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The key objective of this study was to develop marble-based geopolymer concrete and examine the viability of its application as a sustainable structural material for the construction industry. The results of the research demonstrated that marble-based geopolymer concrete can be developed, and its physical/mechanical properties were shown to have a very good performance. According to various experimental tests and a large-scale ready-mixed plant test, it was found that the marble-based geopolymer concrete displayed a good workability and was not easily influenced by temperature changes. The results showed that marble-based geopolymer concrete has an excellent potential for further engineering development in the future.

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Aggregate sludge is a waste product produced from crushing, screening, and washing processes at aggregate plants. Because of the large quantity and high treatment cost of this sludge, it cannot be disposed of as landfill, and thus, has caused environmental concern over the years in Taiwan. In this preliminary study, the recycled aggregate sludge was reutilized for construction applications through the geopolymerization process. The ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) and fly ash (FA) were selected as alkaline activated materials for the fabrication of sludge geopolymer. Several process parameters that may affect the mechanical and physical properties of geopolymer were investigated. These parameters are sludge/GGBFS/FA ratios, solid/liquid (alkali solution) ratio, the molarity of NaOH, and curing time. According to the test results, the compressive strength of geopolymer specimens (70/30 sludge/GGBFS ratios) made with 4 M and 6 M NaOH can reach 39.17 MPa and 43.6 MPa after 28 days of curing. The specimen made with 60/40 sludge/GGBFS ratios has a strength of 61.3 MPa. After replacing GGBFS with 10% fly ash (70/20/10 sludge/GGBFS/FA), the strength of the specimen can also reach 43 MPa. According to the test results obtained in this study, it was found that the higher the NaOH concentration, the higher the strength of the geopolymer, and the GGBFS also can contribute more to the mechanical properties of geopolymer than fly ash. This preliminary study suggests that it is possible to reutilize aggregate sludge for construction applications and solve its environmental disposal problem.