EVALUATION OF MECHANICAL AND DURABILITY PROPERTIES OF ECO-FRIENDLY CEMENT MADE BRICKS INCORPORATING GRANITE CUTTING WASTE AND QUARTZ SANDSTONE WASTE AS SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVES TO RIVER SAND
Ashish Shrimali, Priyanka Pandey
Department of Civil Engineering, Sangam University, Bhilwara (Rajasthan), India
Abstract: The escalating depletion of natural river sand reserves and the unscientific disposal of stone-processing industrial wastes have emerged as twin environmental crises demanding urgent attention from the construction materials research community. The present study investigates the potential of Granite Cutting Waste (GCW) and Quartz Sandstone Waste (QSW), generated from dimensional stone processing industries, as partial substitutes for river sand in cement mortar, with the aim of establishing a scientifically validated and economically viable pathway for the valorization of these hitherto underutilized waste streams. A total of 20 mortar mixes were prepared at cement-to-sand ratios of 1:3 and 1:6, incorporating GCW, QSW, and a combined GCW-QSW blend at replacement levels of 0%, 15%, 30%, and 45% by mass. The fresh, mechanical, and durability properties of the resultant mortars were evaluated through a comprehensive experimental programme encompassing workability (flow), compressive strength, flexural strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) and dynamic modulus of elasticity, water absorption and percentage air voids, drying shrinkage, and resistance to sulphate attack and wetting-drying cycles. Microstructural characterization was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP). Results consistently demonstrated that a 30% combined replacement of river sand by equal proportions of GCW and QSW (the GQ30 mix) produced mortars exhibiting a 20.3% improvement in 28-day compressive strength, an 18.1% improvement in flexural strength, a 24.5% reduction in water absorption, and a 40.9% reduction in compressive strength loss under sulphate exposure, relative to the control mortar. Microstructural analysis confirmed a refined, denser pore structure in the GQ30 mix, attributed to the complementary particle size distributions and morphologies of GCW and QSW. The findings establish the GQ30 formulation as technically superior to conventional river sand mortar across all performance parameters investigated, and provide a robust empirical basis for the development of eco-friendly cement bricks incorporating these industrial waste materials.
Keywords: Granite cutting waste; Quartz sandstone waste; Cement mortar; Compressive strength; Durability; Eco-friendly construction; Waste valorization; Sustainable building materials
VOLUME 10 ISSUE 04 2026: 99 – 118