Characterization of harvest residues ashes and ceramic waste powders originating from Vojvodina as potential supplementary cementitious materials

Abstract

Traditionally, residential buildings in Vojvodina have masonry walls. Various types of mortar of mineral origin are most often used for joining masonry elements and finishing. The total amount of mortar for the construction of one building is not negligible. The estimated annual consumption of mortar in Vojvodina is about 198 thousand tons i.e. 27 thousand tons of cement and about 31.5 thousand tons of hydrated lime. It can easily be seen conventional mortars based on cement and lime are unacceptable in the light of environmental protection and sustainable development in the contemporary construction industry. Therefore, there is a need for research and development of new, alternative types of binders, based on locally available renewable and/or waste materials. The ceramic masonry elements and tiles industry generates ceramic waste during the production process. This waste, in powder form, could potentially be used as supplementary cementitious material (SCM). Biomass ash, generated by the combustion of harvest residues, as a renewable energy source, is another alternative to cement in modern building composites. This paper emphasizes the physical, chemical, and pozzolanic characteristics of the available agro-waste ashes and ceramic waste powder, originating from Vojvodina. The results indicate relatively high pozzolanicity of all tested ceramic powders and biomass ash based on cob corn, owing to their high fineness and reactive silica content. Furthermore, a catalogue of collected waste materials, illustrating basic data on the raw materials, processing method, landfilling, available quantities, and their tested properties is given.

Environmentally Friendly Masonry Mortar Blended with Fly Ash, Corn Cob Ash or Ceramic Waste Powder

“…Various types of mineral-origin mortar are commonly used during the construction of masonry structures. According to earlier assessments [10], 198,000 tons of mortar is consumed annually in Vojvodina for masonry and plastering purposes in newly constructed apartments.…”