From waste materials to products for use in the cement industry

Industrial wastes (bottom ash, crushed concrete fines, filter residue, paper ash and lignite fly ash) have potential for use in building materials, for instance as raw materials for clinker production, as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) or mineral additions in concrete. The properties of the products are dependent on the reactivity of the waste materials used, which can be classified as inert, latent hydraulic or pozzolanic. In this study, waste materials were first characterised. This was followed by theoretical considerations of the mentioned application options. Experiments were limited to evaluation of potential as SCMs and, for this purpose, activity index measurements and calorimetric and thermogravimetric analyses were performed. Finally, the synergetic effects of various waste materials were considered. Paper ash (calcium oxide source) and filter residue (amorphous silicon dioxide source) showed the best prospects for use as cementitious material components.