ENHANCING CONCRETE STRENGTH AND DURABILITY THROUGH PARTIAL CEMENT REPLACEMENT WITH MARBLE DUST

Abstract

Marble powder, a byproduct of the marble industry, is garnering significant attention in research circles
due to its potential applications in civil engineering and design. Despite advancements in manufacturing processes,
the marble sector continues to generate substantial waste, with 30 to 40 percent of production ending up as waste
material. This waste poses environmental challenges, contributing to contamination in modern society. In an effort to
address this issue of waste generation, this study explores the partial replacement of cement with marble powder in
concrete production. Specifically, varying percentages of marble powder (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25%) are
substituted for cement in Grade M40 concrete. The objective is to assess the compressive strength of the resulting
concrete mixtures after 7 and 28 days of curing. Experimental results indicate that the compressive strength of Grade
M40 concrete remains largely unaffected when 15% to 20% of cement is replaced with marble powder. This suggests
that incorporating marble powder into concrete mixtures at these percentages does not compromise strength.
However, substituting a portion of concrete with marble powder may slightly impact the durability of the concrete.
For this study, Grade 53 Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and 20 mm heavy aggregate were utilized. Notably,
substituting 15% of cement with marble powder resulted in improved compressive strength compared to ordinary
concrete mixtures. This research sheds light on the potential of marble powder as a sustainable alternative in concrete
production, offering both environmental and performance benefits.