Abstract:
Concrete is in high demand due to the quick-growing construction industries. The demand
for concrete leads to an increase in the use of binding material (cement). The need for a
huge quantity of cement leads to the depletion of natural sources, which in turn affects the
environment. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of partially replacing
cement with a blend of Marble Dust Powder-Enriched Metakaolin in concrete, to reduce
the environmental harm caused by cement production and marble dust. The experimental
study involved different partial replacements of the control mix,10%,15%,20%,25%,30, %
35%, and 40%. The cement paste was tested for soundness, setting time, consistency, and
workability(slump) as fresh properties, hardened properties (compressive strength, density,
and ultrasonic pulse velocity) of the 7th, 28th, 56th, and 90th days, durability properties
(water absorption for the 28th, 56th, and 90th days, sulfate resistance for 90th day) and
microstructural properties Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis
(TGA), differential thermal analysis (DTA) for 28 days. C-25 concrete based on ASTM
standard a total of 192 specimens were used. Based on experimental results, the normal
consistency and soundness of the cement paste increase as the percentage of the blend of
Marble Dust Powder-Enriched Metakaolin increases. The initial and final setting times of
cement paste decrease as the percentage of replacement of cement with Marble Dust
Powder-Enriched Metakaolin increases. The use of MDP-EMK has a reduction in the
workability of concrete in comparison to the control mix. In the 20% replacement of MDPEMK,
the concrete's compressive strength, the concrete's UPV, and bulk density have been
improved, particularly in another type of replacement. Furthermore, the incorporation of
MDP-EMK enhances the concrete’s durability. The microstructure properties of concrete
improved the replacement of the MDP-EMK mix than the control. The use of 30% MDPEMK
replaced by cement in the production of concrete has produced low-cost concrete up
to 1505.4ETB/m³ (17.07 %) compared to the control mix.
KEY-WORDS: Concrete, Compressive strength, Slump, UPV, density, absorption,
Metakaolin, Marble Dust Powder.