Properties of alkali activated masonry units incorporating Linz-Donawitz (LD) steel slag aggregates and Mangalore tile waste (MTW)

Abstract

The existing cement masonry units consume cement, natural resources and fuel making it less sustainable. The unrestrained utilization of natural resources and substantial production of industrial wastes has led to reuse and recycling for sustainable development. Among the prevailing industrial wastes, steel slags are presently dumped in landfills. Previous studies have utilized Linz Donawitz (LD) slag aggregates as a partial replacement for natural aggregates. On the other hand, the locally available Mangalore tile waste (MTW) was studied as a natural aggregate replacement. In the current investigation, the LD slag aggregates, and the MTW fine powder, aggregates were incorporated into the masonry system and accessed their fresh properties such as setting time, flow and hardened property -compressive strength, along with microstructural investigations. The masonry mixes indicated that the LD slag type 3 and M sand-based masonry unit exhibited higher compressive strength, around 40 MPa, and can be categorized as heavy-duty bricks according to IS 2180:1988.