Economical and eco-friendly masonry mortar containing waste concrete powder as a supplementary cementitious material

Abstract

Research on the feasibility of using waste concrete powder (WCP) as a replacement for cement in mortar production is available in the literature. However, the WCP-mortar related studies are centered on the material characterization and the performance of the mortars. For sustainability purposes, the mortars should provide the required strength as well as the economic and environmental benefits. Hence, the aim of this study is to evaluate the properties of cement masonry mortar containing WCP, along with their economic and environmental advantages. In the experimental study, mortars were prepared by replacing ordinary Portland cement (OPC) with WCP in various fractions of 0%, 15%, 30%, 40%, 60%, 75%, and 100% by mass. The influence of WCP on the fresh and hardened properties of the mortars was examined. It was found that the strengths of the masonry mortars were reduced significantly as the quantity of WCP increased, yet mortar mixtures containing 40–75% WCP met the strength criteria for masonry mortar. Also, using WCP resulted in tremendous reductions in the cost and environmental factors of the mortars. In conclusion, the mortars provided the specified strength requirement for masonry work as well as economic and environmental gains, making them sustainable.