Porcelain waste from electrical insulators in self-leveling mortar: Materials characterization and properties

• Published in: Journal of Building Engineering Vol. 61; p. 105297
• Main Authors: Pereira, Valdir M., Geraldo, Rodrigo H., Baldusco, Raphael, Camarini, Gladis
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2022
• Subjects: Alkali-aggregate reaction; Characterization; Porcelain waste; Pozzolan; Self-leveling mortar; Sustainability; Characterization; Porcelain waste; Pozzolan; Self-leveling mortar; Sustainability; Alkali-aggregate reaction
• ISSN: 2352-7102; 2352-7102
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jobe.2022.105297

The addition of waste in building materials is a technical and economical alternative for modern construction. Self-leveling mortar (SLM) is a material used in floors because it is able to flow and fill a base area without using extra energy. The present studied SLMs using porcelain insulator waste (PIW) as partial and total sand replacement. Different methods were used to characterize the PIW (e.g. X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and pozzolanic activity index) and tests were made in SLMs in fresh and hardened states. XRD results revealed that PIW presented pozzolanic characteristics and increased the compressive strength of mortars. Tests also not verified alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR) when PIW was added. SLMs containing PIW presented compressive and flexural strengths of 24.11 MPa and 7.07 MPa, respectively. The spread diameter reached values found in the literature. •Porcelain insulator waste showed no alkali-aggregate reaction.•Porcelain insulator waste is composed of quartz, corundum, mullite, and zinc.•Self-leveling mortars prepared with porcelain insulator waste do not have segregation or bleeding.•The mechanical properties of self-leveling mortars increased with the use of porcelain insulator waste.