Incorporation of homogenous ceramic tile waste to enhance mechanical properties of mortar

The subject of reduce, reuse and recycle of waste material either from industries or agriculture sectors is regarded as very important in the general attempt for sustainable construction. The by-products like fly ash, silica fume, slag and palm oil fuel ash have been studied for the past decade and the findings are very well accepted as new innovative materials in construction. Ceramic materials are widely used in many part of the world and consequently, large quantities of wastes are produced simultaneously by brick and tile manufacturers and from construction industry. However, part of these wastes and those produced by the construction industry are dumped in landfills. In the present research the effect of homogeneous ceramic tile waste on the harden properties of mortar was investigated. Mortar mixes were prepared focusing on the effect of ceramic aggregate as river sand replacement. Tests were conducted for compressive strength, splitting tensile strength for all mortar specimens. The sand was replaced by ceramic aggregate ranging from 0% to 100% by weight of aggregate. The size of ceramic aggregate used is modified in accordance to ASTM C33-13. All samples were cast in 50mm cubes and cured in water after demoulding until the age of testing. The result shows that by replacing 100% of sand with ceramic aggregate, the compressive strength is very much similar to control sample without showing any negative effect. In general, the incorporation of homogenous ceramic tile waste as river sand replacement can enhance the properties of mortar in fresh and hardened states