Mechanical, durability and microstructure properties of eco-friendly self-compacting mortars with addition of volcanic scoria, silica fume and boron waste as cement replacement

The objective of this experimental study is to investigate the mechanical and durability performances of self-compacting mortars containing industrial waste and natural stone to develop an environmentally friendly mortar. Binary series of boron waste (B), silica fume (S) and volcanic scoria (V) were formed by substituting up to 95 % by weight with Portland cement, and ternary series were formed by substituting up to 80 % by weight with Portland cement. A total of 14 mixtures and one reference mixture (R) were improved for the purpose of investigating the workability, mechanical strength and durability properties of self-compacting mortar with different binder compositions. Samples of 40x40x160 mm were produced to evaluate mechanical properties and freeze-thaw effect, 100x100x100 mm for abrasion testing and 50x50x50 mm to determine physical properties. Additionally, SEM/EDS and XRD analyses were performed to determine the microstructural characteristics of the mixtures formed. The test results demonstrated that the sole replacement of boron waste with Portland cement resulted in enhanced fluidity. Nonetheless, the 90-day compressive strengths of the S10V20 and B5S10V5 mixtures exhibited increases of 7.47 % and 5.57 %, respectively, relative to the reference, whilst the B15 series saw a 52.5 % reduction, marking the lowest 90-day compressive strength compared to the reference sample. When the freeze-thaw effect was assessed after 136 cycles, the compressive strength diminished by 8.57 %, 13.1 %, 4.13 %, 7.28 %, 6.22 %, 24.77 %, and 48.1 % in the R, B5, V5, V10, V15, B5S10V5, B5S10V10, and B5S10V15 samples, respectively. Among the samples subjected to abrasion tests, a loss of 6.5 per thousand occurred in the mass of the reference sample at the end of 6 minutes, while a loss of 11 per thousand occurred in the binary mixture containing 5 % B, which had the highest abrasion.