposed, and their effect on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions was investigated in different climate regions for various fuels. The amount of CO2 and SO2 emissions of the fuels were calculated. The results show that the proposed component provi...

An experimental program was performed to evaluate the impact of rice husk ash (RHA) as cement replacement and waste marble powder (WMP) as sand replacement on the microstructural, mechanical and transport properties of foamed concrete exposed to high temperature and freeze–thaw cycles. For this, Portland Cement (PC) was replaced by RHA at 10% and 2...

The aim of this paper is to study and optimize the thermal performance of new lightweight and insulating composite blocks (CBlocks). These CBlocks are made up of a central expanded polystyrene (EPS) layer and two lightweight concrete layers with cavities. The aggregate of the lightweight concrete is pumice. A complete corner wall composed of six co...

Novel bricks have been produced by firing mixes of water treatment sludge (WTS) and fired clay brick waste (BW). The capitalization of sludge in the construction industry is the most economically sound option. In this study, a series of different proportioning ratios of water treatment sludge and fired clay brick waste were studied. The WTS rations...

Due to rapid population growth and industrialization, the generation of different industrial and agricultural wastes has surged in the past few decades. In this study, burnt clay bricks are prepared to investigate the synergistic and individual effect of glass sludge (GS), marble sludge (MS), and rice husk (RH) on the physical, mechanical, durabili...