Lightweight concrete (LWC) is a versatile material for construction,
which offers a range of technical, economical and environmental
enhancing advantages and is destined to become a
dominant material for construction in the new millennium [1,2];
however, its first known application dates back over 2000 years
[3]. In fact, there are several lightweight concrete structures in
the Mediterranean region which built during the early Roman
Empire; the most famous of them are the Port of Cosa, the
Pantheon Dome, and the Coliseum [3].
Lightweight concrete can be produced by introducing: (i)
gassing agents such as aluminum powder or foaming agents, (ii)
lightweight mineral aggregate such as perlite, vermiculite, pumice,
expanded shale, slate, and clay, or (iii) plastic granules as aggregate,
e.g. expanded polystyrene foam, polyurethane or other polymer
materials [4]. Unlike the constrained resources of mineral
lightweight aggregates, expanded polystyrene aggregates are commercially
available worldwide [5,6], so polystyrene concrete can be
taken into account as a considerable lightweight aggregate
concrete