Reusing Discarded Ballast Waste in Ecological Cements

Abstract

Numerous waste streams can be employed in different cement production processes, and the inclusion of pozzolans will, moreover, permit the manufacture of concrete with improved hydraulic properties. Pozzolanic materials can be added to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) in the range of 10%–20% by mass of cement. One such example is the phyllosilicate kaolinite (K), and its calcined derivative metakaolin (MK), incorporated in international cement manufacturing standards, due to its high reactivity and utility as a pozzolan. In the present paper, discarded ballast classed as Construction and Demolition Waste (C&DW) is reused as a pozzolanic material. Various techniques are used to characterize its chemical, mineralogical, and morphological properties, alongside its mechanical properties, such as compressive and flexural strength. Discarded ballast in substitution of cement at levels of 10% and 20% produced type II or IV pozzolanic cements that yielded satisfactory test results.