Impact on fresh, mechanical, and microstructural properties of high strength self-compacting concrete by marble cutting slurry waste, fly ash, and silica fume

Disposal of marble cutting slurry waste (MCSW) has acquired a disastrous proportion and is a leading cause of environmental and health-related issues. On the other hand, high strength self-compacting concrete (HSSCC) is being widely used which requires a higher quantity of cement and ultimately resulting in the substantial CO2 emission to the environment. The aim of this study is to produce economical and ecoefficient HSSCC using MCSW, fly ash (FA), and silica fume (SF). This would help to beneficially use MCSW and minimize the need to use large quantities of cement in HSSCC production, thus significantly reducing CO2 emissions. Total sixteen number of HSSCC mixes in binary, ternary and quaternary form were prepared by incorporating MCSW, FA, and SF as a replacement of cement. Among all HSSCC mixes, one mix was prepared with a 100% cement binder which was named as control mix. The impact on fresh properties was assessed by slump flow, T-S00 time, V-funnel time, fresh density, L-box height ratio, J-ring flow, and J-ring step height. Mechanical performance in terms of compressive strength, and other properties like percentage of water absorption, percentage of voids, and dry bulk density were also examined. The microstructural investigation was carried out using the Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared radiation (FTIR) techniques. It was observed that the incorporation of MCSW and FA improved the fresh properties of HSSCC. A combined use of 10% MCSW and 15% FA with 5% SF as cement replacement resulted in enhanced mechanical performance and amended microstructure. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.