Physical and mechanical characterization of mortar with partial cement replacement by white mud (kamero)

With the increasing demand for cement but its production’s effect on CO₂ emission and land degradation, there is a pressing need to find viable alternatives that can partially or significantly replace it. Many studies have investigated the usage of various waste materials for the cement replacement. One promising area of research is focused on white mud (WM), exploring its potential as an effective replacement in construction materials. This study investigates the effectiveness of WM on the physical and mechanical properties of mortar. The control mortar was with water-cement ratio of 0.45 and cement: sand ratio of 1:1.92. The replaced content of WM to cement was 0.0 %, 2.5 %, 5.0 %, 7.5 %, and 10.0 % (by weight of cement). The required physical, mechanical, and durability tests of mortar were conducted. The findings suggest that the optimal replacement percentage is 2.5 %. It increased the 28-day compressive strength by 15.0 %, but decreased the splitting tensile and flexural strengths by 13.7 % and 7.5 %, respectively. The use of WM also caused the increase in the density resulting in the reduction of water absorption. The obtained results suggest that the substitute of cement with WM is viable in both aspects on enhancing the properties of mortar and reducing the cement consumption. Overall, this research highlights the potential of WM as an eco-friendly and effective partial cement replacement, especially at lower substitution levels, which not only enhances the required properties of mortar but also minimizes the cement consumption mitigating the problems of CO₂ emission and land degradation contributing to the sustainable development goals. The implementation of this finding offers multiple benefits, including the production of more sustainable and cost-effective concrete, protection of human health from WM dust through its proper utilization, and the rehabilitation of previously unusable land into fertile ground for increased agricultural productivity.