Sustainable high-strength lightweight concrete with pumice stone and sugar molasses

Abstract The building sector benefits from high-strength lightweight concrete (HSLWC) in various aspects, particularly in reducing the structure’s dead load. Incorporating waste materials into HSLWC encourages sustainable practices, reduces their environmental effect, and decreases product’s costs. This research focuses on producing sustainable HSLWC using a pumice stone and additive materials such as sugar molasses, silica fume, and high-range water reduction. The physical and mechanical properties and structural efficiency were investigated. The results demonstrate that the inclusion of additive material is the primary factor controlling the properties of the concrete. Also, using pumice stone instead of gravel in high-strength concrete significantly reduced weight and increased thermal insulation by 19.31 and 43.55%, respectively. Furthermore, the addition of steel fibers in HSLWC improved the compressive strength, tensile strength, ductility, and structural efficiency.