Recycling waste wood in cement mortars towards the regeneration of sustainable environment

Abstract

Significances of reducing the climate change through the mitigation of global warming potentials are implicitly affiliated with the energy consumption, carbon dioxide emissions, and associated environmental hazards. In the light of reducing these adverse effects on environmental sustainability, waste wood materials are partially substitute in cement mortars as a greener alternative to the existing disposal routes. The paper comprehensively investigates the utilisation of waste wood materials in the forms of wood powders and wood fibres in cement mortars to re-generate the waste wood into value added construction materials. Although the optimum cases often appear to be attained when wood powders are used as sand replacement, it is emphasized in the paper that the reduction in strength and the accompanying physical properties are still sufficient for the structural use of such materials in civil engineering practice. It is eminently demonstrated in the paper that the utilisaiton of waste wood materials both in the form of wood powders and wood fibres provides a greener alternative for the waste recycling of industrial debris with respect to the existing waste management options, as well as saves natural resources and the CO2 emissions required to produce the raw materials for the manufacture of these mortars.