Development and characterization of cementitious mixtures with replacement of fine and coarse conventional aggregates by marble residue

Abstract Finding ways to reuse residue is an alternative not only to reduce its presence in urban and natural environments, but also to reduce costs and consumption of resources by industries. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the properties of concretes made by replacing conventional coarse and fine aggregates with marble residue. Morphological, granulometry, specific gravimetry and crystalline phase analyses were carried out in the aggregates. The composition of the constituents, by mass, was 1:1,2:3 of Portland cement CPIII-32 RS, fine aggregates, and coarse aggregate, respectively, with the addition of 0.4 of water, molded and cured in water. About 25 concrete samples were made, varying the amount of coarse/fine aggregate in the cement mass according to the aggregates proportions of: A= 100% gravel/ 100% sand, B= 100% coarse RRO/ 50% fine RRO + 50% sand, C= 50% coarse RRO + 50% gravel/ 100% fine RRO, and D = 100% coarse RRO/100% fine RRO. The cylindrical samples measuring ∅50 x 100 mm were subjected to water absorption and compressive strength tests, and the results were compared with standards and literature. The water absorption was smaller than 2.5% and the compressive strength values were between 27-33 MPa, close to the resistance of cement used. Composition B presented the best results among the others, indicating the possibility of using the residue from marble for production of concretes for various purposes such as low load paving, sidewalks, blocks, among others. However, for interlocking floors, higher performance cement should be used to achieve the required strength. This type of concrete adds value to the residue and mitigates environmental impacts.