Production Of Cement Mortar Research Articles

The Use of Waste Synthetic Hair Fibre in Cement Mortar

Cement mortar has low tensile strength and fracture strain; therefore, fibres are used to reinforce cement mortar. Synthetic hair is one of the most neglected of all the residual wastes that cause environmental problems in many developing countries. Therefore, this study used waste synthetic hair fibre in cement mortar production as a way to reduce the environmental effect generated by waste, and also to enhance the strength of the mortar for construction application. The study aimed to investigate the properties of cement mortar reinforced with waste synthetic hair fibres. 0, 2.5, 5, and 7.5% of synthetic hair fibre were used as a replacement for cement by weight in mortar. 100 × 100 × 100 mm cube, and 100mm diameter and 200mm length cylinder specimens were prepared, cured, and tested at ages 7, 14, and 28 days for tensile and compressive strengths, density, and water absorption. The highest compressive strength for the synthetic waste hair fibre reinforced mortar was 8.57N/mm2 as compared to 10.84N/mm2 achieved for the control at 28 days of curing. The synthetic waste hair fibre reinforced mortar achieved the highest tensile strength of 1.80N/mm2 as compared to 1.67N/mm2 achieved by the control at 28 days of curing, representing an increase of about 11% in tensile strength of the synthetic hair fibre reinforced mortar over the control. The highest density for the synthetic hair fibre reinforced mortar was 2114 kg/m3 as compared to the control of 2144 kg/m3. The lowest water absorption for the synthetic hair fibre reinforced mortar was 2.48% as compared to the control of 2.04%, respectively. It is concluded that the properties of cement mortar reinforced with waste synthetic hair fibres are acceptable for construction application and recommended that practitioners use 2.5% waste synthetic hair as a partial replacement for cement in producing mortar.

The Application of Converter Sludge and Slag to Produce Ecological Cement Mortars.

The paper presents an analysis of the effective use of a mixture of steel sludge (S1) and slag (S2) from the converter process of steel production for the production of cement mortars. Metallurgical waste used in the research, which is currently deposited in waste landfills and heaps near plants, posing a threat to groundwater (possibility of leaching metal ions present in the waste), was used as a substitute for natural sand in the range of 0-20% by weight of cement (each). The obtained test results and their numerical analysis made it possible to determine the conditions for replacing part of the sand in cement mortars with a mixture of sludge and slag from a basic oxygen furnace (BOF) and to determine the effects of such modification. For the numerical analysis, a full quadratic Response Surface Model (RSM) was utilized for two controlled factors. This model was subsequently optimized through backward stepwise regression, ensuring the inclusion of only statistically significant components and verifying the consistency of residual distribution with the normal distribution (tested via Ryan-Joiner's test, p > 0.1). The designated material models are helpful in designing ecological cement mortars using difficult-to-recycle waste (i.e., sludge and converter slag), which is important for a circular economy. Mortars modified with a mixture of metallurgical waste (up to 20% each) are characterized by a slightly lower consistency, compressive and flexural strength, and water absorption. However, they show a lower decrease in mechanical strength after the freezing-thawing process (frost resistance) compared to control mortars. Mortars modified with metallurgical waste do not have a negative impact on the environment in terms of leaching heavy metal ions. The use of a mixture of sludge and steel slag in the amount of 40% (slag/sludge in a 20/20 ratio) allows you to save 200 kg of sand when producing 1 m3 of cement mortar (cost reduction by approx. EUR 5.1/Mg) and will also reduce the costs of the environmental fee for depositing waste.

Sustainable cement mortar production using rice husk and eggshell powder: a study of strength, electrical resistivity, and microstructure

In order to preserve the natural fine aggregates and proper waste resources recycling, rice husk and eggshell powders were used as filler materials in production of standard M30 grade mortar. Natural fine aggregate was replaced with rice husk powder (RHP) at 3%, 5%, 7%, 10%, 12%, and 15%, and with eggshell powder (EP) at 3%, 5%, and 7%, both at a constant water-to-cement ratio of 0.40. Compressive strength, split tensile strength, water absorption, pore distribution, and electrical resistivity of the mortar samples were investigated. Also, XRD, SEM, and EDS were performed to observe the samples’ chemical phases and microstructure. The results show that up to 15% RHP reduced the compressive strength by 20–35%, whereas the up to 7% EP obtained a similar (varies by 0–5%) result compared to the control sample at 28 days. Furthermore, the results suggest that sand replacement with RHP and EP had no impact on the water absorption and pore volume of mortars. Also, the samples made with up to 15% RHP and 7% EP improved the resistivity by up to 80% and 15%, respectively, providing better resistance to chloride ion migration. Based on the results, it is recommended to use the RHP and EP up to a level of 5% and 7%, respectively, in sustainable M30 grade mortar production.

Sustainable utilization of phosphate mine waste rocks as sand substitutes in cement mortar production

The extraction and processing of phosphate ores from sedimentary deposits generates large quantities of mine waste rocks, raising environmental concerns and contributing to landscape disfiguration. This study proposes an eco-friendly approach by exploring the extraction of sand from phosphate waste rocks (PWR) to mitigate the environmental impact associated with the disposal of mine wastes. The investigation focuses on the feasibility of creating masonry cement mortar by incorporating sand obtained from PWR. Three types of sand, Flint (FS), dolomitic limestone (DLS), and phosphate flint (PFS), obtained from the intercalation layers of phosphate were tested as partial replacements for reference sand at varying rates (0 %, 25 %, 50 %, 75 %, and 100 %). The sands were sieved through a 4 mm sieve and characterized to assess their geotechnical, chemical, and mineralogical properties. The toxicity characteristic leaching test analysis was conducted to ensure the environmental safety of recycled sands. Consistent mortar formulations were prepared and cured under uniform conditions. Results showed that a 25 % replacement ratio for each sand type yielded the highest 28-day compressive strengths, exceeding 30.5 MPa. Moreover, the water absorption of mortars decreased from 10.65 % to 8.39 %, 7.29 %, and 5.97 % with the incorporation of 25 % of FS, PFS, and DLS, respectively. Furthermore, toxicity tests revealed that recycled sand met the specified limits for toxic elements Ag, Hg, As, Cd, Cr, Pb, and Zn, and affirmed that incorporating these wastes into MCM significantly reduced the leaching of these metal ions to levels below detection limits (DL=0.01 mg/L). This research contributes to sustainable construction practices by providing a viable solution to minimize mine waste and reduce the construction industry's reliance on natural resources, ultimately addressing both environmental and resource-related challenges.

Utilizing Recycled Sand from Excavation Wastes for Sustainable Cement Mortar Production

Utilizing Recycled Sand from Excavation Wastes for Sustainable Cement Mortar Production

Production of Cement mortars from glass powder and municipal incinerated bottom ash

The objective of this research is to find the optimal ratio of glass power (GP) and municipal incinerated bottom ash (MIBA) for producing environmentally friendly interlocking paving blocks. To achieve this, 15 different ratios of mortar samples, sized 5 × 5 × 5 cm, were produced using a 1:3 cement-to-aggregate ratio and a 0.5 water-to-cement ratio. GP was used to substitute cement at 0, 10, and 20% by weight, while MIBA was used to substitute aggregate at 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40% by volume. The samples were divided into two groups and cured with water for 28 and 90 days. Physical testing was performed on the mortar samples after curing. The results show that at 28 days of curing, BA10 and BA20 had compressive strengths of 42.28 and 40.92 MPa respectively, which is higher than the standard for interlocking concrete block (40 MPa) according to TIS 827-2531. At 90 days of curing, GP10BA10, BA10, GP10, GP10BA20, GP20, BA20, and BA30 had compressive strengths of 47.62, 43.63, 43.51, 43.48, 42.73, 42.40, and 40.40 MPa respectively, which also meets the TIS standards.

Influence of macadamia nutshell particles on the apparent density and mechanical behavior of cement-based mortars

The production of cement mortar has resulted in significant environmental issues. Many scientists have attempted to reduce environmental pollution by using agricultural waste as a substitute for mortar raw materials. This study creatively investigated the physical and mechanical properties of the new green cement mortar made from macadamia nutshell(MN), including compressive strength, flexural strength, and apparent density of 7d, 14d, and 28d. The effects of cement-sand ratio (c/s), nutshell particle size, and MN substitution rate on cement mortar's physical properties were studied using three-factor and three-level orthogonal test design methods. The digital image correlation (DIC) technique was used to analyze the crack development of macadamia nutshell cement mortar (MNM) at different loading stages. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the cement-sand ratio was the most significant factor affecting the strength of MNM. In addition, adding MN can increase the compressive strength of the mortar compared to the control group. The apparent density of the mortar decreases with the increase of MN addition.

Experimental Investigation of Mortar by Partial Replacement of P-Sand with Red Soil

An experimental investigation is carried out to study the behaviour of cement mortar using red soil partially replaced with p-sand (plastering sand). In this study, cement mortar of mix proportion 1:4 using red soil is partially replaced with p-sand as 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%. Compressive strength test, water absorption test, sorptivity test and acid immersion test are conducted to determine the properties of the cement mortar. The results show that the partial replacement of red soil with p-sand improves the compressive strength and reduces water absorption and sorptivity. Additionally, the acid immersion test revealed that the cement mortar with partial replacement of red soil with p-sand is more resistant to acidic conditions. This study provides insights into the potential use of p-sand as a partial replacement of red soil in cement mortar production, particularly for plastering purposes

Analysis of the Possibility of Using Cenospheres in the Production of Cement Mortars for Use in an Elevated Temperature Environment.

The topic of research included in this article was the evaluation of the influence of cenospheres on selected parameters of mortar cement. Samples were designed as CEM I 42.5 R Portland cement with the application of different additive amounts. In the experimental work, the consistency, compressive strength, and bending strength were tested after 28 and 56 days of maturation, and after heating temperatures of 20, 300, 500, and 700 °C. The compressive strength was tested on half beams (40 × 40 × 160 mm). Using the obtained results, the properties of the mortars were compared. The research confirmed the possibility of producing cenosphere-modified cement mortars. Cenospheres used in the preparation of cement mortar negatively affected the bending and compressive strength with increasing temperature (20, 300, 500, 700 °C) and increasing content of this additive (10, 20, 30%).

Development of Fibre-Reinforced Cementitious Mortar with Mineral Wool and Coconut Fibre.

Globally, as human population and industries grow, so does the creation of agricultural, industrial, and demolition waste. When these wastes are not properly recycled, reused, or disposed of, they pose a threat to the environment. The importance of this study lies in the beneficial use of coconut fibre and mineral wool in the form of fibres in cement mortar production. This study examines the use of coconut and mineral wool fibres in the production of fibre-reinforced mortar. Five different mortar mixtures were prepared, having one control mortar along with four fibre-reinforced mortars. The control mortar is denoted as CM while 1% and 1.5% of mineral wool are incorporated into this mortar mix and denoted as RMM-1.0 and RMM-1.5, respectively. Additionally, the mortar sample configurations contain 1% and 1.5% coconut fibers, designated as RCM-1.0 and RCM-1.5. These samples were subjected to different strength and durability tests to determine their suitability for use in mortar production. The testing findings show that mortar containing 1.5% mineral wool has better compared flexural strength and durability properties. The investigation results will form part of the database for the efficient utilization of natural and waste fibres in the construction and building sectors.

Utilization of Waste Clay Bricks and Waste Lightweight Concrete Blocks as Fine Aggregates for the Preparation of Mortar

Recently there has been major attention towards waste materials for converting them into useful materials. This study is aimed to investigate the possibility of utilizing waste clay bricks and waste lightweight concrete blocks as suitable materials for partial replacing of the fine aggregate in the production of cement mortar. In mortar mixes, waste clay bricks constitute 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% of fine aggregate. On the other hand, the second line (waste lightweight concrete blocks) has contained 10%, 20%, and 30% of the natural sand produced. Some mixes have contained the combination of two types of waste materials together (20% clay bricks with 10% lightweight concrete block, 10% clay bricks with 20% lightweight concrete block, and 15% clay bricks with 15% lightweight concrete block respectively). The effects of the wastes aggregate on flow and engineering properties (i.e., density, compressive strength, flexural strength, and water absorption) of mortar have been also investigated at 7, 28, and 360 days. The results have presented a reduction in the flow of mortar when using a waste aggregate and a significant increase in compressive and flexural strength when using waste clay bricks aggregate at different percent. Utilizing lightweight concrete blocks aggregate has a clear effect on mortar density.

Effect of Marble Waste Powder as a Binder Replacement on the Mechanical Resistance of Cement Mortars

The quarrying of marble and its processing to produce building materials often generates a negative impact on the environment. In the Apuan Alps marble district, a renowned quarrying area in Italy since ancient times, the aquatic pollution of water bodies, caused by the presence of marble waste in the form of powder or sludge, represents a significant and current environmental problem. Depending on the different national and international regulations on waste management, the marble waste can be classified as a special non-hazardous industrial waste. If marble waste has been managed according to environmental international and national laws, it can be reused as a by-product. For this, the present work aims to evaluate the reuse of marble waste as a material in replacement for cement for producing mortars. Subsequently, the mechanical and physical tests were carried out to evaluate the specific properties of the obtained materials during and after the curing time. The results showed that replacement of cement into mortars by marble waste always causes a decrease of mechanical properties, with still acceptable values for many applications up to a substitution of less than 25%. From the collected data, the use of marble waste in the production of cement mortars represents an adequate and sustainable destination of this by-product.

Investigation of Mechanochemically Treated Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Fly Ash as Replacement for Cement

Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash has been classified as hazardous waste in China because of the leachable toxic heavy metals and high concentrations of chlorides and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs). Currently, the main treatment method is still landfilling after chemical treatment or cement solidification, and an effective approach to realize fly ash utilization is still lacking. In the present work, the fly ash was firstly water-washed to remove the soluble chlorine salts, which can improve the performance of the produced cement mortar in later work. Mechanochemical pre-treatment was adopted to destroy the PCDD/Fs and improve the heavy metals’ stabilization. The results show that 75% of PCDD/Fs can be degraded and that most of the heavy metals are stabilized. After the mechanochemical pre-treatment, the average particle size of the fly ash decreases to 2–5 μm, which is beneficial for promoting the activation energy and accelerating the hydration process in cement mortar production. The compressive and flexural strengths of the fly ash cement mortar improve to 6.2 MPa and 32.4 MPa, respectively, when 35% of the OPC is replaced by treated fly ash. The similarity in the 3-day and 28-day strength with or without the addition of the treated ash shows the light influence of the fly ash addition. Thus, the mechanochemical process can stabilize the heavy metals and activate the fly ash, allowing it to partly substitute ordinary Portland cement in building materials, such as cement raw materials and concrete.

Sustainable Use of Brine Water in Concrete Cement Mixes Alter Compression-Bending Strengths

Freshwater resources are limited and many regions worldwide are suffering from water shortage due to the rapid increase in population, industrialization and urbanization. Concrete production has shown to consume a substantial amount of water for mixing and curing, and this large consumption has sparked concerted efforts to find sustainable and environmental friendly alternatives for replacing freshwater in order to lower the pressure on water resources. The use of hypersaline by-product brine water discharged from desalination plant has been tested in cement mortar production in order to lower the pressure on water resources and reduce the environmental impact resulted from discharging this effluent to surrounding streams. Discharge brine water to surrounding stream can deteriorate physicochemical and ecological properties of receiving streams as well as accelerate degassing process of dissolved greenhouse gases by lowering solubility coefficient. Compression and Bending strength of cement mortar specimens have been tested after adding different percentages of brine water and with/without Alkali-Resistance Glass Fiber (ARGF). Samples have been cured for 7, 14, 21 and 28 days in 50.5mm×50.5mm×50.5mm cubes and tested using compression testing machine. Adding 3% ARGF to cement mortar mixes has increased 28 curing days bending strength (3 times) and has decreased compression strength 30%. It has been observed that using brine water with ARGF in cement mortar mixes will lower compression strength on the average of 22%±2 and will increase bending strength values 2.7 times. The results show that using ARGF and brine water in cement mortar production seems promising in improving environmental conditions and enhancing the mechanical property in many applications.

Effect of using stone dust and M-sand on properties of high strength concrete

Stone dust is a byproduct obtained from the crushing process of quarrying operations and appears as an issue for effective disposal. Natural river sand, which is a common fine aggregate used in production of cement mortar and concrete, has become a costly and scarce material. In this paper, an endeavor is made to find a suitable and economical alternative of sand which serves as waste recovery and its minimization. In this context, an experimental program is being planned to assess the suitability of manufactured sand (M-sand) as finer aggregate content in high strength concrete. The influence of replacing M-sand with stone dust on mechanical attributes of high strength concrete are presented in this paper. Stone dust was incorporated in percentages varying from 0 to 40% as replacements for equal weight of M-sand. The impacts of different extents of dust content on attributes of fresh and solidified concrete are presented after undertaking an experimental probe. Test outcomes revealed that stone dust can be utilized productively to supplant manufactured sand in high strength concrete. No detrimental effects were noticed on long term and microstructural properties of the mix. The maximum strength gain was achieved at a replacement level of 20%, which is due to the acceleration of cement hydration at an early age with the addition of stone dust content.

Using Waste-to-Energy Fine Combined Ash as Substitute in Cement Mortar Production

Using Waste-to-Energy Fine Combined Ash as Substitute in Cement Mortar Production

Life cycle analysis of innovative building materials based on circular coffee ground supply chain

The construction sector is widely recognized as one of the most polluting mainly due to its intensive exploitation of natural resources and large energy consumption to produce traditional building materials. In the last years, alternative building materials have been developed with the aim to reduce the environmental burden of this sector. In particular, the use of geopolymer mortars as alternative cementitious materials is gaining increasing acceptance among scientists. Numerous laboratory studies demonstrate their suitability for construction applications, highlighting the potential environmental benefits that can be obtained from their large-scale production. This study aims to perform a preliminary evaluation of the environmental performance of a geopolymer mortar, whose production includes the reuse of a food waste: Spent Coffee Ground (SCG). By using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach, an environmental comparison with a traditional production of cement mortar was carried out on the basis of the Global Warming Potential (GWP) indicator.

Use of PET resin and metakaolin in sustainable production of cement mortar

In the 21st century, substantial growth in plastic consumption is observed worldwide, which has led to vast quantities of plastic waste. Polyethene terephthalate (PET) is one kind of plastic that is widely used packaging industry because of its advantages of being light in weight non-reactive to substance. This advantage increases the consumption of PET and leads to another problem of solid waste management. The chemical recycling of PET waste to form a low-cost polymer and used as a binder to replace cement and the mineral addition of metakaolin would be advantages for cement concrete or mortar. In this work, PET resin is prepared with a 30:70 PET to Glycol ratio and further added to 5%, 10% 15% as cement replacement with a curing agent. In addition to this, metakaolin was added by 10%, 20%, and 30% of the volume of cement as supplementary cementing material. The fresh and hardened properties were determined for various mixes. The flow of mortar increases as PET resin content increases. The addition of metakaolin reduces the flowability of mortar. The compressive and tensile strength is determined at 1,7 and 28-days of curing. The 1-day curing compressive strength is 80% of the targeted strength is achieved for 15% resin content specimen with and without metakaolin compared to standard cement mortar specimen. In comparison with compressive strength, the gain in tensile strength is more. As the PET content increases in the mix increases the tensile strength. The durability is assessed by water penetration resistance and abrasion resistance, and it is observed that the addition of 15% PET resin and 20% metakaolin increases the durability. The mix ratio of 1:3 is used; among all the mixes, 15% PET resin and 20% metakaolin content mix are found to be the optimum mix in all testing parameters. The cost analysis is carried out for the same mixture. The addition of PET Resin and Metakaolin reduces the cement consumption by 141 kg/m3 and there by a reduction in the CO2 emissions. It will help to achieve the objective of sustainable development.

Use of carbonated Portland cement clinkers as a reactive or non-reactive aggregate for the production of cement mortar

This study investigates the effects of carbonated cement clinker used as a fine aggregate on the strength and physicochemical properties of mortar. Cement clinkers in two different size ranges (0.15 mm–1.2 mm and 1.2 mm–5 mm) were replaced with natural fine aggregate. The cement clinkers were carbonated by natural and accelerated carbonation methods. The results demonstrated that the use of carbonated cement clinker has a positive effect on the strength properties of mortar. A physicochemical analysis showed that seven days of accelerated carbonation generated high levels of calcite on larger cement clinker aggregate materials (1.2 mm–5 mm). However, these higher amounts of carbonation products can detrimentally affect the creation of efficient bonding with the other ingredients in mortar and can consequently lower the strength of these materials compared to when smaller carbonated cement clinkers (0.15 mm–1.2 mm) are used in mortar. Fewer carbonation products provide additional nucleation sites for the hydration of cement grains. Therefore, relatively small carbonated cement clinker is preferable to large carbonated cement clinker to obtain high strength. The findings overall lead to the conclusion that carbonated cement clinker can be used as a reactive aggregate or non-reactive aggregate depending on the degree of carbonation. In both cases, the performance of cement mortar exceeds that of cement mortar containing natural sand.

Study the behaviour of cement mortar containing jute fiber along with partial replacement of cement with eggshell powder

The construction industry's key materials are mortar and concrete. Cement is a key component in the production of mortar and concrete. Natural limestone is used to make cement. When limestone is burned to make cement, carbon dioxide gas is liberated as a by-product, which is considered as a greenhouse gas with adverse environmental effects. Waste materials can be used in the manufacture of mortar and concrete to minimize negative consequences and natural resource utilization. In investigations, a powdered form of eggshell passed through a 90µm IS sieve and jute fiber was employed as a partial alternative for cement in the production of cement mortar. Eggshells are abundant in calcium oxide and have a chemical composition similar to natural limestone. The cement mortar is formed with a 1:3 mix ratio. ESP is added in percentages of 0%, 3%, 6%, 9%, and 12% by cement weight. Mechanical properties such as split-tensile, compressive and flexural strength with percent Jute fiber were compared to a nominal cement mortar cube. The ideal fiber length is 5-10mm. According to the findings, increasing the percentage of eggshell powder (ESP) in the mortar mix along with jute fiber (JF) increases the split-tensile, compressive and flexural strength of the cement mortar specimen. The effects of ESP and jute fiber on split-tensile, flexural and compressive strength, weight, water absorption, bulk density, and sorptivity has been evaluated.