Stabilised Ceramic Dust as Potential Sustainable Construction Components

Abstract

Ceramic is mainly being used as raw material in the production of building finishes. The production processes of this material generated a great amount of waste and by-product in the form of dust, broken tiles and sludge which will lead to environment pollution. The aim of this study is to investigate the potential utilisation of ceramic dust as alternative raw material in the production of sustainable construction components. Target materials of ceramic dust (CD) and laterite clay (LC) on its own or combination of both were stabilised with Portland cement (PC) and hydrated lime (HL) on its own or combination with ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) by-product from steel industry. A blended binder of GGBS and waste paper sludge ash (WPSA) was also used to develop 100% sustainable stabiliser to stabilise the target materials. Compacted cylindrical specimens of 50 mm Ø and 100 mm height were fabricated at 20% dosage of binders concentration and moist cured for 7, 28, and 60 days before tested for compressive strength and water absorption. The results obtained show that stabilised CD with partial substitution of HL and PC with GGBS as stabilisers gave higher compressive strength and has potential to be used in the production of sustainable construction components. This suggests a solution towards a greener future and sustainable use of environmental friendly construction components.