Study on the Performance Optimization of Plant-Growing Ecological Concrete

Abstract

The response surface regression model of plant-growing ecological concrete is established based on the factors of the water–binder ratio, fly ash content, and design porosity, with 28-day compressive strength, connectivity porosity, and pH value as response variables. Based on optimizing the mix proportion with the regression model, different dosages of acetic acid are used as excitation agents to increase the compressive strength and reduce the alkalinity of plant-growing ecological concrete to enhance its service life and vegetation performance. The results show that the compressive strength of plant-growing ecological concrete with a water–binder ratio of 0.3, a fly ash content of 26%, and a design porosity of 22% was 10.32 MPa, the connectivity porosity was 20.00%, and the pH value was 11. After the addition of acetic acid at 0.4% of the mass of the cementitious material, the compressive strength increased by 40.29%, and the pH value decreased by 6.33%. This study proposes a cost-effective means and provides data support for the engineering application of plant-growing ecological concrete.