Durability of Mortars with Partial Cement Replacement by Recycled Brick Powder

Over the past decade, global cement production has exceeded 4 billion tonnes annually. This process has a considerable environmental impact and is estimated to account for approximately 5% to 7% of the total annual CO2 emissions released into the atmosphere. To mitigate the environmental consequences of cement production, extensive research has been conducted on alternative materials that can partially replace cement in concrete manufacturing, thereby reducing its carbon footprint. This study explores the utilisation of recycled brick powder as a supplementary cementitious material in mortar production, with replacement levels ranging from 5% to 45%. In addition to evaluating their mechanical properties, such as flexural and compressive strength, this research investigates the durability of the newly developed mortars. The results indicate a reduction in porosity of up to 50% and an enhancement in chloride penetration resistance by up to fourfold when the substitution rate is between 35% and 40% compared with mortar without replacement. Although no improvements were observed in carbonation resistance, the new mixtures exhibited an increase in resistivity of up to ninefold.