Marble and granite waste as mineral addition in mortars with different water-cement ratios

Abstract Civil construction is associated with several environmental impacts, such as CO2emissions during cement production and waste generation. In this context, aiming to contribute to the sustainable development of the sector, this article aims to study the effect of replacing cement by marble and granite waste (MGW) in different water/cement ratios (w/c). To do this, the waste was characterized and applied in 1:3 mortars, replacing the cement at 20% content. Mortars with and without plasticizing additives were produced, measuring the amount of water by fixing the workability and the additive content. Water demand, compressive strength, dynamic modulus of elasticity, water absorption by immersion and capillarity, electrical resistivity and accelerated carbonation were evaluated. The results showed that the MGW acted as a filler, promoting refinement of the porous structure and maintenance of compressive strength due to better particle packing. It was observed that MGW made the mortar structure more homogeneous. However, the filler effect of the waste (inert) did not compensate for the reduction in the cement content of the mortars for strength to carbonation. In general, it was observed that waste is more efficient in lower water/cement ratios.