Use of asbestos-free fiber-cement waste as a partial substitute of Portland cement in mortar

This work aims to study the possibility to use asbestos-free fiber-cement waste in substitution of ordinary Portland cement for the production of mortars. The fiber-cement particles were incorporated in mortars in partial replacement of cement, with mass substitution rates of 5 and 20 %. Cement hydration rate, workability, total shrinkage, porosity accessible to water and mechanical performances of mortars made with ground fiber-cement were measured and compared with the properties of control paste and mortar (free of fiber-cement). The results showed that the presence of fiber-cement extended by 5–10 % the dormant period of the binder hydration, when compared to that of Portland cement, depending on the substitution rate considered. Furthermore, at 28 days, the replacement of cement with 5 and 20 % of fiber-cement caused a reduction of 14–35 % in compressive strength, when compared to the reference mortar performances. This decrease was greater than that observed on mortars containing limestone filler with the same substitution rate of cement. However, the strengths obtained were acceptable for structural applications.