Enhancing sulphate and sulphuric acid resistance of low-carbon concrete using waste ceramic tiles and silica nanoparticles synthesized from recycled bottle glass

• Investigated high volume WTCP incorporated WBGNPs as replacement of OPC. • WTCP content strongly influenced the mechanical and durability properties of concrete. • Enhance concrete durability to acid and sulphate attacks with increased WTCP and WBGNPs content. • Ability to produce sustainable concrete by incorporating WTCP, and WBGNPs. Concrete has low performance in sulfuric acid environment because of its alkaline nature and shown very high degree of deterioration after exposure period. In recent years, the development of long-lasting cement binders has become a key priority in the construction industry. This study involved to develop high resistance concrete to sulphuric acid attacks utilizing industrial wastes such as tile ceramic and bottle glass. Concrete specimens were prepared with fully crushed ceramic as natural aggregate replacement, the ordinary Portland cement (OPC) was replaced with 60% of wastes tile ceramic powder (WTCPs) incorporating varying level (2%, 4%, 6%, 8% and 10%) of silica nanoparticles from wastes bottle glass. The performance of the designed concrete was assessed after 6 and 12 months of exposure to a 10% suphuric acid and sulphate solutions using several tests, including residual compressive strength, weight loss, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), visual inspection, and microstructural analysis. The experimental findings revealed a notable enhancement in the durability of the proposed concrete against sulphuric acid and sulphate attacks when 60% of OPC was replaced with WTCPs combined with 4–6% waste bottle glass nanoparticles (WBGNPs). After 12 months of exposure to sulfuric acid, incorporating WTCPs and WBGNP into the cement matrix significantly reduced strength, weight, and UPV losses from 74.3%, 15.4%, and 66.9% to 37.9%, 8.1%, and 34%, respectively. A similar trend was observed under sulphate attack, where losses decreased from 15.1%, 3.3%, and 31.5% to 1.4%, 1.7%, and 7.3%. The substitution of cement with WTCPs and WBGNPs enhances concrete durability by refining pore structure and lowering permeability. The pozzolanic reaction between aluminosilicate and calcium hydroxide generates additional calcium silicate hydrate (C–S–H) gel, which densifies the matrix, limits microcrack formation, and strengthens resistance to chemical ingress. Consequently, this process effectively controls the excessive formation of gypsum and ettringite, reducing deterioration, extending service life, and improving overall performance in aggressive environments. Its concluded that using high volume of WTCPs incorporating silica nanoparticles leads to produce high performance concrete to aggressive environments with many environmental benefits such as minimize the demand of natural resources, reduce the landfill problems and contribute to control the carbon dioxide emission by reduce the used cement in construction industry.