Assessment of the Chemical Reactivity of Brazilian Stone Cutting Plant Waste into Cementitious Matrices

The problems generated by the ornamental stone extraction and processing industry caused by the inadequate disposal of this waste can negatively affect rivers, lakes, streams, and even natural water reservoirs. This study discusses and evaluates the potentiality and challenges of dimension stone waste (DSW) recycling generated from a Brazilian dimension stone processing industry in Portland cement formulations. Cement pastes with different amounts of DSW (10–30 wt.%), quartz (10 wt.%), and calcium carbonate (10 wt.%) were prepared and characterized in the fresh and hardened states. The results showed that DSW can be used in cement formulations, and its reactivity is governed by the size of the particles. With up to 10% DSW in place of cement, the samples had greater workability and compressive strength at 28 days compared with the reference mix. However, the strength was lower at early ages (3 and 7 days). When DSW is milled, the strength of the samples containing the waste matched the reference values at all ages, and the recommended replacement limit rose to 20%. On the other hand, the particle size reduction significantly decreased the workability. The use of DSW in cement-based formulations is encouraged due to the strong presence of stone processing and cement companies in Brazil and worldwide.