Activated Charcoal as a Component of Mortar Material for Thermal Insulation of Buildings

The main objective of this paper is to assess the feasibility of the application of activated charcoal (AC) that could be used as a component of mortar material for thermal insulation. To achieve the objective, several specimens were prepared by varying the content of AC in the mortar, and then the physical and mechanical properties of those specimens were tested. The result indicates a significant decrease in the compressive strength (13.33 MPa to 7.07 MPa at 28 days) with an increase in AC content [cement: AC - 1:2 (v/v) to 1:2.5 (v/v)] in the mortar. However, beyond a certain point [1:2.5 (v/v) to 1:4 (v/v)] the decrease in compressive strength is comparatively smaller (7.07 MPa to 4.71 MPa in 28 days). The thermal conductivity of cement-AC mortar is reduced by 54 - 71% compared to that of a mortar containing cement–sand. Overall, the study indicates that the incorporation of AC in the mortar has resulted in a significant reduction in thermal conductivity, with an acceptable range of compressive strength. The compressive strength of the mortar is within the permissible limit for a load-bearing structure having a cement to AC ratio up to 1:2.5. The composition having cement to AC ratio within 1:4 could be used as mortar for non-load bearing structure.