Utilization of Ceramic Tile Waste and Quarry Dust as Partial Replacement of Aggregates in Medium Grade Concrete

Abstract

This study investigates the utilization of quarry dust and ceramic tile waste as partial replacements for fine and coarse aggregates, respectively, in concrete production. To address the challenges related to quarry dust was used to replace fine aggregate and ceramic tile waste were used to replace coarse aggregate at replacement levels of 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30%. Medium (M35 & M40) grade concrete will be adopted; a constant water cement ratio of 0.370 for M35& 0.423 for M40 will be maintained for all the concrete mixes. The performance of concrete was assessed through compressive strength and splitting tensile strength tests of hardened concrete will be found out in this study at 7 and 28 days for each percentage of replacement. 3 numbers specimens for each replacement percentage will be casted and tested with corresponding tests and finally compared with conventional M35 and M40 concrete.

Introduction

This study investigates the use of ceramic tile waste aggregate (CTWA) and stone/quarry dust as partial replacements for natural coarse and fine aggregates in concrete, aiming to promote sustainable construction and reduce the environmental impact caused by excessive extraction of natural resources. Since aggregates make up about 70–75% of concrete volume, replacing them with industrial waste materials can conserve natural resources while addressing waste disposal problems.

Ceramic waste, generated during tile manufacturing, transportation, and installation, possesses high hardness and resistance due to its production at temperatures of 1000–1250°C. Similarly, quarry dust can serve as a substitute for natural river sand. The combined use of these materials supports waste management, reduces environmental degradation, and lowers construction costs.

Literature Review

Previous studies have shown that:

• Ceramic waste can effectively replace natural coarse aggregates while maintaining acceptable compressive, tensile, and flexural strength.
• Optimum ceramic aggregate replacement levels generally range from 20% to 40%.
• Quarry dust replacement of sand improves concrete strength, particularly at 30–50% replacement levels, though excessive amounts reduce workability.
• Most existing research has examined ceramic waste and quarry dust separately, with limited studies on their combined use.

Objectives

The study aimed to:

1. Evaluate the physical and mechanical properties of concrete containing ceramic tile waste and quarry dust.
2. Design M35 and M40 grade concrete mixes with varying replacement levels.
3. Examine the effects on workability, compressive strength, and split tensile strength.
4. Compare modified concrete with conventional concrete.

Experimental Program

Concrete mixes were prepared by replacing:

• Coarse aggregate with ceramic tile waste, and
• Fine aggregate with quarry dust

at replacement levels of 10%, 20%, and 30%.

Cube specimens were tested for compressive strength after 7 and 28 days, while cylinder specimens were tested for 28-day split tensile strength.

Results

M35 Grade Concrete

• Conventional concrete compressive strength (28 days): 37.82 MPa
• 10% replacement: 39.50 MPa
• 20% replacement: 42.36 MPa (highest)
• 30% replacement: 38.04 MPa

Split tensile strength:

• Conventional: 3.26 MPa
• 20% replacement: 3.44 MPa (highest)

M40 Grade Concrete

• Conventional compressive strength (28 days): 42.53 MPa
• 10% replacement: 44.24 MPa
• 20% replacement: 47.15 MPa (highest)
• 30% replacement: 42.96 MPa

Split tensile strength:

• Conventional: 3.52 MPa
• 20% replacement: 4.31 MPa (highest)

Key Findings

• Both compressive strength and split tensile strength increased up to 20% replacement of ceramic tile waste and quarry dust.
• Beyond 20% replacement, strength began to decline for both M35 and M40 concrete.
• The optimum replacement level was found to be 20% ceramic tile waste aggregate + 20% quarry dust.
• Concrete produced with this replacement level exhibited mechanical properties equal to or better than conventional concrete.

Conclusion

The study concludes that using 20% ceramic tile waste and 20% quarry dust as replacements for natural aggregates produces stronger and more sustainable concrete. This approach reduces dependence on natural resources, minimizes environmental degradation, supports industrial waste utilization, lowers construction costs, and promotes environmentally friendly green construction practices.

References

[1] Abdullah, M., Kamarudin Hussin, Che Mohd Ruzaidi, Shamsul Baharin, Rozaimah Ramly, and Nur Khairiatun Nisa. \"Concrete with ceramic wastes and quarry dust aggregates.\" In 5th Annual Conf. Management in Construction Researchers Asso., Malaysia, pp. 383-388. 2006. [2] Senthamarai, R. M., P. Devadas Manoharan, and D. Gobinath. \"Concrete made from ceramic industry waste: Durability properties.\" Construction and Building Materials 25, no. 5 (2011): 2413-2419. [3] Ch, Hemanth Kumar, K. Ananda Ramakrishna, K. Sateesh Babu, T. Guravaiah, N. Naveen, and Jani Sk. \"Effect of waste ceramic tiles in partial replacement of coarse and fine aggregate of concrete.\" International Advanced Research Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology 2, no. 6 (2015): 13-16. [4] Demirel, Bahar. \"The effect of the using waste marble dust as fine sand on the mechanical properties of the concrete.\" International journal of the physical sciences 5, no. 9 (2010): 1372-1380. [5] Aruna, D., Rajendra Prabhu, Subhash C. Yaragal, and Katta Venkataramana. \"Studies on usage potential of broken tiles as part replacement to coarse aggregates in concretes.\" International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology 4, no. 7 (2015): 110-114. [6] Al Bakri, AM Mustafa, M. N. Norazian, H. Kamarudin, Mohd Arif Anuar Mohd Salleh, and A. Alida. \"Strength of concrete based cement using recycle ceramic waste as aggregate.\" Advanced materials research 740 (2013): 734-738. [7] Borsare, Suraj V., Gyanendra Kumar, Mukul J. Patel, Satish Kumar, Chetan Telmasare, Subodh R. Mundawane, and Preety Morey. \"REPLACEMENT OF SAND BY QUARRY DUST IN CONCRETE.\" (2021). [8] Sekar, T., N. Ganesan, and N. V. N. Nampoothiri. \"Studies on strength characteristics on utilization of waste materials as coarse aggregate in concrete.\" International Journal of Engineering Science and Technology 3, no. 7 (2011): 5436-5440. [9] Subedi, Bikash, Dhurba Kumar Wagle, and Keshav Basnet. \"Utilization of crushed ceramic tile wastes as partial replacement of coarse aggregate in concrete production.\" International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT) (2020): 1572-1584. [10] Giridhar, V., H. Sudarsana Rao, and P. Suresh Praveen Kumar. \"Influence of ceramic waste aggregate properties on strength of ceramic waste aggregate concrete.\" IJRET 4 (2015): 15-24. [11] Sekar, M. \"Partial replacement of coarse aggregate by waste ceramic tile in concrete.\" International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology 5, no. 3 (2017): 473-479. [12] Peter, D. M., AR Mohd Sam, A. Z. Awang, C. K. Ma, P. S. Loo, W. A. W. Jusoh, and S. A. Abd Latif. \"Influence of industrial ceramic waste aggregates on elastic properties of concrete.\" International Journal of Integrated Engineering 12, no. 4 (2020): 259-265. [13] Singh, Parminder, and Rakesh Kumar Singla. \"Utilization of waste ceramic tiles as coarse aggregate in concrete.\" Journal of Multidisciplinary Engineering Science and Technology (JMEST) Vol 2 (2015): 3294-3300. [14] Prasath, K. S., T. Tamilselvan, and R. Manobala. \"Experimental investigation on mechanical and durability properties of concrete incorporated with quarry dust.\" International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) 6, no. 1 (2019): 1610-1614. [15] Poonam, Anoop Bishnoi, and Manju Bala. \"Effect of Quarry Dust as partial replacement of sand in concrete.\" International Journal of All Research Education and Scientific Methods 3, no. 6 (2015): 1-5. [16] Marwein, Batriti Monhun R., M. Sneha, and I. Bharathidasan. \"A review paper on utilisation of ceramic waste in concrete.\" Int. J. Sci. Eng. Res. (IJSER) 7, no. 4 (2016): 247-250. [17] Mandavi, Hitesh Kumar, Vikas Srivastava, and V. C. Agarwal. \"Durability of concrete with ceramic waste as fine aggregate replacement.\" International Journal of Engineering Science and Technical Research 3 (2015): 196-199. [18] Senthamarai, R. M., and P. Devadas Manoharan. \"Concrete with ceramic waste aggregate.\" Cement and concrete composites 27, no. 9-10 (2005): 910-913. [19] Ezeagu, C. A., and M. S. Agusi. \"Effects of The Total and Partial Replacement of Sharp Sand with Quarry Dust on Concrete.\" J Adv Res Const Urban Arch 3, no. 4 (2018): 1-6. [20] Ikponmwosa, E. E., and S. O. Ehikhuenmen. \"The effect of ceramic waste as coarse aggregate on strength properties of concrete.\" Nigerian Journal of Technology 36, no. 3 (2017): 691-696. [21] Ramadevi, K. \"A study on properties of concrete with ceramic waste replaced for fine aggregate.\" International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology 8, no. 88 (2017): 1730-1737. [22] Suresh Chandra, H. S., G. Sarangapani, and BG Naresh Kumar. \"Experimental investigation on the effect of replacement of sand by quarry dust in hollow concrete block for different mix proportions.\" International Journal of Environmental Science and Development 5, no. 1 (2014): 15. [23] Al Bakri, A. Mohd Mustafa, M. N. Norazian, H. Kamarudin, and C. M. Ruzaidi. \"The potential of recycled ceramic waste as coarse aggregates for concrete.\" In Proceedings of the MUCET, Malaysian Universities Conferences on Engineering and Technology, Putra Brasmana, Perlis, Malaysia, pp. 8-10. 2008. [24] Balamurugan, G., and P. Perumal. \"Use of quarry dust to replace sand in concrete–An experimental study.\" International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications 3, no. 12 (2013): 1. [25] Chauhan, Sumit L., and Raju A. Bondre. \"Partial replacement of sand with quarry dust in concrete.\" International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications 5, no. 7 (2015): 1-4. [26] Laboratory Manual on Concrete Technology by Dr. H Sood, LN Mittal, Dr. PD Kulkarni [27] IS:456-2000-Code of practice for plain and reinforced concrete. [28] IS:10262-2019-Concrete mix proportioning-Guidelines. [29] IS:383-2016-Code for coarse and fine aggregate for concrete.

Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Ravikant Kumar, Dr. Hemant Sood. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.