Partial replacement of cement with induction furnace dust for enhancing concrete properties with and without Aspergillus niger fungus: a green building approach

Induction furnace dust (IFD) is a waste product of the alloy-making process whose disposal by landfill process becomes unsafe due to the presence of heavy metals in high concentrations. It further reduces the fertility of soil and pollutes the air making it harmful for human health. However, efforts can be made to utilize this dust in construction material as it has the same oxides (silica, aluminium oxide, and magnesium oxide) as found in cement, bricks, fine aggregates, coarse aggregates, etc. This study is aimed at the utilization of pre-treated induction furnace dust with Aspergillus niger fungus to replace cement for the construction of concrete structures through Taguchi design of experiments (DOE). The purpose of Aspergillus niger fungus is to reduce the heavy metal concentration from IFD to prevent the surroundings from getting toxic. The optimization of operating parameters such as dust replacement (5%, 10%, and 15%), curing days (7, 14, and 28 days), and cell count of fungus (10 4 , 10 6 , and 10 8 CFU/ml of distilled water) is done using Multi-objective Genetic Algorithm (G.A.) for effective compressive strength and water absorption capacity of cubes. The best results have been found in the case of IFD treated with Aspergillus niger fungus having dust replacement, curing time, and cell count of 14.96%, 28 days, and 9.22 × 10 7 CFU/ml of distilled water respectively for concrete production.