Utilization of Waste Iron Powder as Fine Aggregate in Cement Mortar

Abstract

This paper reports about the use of recycled iron powder (IP) in producing cement mortar under normal conditions. Flow table test was performed on fresh mortar. Destructive tests were conducted on cubes of the hardened mortar to obtain the compressive and flexural strengths of the cement mortar. The effects of adding 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% of waste IP as a natural sand replacement were assessed and compared. Waste iron are of two types: iron IP, which shows a similar particle size distribution to that of the sand used in making the samples, and fine iron powder (FIP), which contains fine particles. The compressive strength decreased with the increased amount of added IP in the mixtures, but it increased with the addition of 10% FIP and decreased gradually with the increased FIP level. By contrast, the flexural strength significantly increased with increased FIP in the mixtures. Recommendations regarding the applications of recycling to conserve resources and raw materials and prevent environmental pollution are provided.