Reuse of Marble Waste as Aggregate in Concrete and Mortar: A Comprehensive Review

The reutilization of industrial waste in construction materials has emerged as a key approach for sustainable and resource‐efficient infrastructure development. Possibly the most crucial waste is marble residue produced during its quarrying and processing, as there is a large volume of powder, slurry, and fragmented materials generated each year. This review provides a critical synthesis of present‐day scientific knowledge on marble waste utilization as a natural aggregate replacement in concrete and mortar, focusing on fresh properties, mechanical performance, durability, and sustainability aspects. The studies described suggest that marble waste is accepted as fine aggregate in mortars, while it may be used as fine or coarse aggregate in concrete. Usually 10%–30% for fine aggregates and often even up to 40%–60% for coarse aggregates are optimal replacement ratios, flavored by compressive, tensile and flexural strengths improvements linked largely due to filler effects as well as microstructural densification. However, large marble waste contents resulted in increased water demand and decreased workability and compressive strength. In addition to mechanical, the incorporation of marble waste reduces natural aggregate consumption, reduces landfill disposal, and lowers the environmental footprint of construction materials. It also highlights critical research needs on durability assessment, life‐cycle analysis, and the formulation of standardized mix‐design techniques. In conclusion, marble waste has proved to be a highly promising secondary raw material for the production of ecoefficient concrete and mortar.