Application of waste from utilitarian ceramics for production of cement mortar and concrete

Preliminary results of utilization of ceramic waste for the produce of ceramic mortars and concrete have been presented. Currently, ceramic wastes from the production of ceramic flower pots and covers are not used in any form. The chemical composition of this waste materials was determined using X-ray fluorescence (spectrometer ARL Advant 'XP). Cement mortar and concrete were made using CEM I 42.5 R. The results showed that the compressive strength (after 28 days) of cement mortar increased with the increase of size reduction of the ceramic waste. The highest compressive strength (increased by 5.0% compared to the control sample) was found for cement mortars in which waste pottery with fragmentation of less than 0.2 mm were used. These mortars also showed the highest frost resistance (after 150 freeze and unfreeze cycles), whereas the largest decrease the compressive strength (over 17%) after the frost resistance test showed samples of the cement mortar with the ceramics waste fragmentation in range 1.0–3.0 mm. Studies have also shown that the compressive strength of concretes increase with added the ceramic waste (10–30%) instead of natural aggregate. The highest compressive strength (approximately 12.3%) compared with the sample control show the concrete in which 30% of the natural aggregates were replaced by the ceramics waste. Furthermore, using up to 30% of ground ceramic in the concrete reduces its water absorption capacity.