Lightweight mortars containing expanded polystyrene and paper sludge ash

The objective of this research was to develop lightweight cement mortars with good thermal-insulation properties by incorporating expanded polystyrene (EPS) and paper sludge ash (PSA), both of which are problematic waste materials. The mortars formed had low thermal conductivity and low bulk density compared to control samples. Ground EPS produced lower thermal conductivity samples than powdered EPS. Resource efficient mortars containing up to 20% PSA, and 60% of EPS are considered suitable for use in rendering and plastering applications.The authors wish to thank the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and European Union (FEDER) for project funding (BIA2007-61170), and the FPI scholarship (BES-2009-012166) award to Verónica Ferrándiz Mas which allowed her to develop her doctoral thesis. This research was carried out in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Imperial College London, with funding from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (EEBB-I-12-0574) to support Verónica Ferrándiz Mas