Experimental Analysis of the Mechanical Properties of Mortars Containing Recycled Cement and Concrete Fines

This work deals with the valorization of cementitious waste obtained from discarded concrete and cement for their implementation as additives, considering the age of 12 and 96 months, and whether the waste is separated into pure recycled cement and cement with aggregates or not. The experimental approach discusses the thermal activation process of the recycled material, the mechanical characteristics of compressive and flexural strength, as well as the capillary absorption characteristics of mortars containing these wastes in different proportions are also evaluated. The results show that the incorporation of recycled cement fines and recycled concrete fines in percentages lower than 10% has a positive influence on the mechanical behavior and the reduction of capillary absorption of the mortar. In addition, the use of both types of recycled material at the 5% level has a similar effect on the properties of the material, and the age of the waste from which the material is derived has no significant effect. The results indicate the potential for facilitating the recovery of recycled materials from C&D waste associated with cement to improve the sustainability properties of this building material.