Mortars with Marble Powder as Partial Replacement for Cement

The use of industrial by-products as replacement for cement and/or sand in mortar and concrete production can lead to sustainable development in civil engineering. Cement industry contributes with 8% of total world CO2 emission and is considered as one of the greatest polluters. Marble powder has great potential for application in the construction industry, but there is still lack of sufficient relevant research. Material used in this study originates from sawing of marble blocks and is a potential environmental threat due to high calcium oxide content. The chemical composition of marble powder also includes silicon, aluminum and iron oxides. Mortar properties with marble powder as partial replacement for cement were analyzed and are presented in this paper. Marble powder replaced cement in ratios 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% by weight. The aim of this paper is to investigate waste marble powder as partial replacement for cement, possibilities, advantages, and disadvantages. Fresh and certain hardened mortar properties are tested and presented in this paper.