Abstract

The increasing concerns regarding buildings’ sustainability throughout their lifecycle is a decisive criterion for systems and materials selection, both for new construction and rehabilitation. The valorization of regional industries wastes, namely fly ashes and pulp mill sludge, in bonding and rendering mortars, partially replacing the mortar’s binder, was tested. The main goal was to study the ability to minimize the production costs and the environmental impact of mortar production with the development of an eco-material.<br />To evaluate the wastes and cement chemical characteristics, leaching procedures were performed, previous to mortar manufacture. Mortars, with and without waste incorporation, were made allowing comparative analyses of the adhesive capacity of the materials under study. The mechanical strength was also evaluated by compressive and flexural strength tests at different ages. Chemical stability of mortars was tested at 28-day samples.<br />Results showed that the incorporation of small amounts of ashes from biomass and lime mud from a paper mill in the mortars did not decrease significantly the mechanical strength and had no negative effect in the chemical behavior of the mixtures.