In the marble industry, a lot of marble is wasted in the form of odd blocks of various sizes and slurry consisting of water and micro-fine particles. The slurry on drying converts into powder. Both slurry and powder have adverse effects on the environment. This research is focused on the gainful utilization of waste marble powder (WMP) by converting it into a valuable binding material. For this purpose, WMP and clay were collected, and their physical and chemical properties were determined. A mix of WMP and clay was prepared and burnt at a temperature around ۱۳۰۰ oC. The burnt mix was ground to powder form to get marble cement (MC). The MC was then used in mortar. The compressive and flexural strengths of mortar cubes and prisms were determined. Apart from this, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis were also carried out. The chemical composition showed that the MC has ۵۲.۵% di-calcium silicate (C۲S) and ۳.۵% tri-calcium silicate (C۳S).The compressive strength of MC mortar after ۲۸ days curing is ۶.۰۳ MPa, which is higher than M۱ mortar of building code of Pakistan (۵ MPa). The compressive strength of MC mortar after one year is ۲۰.۶۷ MPa, which is only ۱۷% less than OPC mortar.In the marble industry, a lot of marble is wasted in the form of odd blocks of various sizes and slurry consisting of water and micro-fine particles. The slurry on drying converts into powder. Both slurry and powder have adverse effects on the environment. This research is focused on the gainful utilization of waste marble powder (WMP) by converting it into a valuable binding material. For this purpose, WMP and clay were collected, and their physical and chemical properties were determined. A mix of WMP and clay was prepared and burnt at a temperature around ۱۳۰۰ oC. The burnt mix was ground to powder form to get marble cement (MC). The MC was then used in mortar. The compressive and flexural strengths of mortar cubes and prisms were determined. Apart from this, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis were also carried out. The chemical composition showed that the MC has ۵۲.۵% di-calcium silicate (C۲S) and ۳.۵% tri-calcium silicate (C۳S).The compressive strength of MC mortar after ۲۸ days curing is ۶.۰۳ MPa, which is higher than M۱ mortar of building code of Pakistan (۵ MPa). The compressive strength of MC mortar after one year is ۲۰.۶۷ MPa, which is only ۱۷% less than OPC mortar.
