Circular economy in cementitious ceramics: Replacement of hydrated lime with a stoichiometric balanced combination of clay and marble waste

Abstract Cementitious ceramics, produced from the hydration of cement and hydrated lime, are responsible for a great deal of damage to the environment due to the high emission of CO ₂ that occurs in the production of cement and lime. Therefore, the objective of this work was to substitute the hydrated lime with a combination of clay residue and marble waste extracted from ceramic and ornamental rock producing industries, respectively, which constitutes a circular economy for the ceramic industry related to masonry applications. Ceramics were produced in the proportion 1:1:6:1.5 (cement:lime:sand:water), through the molding procedure, and were studied by replacing hydrated lime with 100% clay residue and 100% marble residue, in addition to stoichiometric calculated parts of marble to clay. The molar ratios used were 1:1, 1:2, and 2:1 (marble:clay). Tests of consistency, incorporated air content, water retention, compression strength, density, water absorption by capillarity, adhesion, and electrical resistivity were performed. The results obtained demonstrate that the use of residue of marble and clay together, as long as they are correctly balanced, provides a high gain in technological properties, enabling the circular economy of cementitious ceramics, mainly for the composition 1 marble:1clay, which presented the best properties, both in the fresh and hardened state. The economic analysis carried out proved the financial gains for the industrial sectors involved (civil construction, ornamental rock, and ceramic).