Expanded Vermiculite Research Articles

Correction of metabolism in steers on fattening when using a mineral additive

There is a need to develop more rational technologies for rearing and fattening steers by adjusting the rations taking into account the technological features of rearing animals in this natural zone and the genetic characteristics of specific animal breeds under the modern conditions of the market economy in order to obtain high-quality products from livestock enterprises with intensive production rates. The purpose of the research was to study the influence of the feed additive expanded vermiculite on the nature of the course of lipid metabolism in steers of Kazakh White-headed breed during fattening. The experimental part of the work was performed in Terra LLP, which is located in the village of Nadezhdinka in the Karabalyksky district in the Kostanay region in the Republic of Kazakhstan. We have found the following differences in the experimental groups: in the period from 6 to 9 months of age the total lipid concentration index increased by 19 % in the control group, by 29 % in the 2nd experimental group, and by 35 % in the 3rd experimental group. This indicates the positive influence of the feed additive on the steers of the experimental groups. When the concentration of this indicator decreased in the subsequent age period, the percentage ratio between the groups remained until the age of 15 months. The mineral feed additive expanded vermiculite had the favorable influence on the growth of live weight in the experimental groups by an average of 15 % per head compared to the control group, the highest increase in live weight was observed in the 3rd experimental group, which was given the additive of 15 g/head. Therefore, the amount of drug intake in the body directly affects its positive effect on the physiological status of the animal body.

Mechanochemical Synthesis of Expanded Vermiculite with Urea for Filler into Alginate/Collagen Spherical Capsules: A Urea Slow-release System

The annual growth of the world population increasingly provokes the search for highly productive agriculture, with an effective and economical application of fertilizers capable of supplying the necessary nutrients to the plants. In this context, the development of technologies to control these fertilizers in the environment is relevant. This study presents a potential slow-release fertilizer created from the intercalation of urea in the expanded vermiculite (EV) and encapsulated in a sphere constituted of alginate/collagen. The intercalation tests were performed by the mechanochemical process between EV and urea, and the intercalated materials were characterized by XRD, TGA/DSC, and FTIR. The results showed that urea was intercalated at all studied ratios, but the sample containing 20% of urea (EVU20%) did not present peaks from the starting reagents. Thus, the sample EVU20% was chosen for the encapsulation process and release test. Urea concentration released was determined by colorimetric analysis, and the test revealed that the spheres produced with EVU20% encapsulated into an alginate/collagen matrix were able to release the urea up to 210 hours. Therefore, this system has the potential to be a new fertilizer of slow-release to be applied in agriculture, promoting the gradual release of urea for plant development. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17807/orbital.v13i2.1488

A novel vermiculite/ vegetable polyurethane resin-composite for thermal insulation eco-brick production

Affordable houses with thermal insulation materials are an efficient and creative solution for needy populations in regions where high temperatures are a public health and economic problem. In this sense, the present work had as objective to present, produce, and evaluate composites of raw vermiculite (RV) or expanded vermiculite (EV) in a vegetable polyurethane resin (VPR) matrix as thermal insulation eco-bricks. First, RV and EV were characterized by thermogravimetry (TG/DTG), X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled to energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Second, VPR was analyzed by TG/DTG. Then, materials were mixed and conformed into bricks in concentrations of 70, 80, and 90 wt % of raw vermiculite, and also 70, 80, 90 wt % of expanded vermiculite. The produced bricks were submitted to an alterability test with immersion into chemical reagents (ASTM D 543), humid atmosphere attack (NBR 8095), UV exposure (ASTM G 53), compressive test (ASTM D 695), physical indexes (NBR 12766), thermal insulation test, and TG/flammability test (ASTM D 635). Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) derived by a mixed 2 and 3-level design was utilized. Only 70% raw vermiculite passed NBR 8492 (soil-cement brick - dimensional analysis, compressive strength determination and water absorption - test method) and for this reason, was chosen for prototype production. Vermiculite react more with acid solutions. Vermiculite incorporation improves thermal stability and flame retardancy. 70 wt % RV brick was able to reduce 65% of the temperature, with good compressive strength (4.12 MPa) and low specific mass (1.47 g cm−3).

Improvement in thermal properties of PCM/Expanded vermiculite/expanded graphite shape stabilized composite PCM for building energy applications

This work investigates the combined effect of loading Expanded Graphite (EG) and Expanded Vermiculite (EV) on the thermophysical properties of the low-cost commercially available PCM (OM37) and there capability of regulating the indoor temperature when embedded in the building element. Shape Stabilized Composite Phase Change Material (ss-CPCM) was prepared using PCM, EV, and EG through physical blending followed by vacuum impregnation. Latent heat storage capacity, phase change parameters, melting and freezing response, thermal stability, thermal reliability, and leakage proof performance was investigated. Melting enthalpy of 114.23 J/g, 111.56 J/g, 105.08 J/g, and 99.32 J/g at melting temperature of 40.61 °C, 39.12 °C, 38.83 °C, and 37.41 °C was obtained for ss-CPCM-1, 3, 5, and 7 respectively. A rise of 114.4% in the thermal conductivity was observed by adding 7 wt% of EG in ss-CPCM. ss-CPCM loaded with 7 wt% of EG heats 25.9% faster and cools 19.2% faster in comparison to pristine PCM. The prepared ss-CPCM preserves its thermal characteristics even after 1000 heating and cooling cycles. Moreover, when embedded in the wallboard, the ss-CPCM-7 has shown the excellent capability of regulating indoor temperature.

Preparation and Characterization of Composite Phase Change Materials Based on Lauric‐Myristic Acid and Expanded Vermiculite with Carbon Layer

AbstractThe low thermal conductivity and poor shape stability of phase change materials (PCMs) limit their application in the field of energy‐saving buildings. Lauric‐myristic acid (LA‐MA)/modified expanded vermiculite (MEV) composites as form‐stable phase change materials (FS‐PCMs) were prepared in this study. To improve their heat transfer properties, expanded vermiculite (EV) was impregnated with sucrose, starch and glucose solutions and then carbonized at a high temperature to attain MEVs, which act as a matrix in the PCMs. LA‐MA was adsorbed into the MEVs to obtain the LA‐MA/MEV FS‐PCMs. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows that both EV and MEV have highly porous structures and can be used as PCMs carriers. The composite PCMs impregnated with starch obtain the best heat transfer properties in comparison with the other two samples. The melting temperature of the composite PCMs is 34.2 °C and the melting latent heat value is 141.9 J/g. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) shows that the composite PCMs present good thermal stability. Overall, LA‐MA/MEV FS‐PCMs are promising energy efficient materials that can be used as building materials.

Lightweight mortar with paraffin/expanded vermiculite-diatomite composite phase change materials: Development, characterization and year-round thermoregulation performance

Expanded vermiculite based form stable composite phase change material (EV based FSCPCM) is a promising material to be applied into the field of building energy conservation. However, the thermoregulation performance of building components containing the EV based FSCPCM under real climatic conditions is lacking. In this study, paraffin/expanded vermiculite-diatomite form stable composite phase change material (paraffin/EV-DI FSCPCM) was prepared by a simple method using EV-DI mineral system as the supporting material, and paraffin as the PCM. A new thermal storage light weight cement mortar (TSLCM) was then prepared using it as the aggregate. Subsequently, the year-round applicability of the cement board made from TSLCM was analyzed by using the full-scale testing room built in the outdoor. The results showed that compared with paraffin/EV FSCPCM, the mortar prepared with paraffin/EV-DI FSCPCM had enhanced mechanical properties and thermal stability. In the transition seasons, the use of cement board made from TSLCM in the testing room could continuously regulate the indoor temperature. The fluctuation of the indoor temperature could be reduced by 3.6 °C. For summer, the thermoregulation performance of TSLCM decreases with the increase of temperature at night. In winter, cement board made from TSLCM can reduce the peak temperature of the testing room when the air conditioner is turned off. For the case of using air conditioner for heating, the board can better maintain the indoor temperature.

Efficient and Selective Adsorption of Neodymium on Expanded Vermiculite

In this study, expanded vermiculite (EV) was applied to the adsorption of neodymium (Nd) from an aqueous solution with focus on the description of the kinetics and the mechanism of adsorption, determination of the best eluent, and selectivity. The EV was characterized before and after the adsorption process by the morphology, composition, textural properties (specific surface area, density, and porosity), and functional groups. The adsorption experiments showed that under optimal conditions, using 0.7 g of adsorbent and at pH 3.3, the efficiency achieved an enhanced adsorption percentage of 98.7%, which represents an adsorption capacity of 0.205 mmol/g. The external mass and diffusional resistance controlled the mass transfer, and ion exchange occurred mainly with magnesium cations. The proposed mechanism of adsorption was cation exchange in the interlayer region of the vermiculite and the formation of outer-sphere complexes. Calcium chloride was the most suitable eluent, regarding efficiency and low toxicity. The adsorbent preferably adsorbed Nd from a multimetal solution, achieving enhanced values of selectivity. Regarding characterization, the EV presented a well-organized structure, a lamellar morphology, and typical functional groups such as Al–O and Si–O. Thus, the EV adsorbed Nd quickly and efficiently, and the ion-exchange mechanism of adsorption allows the selective adsorption of Nd and safe desorption by the exchange with Ca2+.

Preparation and thermal properties of commercial vermiculite bonded with potassium silicate

Expanded vermiculite bonded with potassium silicate finds use as high-temperature insulation boards. The thermal properties of the vermiculite boards are critical for their applications and expected lifetime. This work reports on the processing and thermal properties of vermiculite boards (400–600 kg m−3) prepared from three different commercial vermiculite sources. Commercial vermiculite is first expanded through flash-heating, then mixed with potassium silicate and then finally pressed to boards. The untreated- and expanded vermiculite and the boards are studied with X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry, heating microscope and electron microscope. The expansion process affects the ability of the expanded vermiculite to reabsorb moisture and the ability is dependent on vermiculite source. The vermiculite boards undergoes several physical-chemical transitions at elevated temperatures. Water from both clay minerals and binder is lost at <250 °C. At 800–1200 °C, the dehydroxylation of clay minerals first occurs, then the boards shrink, and forsterite (Mg2SiO4) and leucite (KAlSi2O6) crystallise subsequently. At 1200–1420 °C, the leucite melts and the boards shrink again. The crystallisation- and melting temperatures depend on the vermiculite source. These findings provide practical guidelines for processing vermiculite into lightweight boards.

Preparation and characteristics of flexible polyurethane foam filled with expanded vermiculite powder and concave-convex structural panel

We have synthesized a flexible polyurethane foam composite filled with expanded vermiculite powder and covered by concave-convex structural panel in order to improve the compression and cushioning property of PU foam. Concave-convex structural panel is that fabric cubes consisting of three layers of warp-knitted spacer fabrics arranged isometric apart between two layers of low-melting-point PET fabrics and then thermally processed at 180 °C. Effects of particle size and content of expanded vermiculite powders as well as the presence of concave-convex structural panel are examined in terms of foam structure and mechanical properties of composite PU foams. Expanded vermiculite addition decreases the energy required by pore nucleation, and the higher content of expand vermiculite results in pore diameter of foam and greater compression property. Filling of 2% vermiculites makes the compression property improved by 239% at 40% strain. Moreover, the smaller size of expanded vermiculite generates smaller and denser foam pore diameter and thus strengthened compression property. Foam composite with 800-mesh expanded vermiculites show the excellent compression property that 307% higher than neat PU foam at 40% strain. Concave-convex structural panel enhanced compression properties by 852% when fabric cubes arranged 1 cm apart and cushion efficiency by 29% compared to pure PU foam when fabric cubes arranged 4 cm apart. The resultant flexible polyurethane foam can absorb 97% energy at 12 J impact level. This composite can serve as the protective materials in kindergarten and old people's home.

The Effect of Surface Treatment with Isocyanate and Aromatic Carbodiimide of Thermally Expanded Vermiculite Used as a Functional Filler for Polylactide-Based Composites.

In this work, thermally expanded vermiculite (TE-VMT) was surface modified and used as a filler for composites with a polylactide (PLA) matrix. Modification of vermiculite was realized by simultaneous ball milling with the presence of two PLA chain extenders, aromatic carbodiimide (KI), and 4,4’-methylenebis(phenyl isocyanate) (MDI). In addition to analyzing the particle size of the filler subjected to processing, the efficiency of mechanochemical modification was evaluated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The composites of PLA with three vermiculite types were prepared by melt mixing and subjected to mechanical, thermomechanical, thermal, and structural evaluation. The structure of composites containing a constant amount of the filler (20 wt%) was assessed using FTIR spectroscopy and SEM analysis supplemented by evaluating the final injection-molded samples’ physicochemical properties. Mechanical behavior of the composites was assessed by static tensile test and impact strength hardness measurements. Heat deflection temperature (HDT) test and dynamic thermomechanical analysis (DMTA) were applied to evaluate the influence of the filler addition and its functionalization on thermomechanical properties of PLA-based composites. Thermal properties were assessed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), pyrolysis combustion flow calorimetry (PCFC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The use of filler-reactive chain extenders (CE) made it possible to change the vermiculite structure and obtain an improvement in interfacial adhesion and more favorable filler dispersions in the matrix. This translated into an improvement in impact strength and an increase in thermo-mechanical stability and heat release capacity of composites containing modified vermiculites.

Replacement of Natural Sand with Expanded Vermiculite in Fly Ash-Based Geopolymer Mortars

Increasing the thermal insulation of building components to reduce the thermal energy loss of buildings has received significant attention. Owing to its porous structure, using expanded vermiculite as an alternative to natural river sand in the development of building materials would result in improvement of the thermal performance of buildings. This study investigates the properties of fly ash (FA)-based geopolymer mortars prepared with expanded vermiculite. The main aim of this study was to produce geopolymer mortar with lower thermal conductivity than conventional mortar for thermal insulation applications in buildings. A total of twelve batches of geopolymers were prepared for evaluating their different properties. The obtained results show that, at a given FA and expanded vermiculite content, the geopolymers prepared with a 10 molar NaOH solution exhibited a higher flowability, water absorption and porosity, as well as a lower dry unit weight, compressive strength, ultrasound pulse velocity and thermal conductivity compared with those prepared with a 15 molar NaOH solution. As is also shown, the geopolymers containing expanded vermiculite (15%) developed a lower flowability (~6%), dry unit weight (~6%), compressive strength (~7%), ultrasound pulse velocity (~6%) and thermal conductivity (~18%), as well as a higher apparent porosity (~6%) and water absorption (~9%) compared with those without expanded vermiculite at a given FA content and NaOH concentration. The findings of this study suggest that incorporating expanded vermiculite in FA-based geopolymer mortar can provide eco-friendly and lightweight building composites with improved sound and thermal insulation properties, contributing toward the reduction of the environmental effects of waste materials and conservation of natural sand.

Effect of dopamine-modified expanded vermiculite on phase change behavior and heat storage characteristic of polyethylene glycol

The surfaces of functionalized modified minerals play important role in promoting the phase change behavior of phase change materials (PCMs) and improving their heat storage characteristics. In this work, the strategy of dopamine modification was adopted to solve the current problem that the measured latent heats of expanded vermiculite (EVM)-based composite PCMs were significantly lower than the calculated values during the phase change process. A series of novel polyethylene glycol (PEG)/EVM-dopamine (EVMX) form-stable composite PCMs (PEX fs-CPCMs) with efficient phase change and enhanced latent heat were prepared after encapsulating PEG into the pores of EVMX. It was found that the encapsulation capacity (~19%) and latent heats during melting (~75%) and solidification processes (~67%) increased with increasing dopamine concentration. In addition, the difference between measured and calculated latent heats of PEX fs-CPCMs gradually decreased with increasing dopamine concentration. Specially, the latent heat of PE4.0 during melting process was even higher than the calculated value, indicating that PEG could freely undergo phase change on the surfaces of EVMX. The strong interactions between PEG molecules and surfaces of EVM could be regulated by amination modification and new suitable combination approaches were constructed, so that the confinement effect of surfaces was weakened, which was responsible for the promoted phase change behavior, improved form stabilization and enhanced latent heat of PEG. Moreover, the PEX fs-CPCMs showed excellent chemical compatibility, thermal reliability and stability.

Highly Hydrophobic Polydimethylsiloxane-Coated Expanded Vermiculite Sorbents for Selective Oil Removal from Water.

Naturally abundant vermiculite clay was expanded by using an aqueous solution of H2O2 and its surface was modified with ultra-thin polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) using facile thermal vapor deposition to prepare an ecologically friendly, low-cost oil sorbent that plays an important role in oil spillage remediation. The resulting PDMS-coated expanded vermiculite (eVMT@PDMS) particles exhibited adequate hydrophobicity and oleophilicity for oil/water separation, with numerous conical slit pores (a size of 0.1–100 μm) providing a great sorption capacity and an efficient capillarity-driven flow pathway for oil collection. Simply with using a physically-packed eVMT@PDMS tube (or pouch), selective oil removals were demonstrated above and beneath the surface of the water. Furthermore, these sorbents were successfully integrated and then applied to the advanced oil-collecting devices such as a barrel-shaped oil skimmer and a self-primed oil pump.

Analysis and Optimization of Thermophysical Properties and Phase Change Behavior of Expanded Vermiculite-Based Organic Composite Phase Change Materials

In this study, the optimized expanded vermiculite (EVM) was used as the matrix and a series of novel form-stable composite phase change materials (fs-CPCMs) were prepared by the physical impregnation method. The results showed that acid leaching and organic intercalation EVM had a better package effect (≥74.9 wt %) and heat storage capacity (≥139.2 J/g) compared with EVM, which showed a good optimization effect, revealing that proper modification treatment was beneficial to the improvement of the thermophysical properties of composite PCMs. Nonisothermal crystallization kinetics demonstrated that the EVM matrix was beneficial to reduce the nucleation activation energy (ΔEa) of PEG, and the optimized EVM could further reduce the ΔEa, which effectively improved the crystal nucleation process of PEG. However, the matrix would restrict the crystal growth process of PEG, which had certain adverse effects. Moreover, XRD, TGA, and cycle tests showed that the prepared novel fs-CPCMs had excellent chemical stability, thermal stability, and cycle reliability. This research provided a certain theoretical reference and technical support for the preparation of mineral-based organic composite phase change materials with high heat storage capacity and excellent phase change behavior.

Enhancement of Thermo-Physical Properties of Expanded Vermiculite-Based Organic Composite Phase Change Materials for Improving the Thermal Energy Storage Efficiency.

In this work, expanded vermiculite (EVM) was modified by acid leaching with different concentrations (0.01, 0.05, and 0.1 mol/L) of HCl solution to obtain three kinds of acid-modified EVM (AEVM-1, AEVM-2, and AEVM-3, respectively). In the composite, polyethylene glycol (PEG) was served as a phase change material (PCM), while EVM and AEVM were served as supporting matrixes. Then, graphite was served as an additive to enhance thermal conductivity, and a series of shape-stabilized composite PCMs (PEG/EVM, PEG/AEVM-1, PEG/AEVM-2, PEG/AEVM-3, and PEG-C/AEVM-3 ss-CPCMs) were prepared by physical impregnation. The latent heats of PEG/AEVM-3 and PEG-C/AEVM-3 in the melting process were 154.8 and 144.7 J/g, respectively, which increased by 22.7 and 14.7%, respectively, compared with that of PEG/EVM, indicating that acid modification effectively enhanced the heat storage capacity. The thermal conductivity of PEG-C/AEVM-3 was 0.43 W/mK, which was 65.4 and 48.3% higher than that of PEG and PEG/EVM, respectively. The results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and the thermal cycle test indicated that PEG-C/AEVM-3 reflected favorable chemical stability, thermal stability, and thermal reliability. Therefore, the prepared PEG-C/AEVM-3 with high latent heat and acceptable thermal conductivity was a promising composite PCM in the field of building energy storage.

Thermal Insulation Materials Based on Expanded Vermiculite and Foamed Liquid Glass

The authors have studied the properties of thermal insulation materials obtained based on expanded vermiculite and liquid-glass binder produced by foaming with a gas-generating (foaming) agent and volumetrically solidified by reacting it with sodium fluorosilicate. The quantitative binder-to-filler ratio was determined, which allows forming the products by casting and obtain materials with various strength, thermal conductivity and density.

Accelerated phosphorus removal using sulfate-coated expanded vermiculite

This study evaluated whether phosphorus in an aqueous solution can be effectively adsorbed and removed by sulfuric acid (SA)-coated vermiculite (SCV), which was synthetized by heating a mixture of expanded vermiculite (EV) and SA at 300°C. Phosphorus was removed from the aqueous solution and removal characteristics were evaluated by batch kinetic, batch adsorption, and column tests. The phosphate removal rates (h-1) for 1, 2.5, 5, 7.5, 12.5, and 25 g∙L-1 of SCV were 0.00015, 0.0011, 0.0044, 0.0087, 0.0648, and 0.5002, respectively. The Qmax of the Langmuir model and the partition coefficients of the linear and Freundlich models were 8.92 mg∙g-1, 0.65 L∙g-1, and 4.60 L∙g-1 (1/n = 0.354), respectively. The equilibrium phosphorus adsorptions (qe) were 7.47, 14.69, and 19.53 mg∙g-1 at initial concentrations of 10, 25, and 50 mg∙L-1, respectively. These results show that SCV can efficiently adsorb phosphorus in an aqueous solution.

Lightweight cementless composite of CaO-CaCl2-CaSO4-activated GGBFS developed as an alternative to lightweight gypsum composite

Gypsum binders have been widely used to develop lightweight composites; however, they are generally more expensive than Portland cement and less environmentally friendly than cementless binders. This study explored the use of a CaO-CaCl2-activated ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) binder system in replacing the conventional gypsum binders for manufacturing lightweight composites, as this cementless binder is more economical and environmentally friendly. CaSO4 and polyamide fibers were incorporated in mixtures to increase strengths. Expanded perlite (EP) and expanded vermiculite (EV) were used as lightweight aggregates. Overall, the developed composites exhibited comparable properties to conventional gypsum composites in terms of compressive and flexural strengths, lightweightness, thermal conductivity, whiteness, and non-flammability. However, compared to EP, the use of EV was less advantageous in achieving higher strengths, lower densities, and lower thermal conductivities, which was likely due to the unfavorable microstructure of EV: (1) the exfoliated lamellar structure of the EV seemed to be more susceptible to tearing or micro-buckling, and (2) its open structure likely absorbed more of the binder paste, which was heavier and had higher thermal conductivity than that of the EP. Lastly, trial boards were satisfactorily produced using one of the composites from this study.

Sulfuric acid modified expanded vermiculite cover for reducing ammonia emissions from animal slurry storage

Animal slurry storage is an important source of NH3 emission which has raised a high attention regarding its influence on air quality and environment health. There is an urgent need to develop an efficient, green and safe technology for reducing NH3 emission. This study introduced a novel method of reducing NH3 emission from dairy slurry storage using H2SO4 modified expanded vermiculite cover (H2SO4-VM1). Results showed that NH3 mitigation of 87% was achieved in the treatment of H2SO4-VM1 during 77 days of slurry storage, which could be mainly caused by conversion of free NH3 to NH4+ in acidified slurry surface and vermiculite layer, the cover barrier for gases emissions, NH4+ adsorption by vermiculite cover, and direct adsorption of free NH3 in the vermiculite layer. The NH3 mitigation of H2SO4-VM1 was comparable to that (90%) of the traditional method of H2SO4 acidification for slurry storage (H2SO4-AC1). The N2O emission, H2S emission, and H2SO4 consumption in H2SO-VM1 were 28, 93 and 39% lower than those in H2SO4-AC1, respectively. Economic cost calculated based on material input in H2SO-VM1 method was 0.40 USD m−2 slurry. It’s suggested that H2SO4-VM1 can be a possible alternative for reducing NH3 emissions from animal slurry storage.

Study on the use of lightweight expanded perlite and vermiculite aggregates in blended cement mortars

This paper presents an experimental investigation on lightweight aggregate mortars containing high volume cement replacement materials. For this purpose, expanded perlite (EP) and expanded vermiculite (EV) are used as the lightweight aggregate (at sand replacements of 50% and 100%), while ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) (35% and 70% replacement level) and fly ash (25% and 50% replacement level) are adopted as the supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). The results showed that EP is beneficial for improving the flow of fresh mortar, and soft mortar (flow diameter > 200 mm) can be produced by using EP in SCM-cement blends. Both EP and EV can be utilised to produce lightweight mortar in the density range of 1400–1700 kg/m3 and 900–1100 kg/m3 at 50% and 100% sand replacements, respectively. Although the lightweight aggregates resulted in compressive strength decrease, the developed lightweight mortar using 50% EP (with or without SCMs) can be classified as type N mortar (compressive strength exceeding 5.17 MPa) while those prepared with 100% EP as well as 50% EV can be categorised as type O mortar. Response surface methodology carried out in this study also demonstrated that the mathematical equations can suitably estimate the studied performances of the lightweight mortars.