Mining of Mineral Deposits

ISSN 2415-3443 (Online)

ISSN 2415-3435 (Print)

Flag Counter

Assessment of calcined marble waste utilization as an eco-efficient aggregate in concrete production

Yasir Nussrat Shukur1, Wael R. Abdellah2,3, Moatasem Mostafa Khalefa4, Salah A. Bader5, Mahrous A.M. Ali4

1Petroleum Geology and Minerals Department, College of Science, University of Diyala, Baqubah, Iraq

2Geology Department, College of Science, Taibah University, Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia

3Mining and Metallurgical Engineering Department, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt

4Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Al-Azhar University, Qena, Egypt

5Mining and Petroleum Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering-Cairo, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt


Min. miner. depos. 2026, 20(2):13-21


https://doi.org/10.33271/mining20.02.013

Full text (PDF)


      ABSTRACT

      Purpose. This study investigates the feasibility of using calcined marble cutting residues as a partial substitute for fine aggregates in concrete to improve material sustainability while maintaining mechanical performance. The research aims to evaluate the effects of incorporating marble waste on strength properties and to determine an optimal substitution ratio suitable for practical applications.

      Methods. Marble cutting residues were collected, dried, and calcined at 750°C, then ground into a fine powder. The processed material was used to replace natural sand at substitution levels of 0, 5, 10, and 15% by weight. Standard concrete specimens were prepared and cured for 7, 14, and 28 days. Compressive, flexural, and splitting tensile strength tests were conducted in accordance with relevant standards. Microstructural observations were performed to analyze particle distribution, interfacial bonding, and pore structure.

      Findings. The results indicate that concrete containing 5% calcined marble waste achieved a 28-day compressive strength of 38.6 MPa, compared with 39.2 MPa for the control mixture. Flexural and tensile strengths at this replacement level varied by less than 4%. In contrast, higher replacement ratios of 10 and 15% reduced strength by up to 12%, primarily due to increased porosity and reduced packing efficiency.

      Originality. This study provides systematic experimental evidence on the mechanical and microstructural behavior of concrete containing thermally treated marble residues.

      Practical implications. The findings confirm that limited substitution of natural sand with calcined marble waste can be safely used in concrete production, supporting waste valorization, resource conservation, and environmentally sustainable construction practices.

      Keywords: calcined marble waste; marble powder; alternative aggregate; sustainable concrete; compressive strength; construction materials


      REFERENCES

  1. Ahmad, S., & Ullah, I. (2024). Utilization of waste marble dust as cement and sand replacement in concrete. Discover Civil Engineering, 1(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44290-024-00014-w
  2. Aruntaş, H.Y., Gürü, M., Dayı, M., & Tekin, I. (2010). Utilization of waste marble dust as an additive in cement production. Materials & Design, 31(8), 4039–4042. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2010.03.036
  3. Akbulut, H., & Gürer, C. (2007). Use of aggregates produced from marble quarry waste in asphalt pavements. Building and Environment, 42(5), 1921–1930. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2006.03.012
  4. Acchar, W., Vieira, F.A., & Hotza, D. (2006). Effect of marble and granite sludge in clay materials. Materials Science and Engineering: A, 419(1–2), 306–309. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2006.01.021
  5. Bilgin, N., Yeprem, H.A., Arslan, S.Ö.N.M.E.Z., Bilgin, A., Günay, E., & Marşoglu, M. (2012). Use of waste marble powder in brick industry. Construction and Building Materials, 29, 449–457. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2011.10.011
  6. Binici, H., Shah, T., Aksogan, O., & Kaplan, H. (2008). Durability of concrete made with granite and marble as recycle aggregates. Journal of Materials Processing Technology, 208(1–3), 299–308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2007.12.120
  7. Saboya Jr., F., Xavier, G.C., & Alexandre, J. (2007). The use of the powder marble by-product to enhance the properties of brick ceramic. Construction and Building Materials, 21(10), 1950–1960. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2006.05.029
  8. de Jesus, J.O.N., da Silva, L.J., Parente, V., Esquerre, K.P.O., Sahin, O., & de Araujo, W.C. (2025). A water consumption assessment in the production of marble, granite, and quartz-based composites using life cycle assessment: A case study in Bahia, Brazil. Water, 17(10), 1438. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17101438
  9. Hamza, R., El-Haggar, S., & Khedr, S. (2011). Utilization of marble and granite waste in concrete bricks. International Conference on Environment and Bioscience IPCBEE, 21, 286–291. https://doi.org/10.7763/IJBBB.2011.V1.54
  10. Varela, J.J., Petter, C.O., & Wotruba, H. (2006). Product quality improvement of Brazilian impure marble. Minerals Engineering, 19(4), 355–363. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mineng.2005.10.009
  11. Okagbue, C.O., & Onyeobi, T.U.S. (1999). Potential of marble dust to stabilise red tropical soils for road construction. Engineering Geology, 53(3–4), 371–380. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0013-7952(99)00036-8
  12. Garko, M.N., Dulawat, S., Ahmad, E., Ubayi, S.S., & Ibrahim, I.A. (2020). Examining the use of marble waste as a substitute of conventional materials in concrete: A brief review. Environmental Research and Technology, 8(2), 471–486. https://doi.org/10.35208/ert.1511775
  13. Memon, M.J., Jhatial, A.A., Rid, Z.A., Rind, T.A., & Sandhu, A.R. (2019). Marble powder as fine aggregates in concrete. Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, 9(3), 4105–4107. https://doi.org/10.48084/etasr.2698
  14. Ashish, D.K. (2019). Concrete made with waste marble powder and supplementary cementitious material for sustainable development. Journal of Cleaner Production, 211, 716–729. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.11.245
  15. Aliabdo, A.A., Abd Elmoaty, M., & Auda, E.M. (2014). Re-use of waste marble dust in the production of cement and concrete. Construction and Building Materials, 50, 28–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2013.09.005
  16. Corinaldesi, V., Moriconi, G., & Naik, T.R. (2010). Characterization of marble powder for its use in mortar and concrete. Construction and Building Materials, 24(1), 113–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2009.08.013
  17. Kore, S.D., & Vyas, A.K. (2016). Impact of marble waste as coarse aggregate on properties of lean cement concrete. Case Studies in Construction Materials, 4, 85–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cscm.2016.01.002
  18. Parmar, S., & Das, S.K. (2021). Effect of marble slurry as a partial substitution of ordinary Portland cement in lean concrete mixes. Structural Concrete, 22, E514–E527. https://doi.org/10.1002/suco.202000059
  19. Meng, X.C., Li, C., Wang, Z.H., Gong, X.Z., Liu, Y., & Sun, B.X. (2014). A life cycle inventory case study for marble mining in China. Materials Science Forum, 787, 171–175. https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.787.171
  20. Kore, S.D., Vyas, A.K., & Kabeer, S.A. (2020). A brief review on sustainable utilisation of marble waste in concrete. International Journal of Sustainable Engineering, 13(4), 264–279. https://doi.org/10.1080/19397038.2019.1703151
  21. Gencel, O., Nodehi, M., Bayraktar, O.Y., Kaplan, G., Benli, A., Koksal, F., & Ozbakkaloglu, T. (2022). The use of waste marble for cleaner production of structural concrete: A comprehensive experimental study. Construction and Building Materials, 361, 129612. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2022.129612
  22. Khan, K., Ahmad, W., Amin, M.N., Ahmad, A., Nazar, S., Alabdullah, A.A., & Arab, A.M.A. (2022). Exploring the use of waste marble powder in concrete and predicting its strength with different advanced algorithms. Materials, 15(12), 4108. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15124108
  23. El-Sayed, H.A., Farag, A.B., Kandeel, A.M., Younes, A.A., & Yousef, M.M. (2018). Characteristics of the marble processing powder waste at Shaq El-Thoaban industrial area, Egypt, and its suitability for cement manufacture. HBRC Journal, 14(2), 171–179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hbrcj.2016.06.002
  24. Ali, S.R., Jain, A., Tripati, S., Khan, A., & Sen, S. (2022). Partial replacement of cement by marble dust. International Journal of Engineering Sciences & Research Technology, 11(5), 16–20. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.6623536
  25. Basaran, B., Kalkan, I., Aksoylu, C., Özkılıç, Y.O., & Sabri, M.M.S. (2022). Effects of waste powder, fine and coarse marble aggregates on concrete compressive strength. Sustainability, 14(21), 14388. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114388
  26. Saloni, Parveen, Lim, Y.Y., Pham, T.M., Jatin, & Kumar, J. (2021). Sustainable alkali activated concrete with fly ash and waste marble aggregates: Strength and durability studies. Construction and Building Materials, 283, 122795. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2021.122795
  27. Sugathan, A. (2016). Investigation on compressive strength of concrete utilizing broken marble tiles as coarse aggregate. International Journal of Engineering Sciences & Research Technology, 3(5), 2395–0056.
  28. Demir, T., & Alyamaç, K.E. (2022). Investigation of the use of marble powder in production of high strength concretes. Open Journal of Nano, 7(1), 18–25. https://doi.org/10.56171/ojn.1034691
  29. Alyamaç, K.E., & Aydin, A.B. (2015). Concrete properties containing fine aggregate marble powder. KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering, 19(7), 2208–2216. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-014-0198-5
  30. Ghani, A., Ali, Z., Khan, F.A., Shah, S.R., Khan, S.W., & Rashid, M. (2020). Experimental study on the behavior of waste marble powder as partial replacement of sand in concrete. SN Applied Sciences, 2, 1554. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-020-03292-9
  31. Vigneshpandian, G.V., Shruthi, E.A., Venkatasubramanian, C., & Muthu, D. (2017). Utilisation of waste marble dust as fine aggregate in concrete. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 80, 012007. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/80/1/012007
  32. Varadharajan, S., Jaiswal, A., & Verma, S. (2020). Assessment of mechanical properties and environmental benefits of using rice husk ash and marble dust in concrete. Structures, 28, 389–406. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2020.09.028
  33. Meera, M., & Gupta, S. (2024). Performance evaluation of marble powder and fly ash concrete. Journal of Building Engineering, 84, 108499. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2024.108499
  34. Kırgız, M.S., Khatib, J., & de Sousa Galdino, A.G. (2025). Waste marble sludge and calcined clay brick powders in conventional cement farina production for cleaner built environment. Scientific Reports, 15, 3467. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-83163-3
  35. Badaoui, M., Hebbache, K., Douadi, A., Mansouri, L., Merdas, A., Gherbi, S., & Szymanowski, J. (2025). Utilization of Algerian calcined clay in sustainable mortars considering thermal treatment and granulometry effects on mechanical properties. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 21704. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-04342-4
  36. Geu, M.J., Zhuge, Y., Ma, X., & Pham, T.M. (2026). Systematic review of physical, mechanical and durability performances of metakaolin concrete. Applied Clay Science, 279, 108048. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clay.2025.108048
  37. Strybny, B., Schack, T., Link, J., & Haist, M. (2024). Calcined clays as concrete additive in structural concrete: workability, mechanical properties, durability, and sustainability performance. Materials, 17(18), 4517. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17184517

    38. Лицензия Creative Commons

Copyright © 2026 Dnipro University of Technology

Underground Mining Department

All Rights Reserved.

Journal homepage Authors