Sustainable concrete with optimum use of waste marble powder.

Marble is considered as a very substantial aesthetic construction element. As it is cut, polished, and used decoratively in industrial workplaces, it has commercial value. Various techniques are used at marble quarries to cut stones into blocks. During the cutting procedure for a marble product, 20–30% of a marble block is lost. A waste product that is generated in vast amounts worldwide and poses a serious environmental danger is marble powder. Overall project cost has increased based on inadequate supply, transportation distanced and increasing cost for manufacturing of cement. This research deliberates that impacts on properties of concrete by incorporating marble dust powder as a partial substitute for sand and cement. The study assesses the material's workability, flexural, compressive and tensile strength by performing split tensile tests, flexural tests, and compressive strength testing. Sand, cement, marble dust powder, and coarse aggregates were used as test materials. In the current study, marble dust powder was used as a cementitious material in place of cement in four different percentage mixes of concrete with cement contents of 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% by weight for M30 and M40 grade concrete. Additionally, marble dust powder has been used in four different percentage combinations of 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% by weight in concrete to partly replace sand in M30 and M40 grade concrete. The experiment was conducted in accordance with the guidelines provided by the relevant standards. It is concluded that by using appropriate amount of waste marble powder in lieu of cement would help the environment and improve the viability of the marble stone industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]