Use of Wood Waste as Aggregate in Mortars: An Experimental Study

Abstract

The construction sector is one of the largest and most active in the world economy, being responsible for consumption of huge amounts of natural resources. Natural sand and gravel are the most important resources in construction, they are mainly used as aggregates, and its extraction often causes environmental damages. Bearing these considerations in mind, the wood waste has been used as partial replacement of natural sand in concrete and mortars to reduce the environmental burden of natural sand extraction. The aim of this paper is to characterize the physical and mechanical properties of natural hydraulic lime-based mortars proportioned with different percentages of wood wastes (0% to 30%) as replacement of natural sand. Thus, several specimens of mortar proportioned with wood wastes have been subjected to different experimental procedures, such as: workability, mechanical strength, water absorption and thermal conductivity. Results obtained showed that the incorporation of wood waste causes a reduction of mechanical resistance mostly due to the increase in open porosity, but on the other hand the thermal conductivity presents an improvement up to 83%. The results obtained are quite acceptable and encouraging for the follow-up studies using wood wastes as fine aggregate in mortars and, simultaneously, to improve the energy efficiency of buildings since this waste material contributes to obtain mortars with improved thermal performance.