Evaluation ofwaste perlite fines in the production of construction materials

• DOI: 10.1007/s10973-006-8107-z
• Publication Date: 2007-04-07T23:41:37Z
• Authors: A. Ray; R. Sriravindrarajah; J.-P. Guerbois; P. S. Thomas; S. Border; H. N. Ray; J. Haggman; P. Joyce
• Keywords: 0211 other engineering and technologies; 02 engineering and technology; 12. Responsible consumption

The use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) is a well established practice worldwide in the manufacture of Portland cement (PC)-based construction materials. While utilisation of industrial by-products has been successful, the potential of mining wastes is yet to receive adequate attention in the context of construction materials. In an expanded form perlite, which is a naturally occurring, hydrated volcanic siliceous glass, is an ideal material as a lightweight aggregate for use in a wide range of construction materials including concrete. The mining and processing of the grades of perlite required for the production of lightweight aggregate results in the creation of a fine grained waste which currently has no economic value. This paper reports preliminary data on the utilisation of waste perlite fines as a SCM in calcium silicate-based construction material and discusses the potential of this mining waste to reduce the environmental impact of the production of conventional cement-based construction materials.