Investigating the effect of ceramic waste powder as a substitute of cement on the properties of structural concrete

Ceramic wastes are considered as a reason for environmental pollution that are hardly decompose against the natural and chemical factors. Substituting Portland cement with the ceramic waste powder which has a desirable chemical composition and fineness, not only can reduce energy consumption and pollution resulting from cement production, but also mitigate the environmental effects of ceramic waste in the landfills. This study investigates the effect of using ceramic waste as a substitute for cement on the mechanical properties and durability of the structural concrete. To this end, experimental tests were initially performed on small cubic samples of mortar and standard cylinders of concrete. 12 mixed designs were made by replacing different percentages of tile soil with cement possessing water to cement ratios of 0.45 and 0.5. The results confirmed that for water to cement ratio of 0.5, no reduction was observed in the compressive and flexural strength of concrete up to 40% of tile soil replacement. In addition, adding tile waste led to porosity loss, reduction of chlorine ion penetration, shrinkage reduction and improving the electrical resistance ratio. For water to cement ratio of 0.45, a slight decrease in the mechanical strength was observed compared after substituting cement with the ceramic waste compared to the control sample, while the durability parameters were improved.