Effectiveness of using domestic treated wastewater in mortar on physical and mechanical properties

Abstract

The current study focuses on the usage of treated domestic wastewater and replacement of mortar sand with recycled alternative materials to satisfy the increasing indigence of natural resources. Blast furnace steel slag in steel making factories is industrial wastes which has the ability to be used as a partial substitute for sand and to completely replace tap water with treated domestic wastewater in mortar. In this paper, the impact on mechanical and physical properties of the mortar when using treated domestic wastewater as mixing water and natural sand replaced in ratio of 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% with steel slag. It is found that used treated wastewater reduced the compressive, flexural and direct tensile strengths by 31%, 10% and 9% respectively compared with control mix of tap water at the age of 28-day. Thus, steel slag increased the strength for mixes that contain tap water by 28% and 27% for compressive for 20%, and 40% ratios respectively. In mixes containing treated wastewater the strengths increase in mixes of 20%, 40% and 60% ratios, were 30%, 5%, and 3 % for compressive strength respectively. This study shows that the treated wastewater could be used in cement mortar and concrete as mixing water as an alternative of tap water, and the usage of steel slag as sand replacement free the environment from tons of waste materials as recycled materials