Use of waste marble and granite dust in structural applications: A review

Abstract

The extraction and utilization of natural ornamental stones like marble and granite are at the peak in developing countries. A huge amount of wastes is being generated during the processing/ cutting/sizing of these stones to make them useable. These wastes are disposed of in the open environment and the toxic nature of these wastes negatively affects the environmental and human health. A large number of researches have been conducted in the past on the recycling of these wastes in the construction industry for the preparation of concrete as the replacement of cement and fine or coarse aggregates (FCA) and also in some other applications. Although this effort contributes substantially towards the society in terms of health and economy, it is not adequate as the wastes keep increasing day by day. This study is based on reviewing the published research reports on the effects of waste marble and granite dust (WMGD) on the physico-mechanical properties of concrete. It is observed that the use of marble dust and granite dust at a certain amount reduced the cost of construction, and the concrete properties are positively affected. Additionally, the effects of marble and granite dust filling on the properties and performance of polymer composites have also been reviewed. As a case study, the findings of an investigation carried out by the authors regarding the characteristics of a class of glass-polyester composites loaded up with waste marble dust are presented.