Development of Thin Joint Masonry Using Recycled Mortar for Sustainability

Rapid expansion in the construction industry results in higher demand for natural resources, namely river sand, stone aggregate, etc., used in construction. As per Deccan Herald, the state of Karnataka, India, demands about 45 LMT of sand for construction despite availability of 35 LMT. Interestingly, the urbanization boom in construction and development results in large-scale generation of construction and demolition waste (C&D waste). Utilizing C&D waste as aggregates can provide sustainable alternatives and bridge the gap between supply and demand. In this context, through this experimental program, an attempt has been made to utilize C&D waste as an alternative to conventional sand in development of masonry mortar. An attempt is also made to assess the mechanical characteristics of masonry prisms with reduced mortar thickness. This is expected to result in reduced mortar consumption, increased pace of construction, and ultimate reduction in the overall cost of the project. The different combination of mortars was attempted using replacement of m-sand with demolished concrete and masonry waste for construction of prisms. The results indicate all mortars explored can be suitably used in masonry construction. Stack bonded prisms exhibited improved compressive in comparison with English bonded prism. Lastly, thin-jointed masonry used around 50% less material than traditional masonry with 12–15 mm thick mortar joints. In conclusion, thin joint masonry resulted in reduced consumption of natural resources, use of marginal materials, circularity in construction, and reduced embodied carbon emissions and thereby improve the overall sustainability of the project.