See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/324902707

Recycling paper industry effluent sludge for use in mortars: A sustainability

perspective

Article  in  Journal of Cleaner Production · May 2018

DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.05.011

CITATIONS READS

2 160

4 authors, including:

Afonso Rangel Garcez de Azevedo Gustavo de Castro Xavier

Universidade Federal Fluminense Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense
102 PUBLICATIONS   38 CITATIONS    87 PUBLICATIONS   147 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Leonardo Gonçalves Pedroti

Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV)
43 PUBLICATIONS   27 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Desenvolvimento de um aditivo para argamassas de múltiplo uso utilizando uma composição de argila e calcário View project

Investigation of the influence of mortar’s compressive strength on the compressive behavior of the concrete structural masonry View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Afonso Rangel Garcez de Azevedo on 10 May 2018.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 Journal of Cleaner Production 192 (2018) 335e346

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Journal of Cleaner Production

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jclepro

Recycling paper industry effluent sludge for use in mortars: A

sustainability perspective
Afonso R.G. de Azevedo a, *, Jonas Alexandre a, Gustavo de C. Xavier a,
Leonardo G. Pedroti b
a
UENF - State University of the Northern Rio de Janeiro, LECIVeCivil Engineering Laboratory, Av. Alberto Lamego, 2000, 28013-602, Campos Dos
Goytacazes, Brazil
b
UFV - Federal University of Viçosa, DECeDepartment of Civil Engineering, Av. P.H. Rolfs, 36570-000, Viçosa, Brazil

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The paper and cellulose manufacturing industry generates significant quantities of waste, including an
Received 7 August 2017 extremely humid sludge, which is considered to be an effluent with high environmental liability for the
Received in revised form manufacturer. Studies have shown that this waste sludge may be utilized in construction material, such
24 April 2018
as mortar for fixing blocks, as well as for ceiling and wall coatings that use ceramic masonry as a sealant.
Accepted 2 May 2018
Available online 2 May 2018
The recycling of pulp and paper industry waste sludge has important environmental benefits, by pre-
venting soil and water pollution caused by inadequate disposal and by reducing the depletion of natural
Handling Editor: Yutao Wang resources, such as lime, used in cementitious materials. This study analyzed the sustainability of
incorporating such waste into cement-based mortars. Tests were conducted replacing lime, one of the
Keywords: most expensive mortar components with high environmental impact, with waste sludge in contents of
Industrial waste 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%. Analysis was then performed on the samples to assess the primary technical
Mortar characteristics of these incorporated mortars, such as the consistency index, heat of hydration, content of
Sustainability incorporated air, water retention, mechanical strength and the capillarity coefficient. The results were
Effluent sludge
compared with the results of the characterization tests that were performed on the waste material. The
Paper industry
results showed that for use in wall and ceiling mortar coatings, the level of incorporation should not
exceed 10%, because higher levels yield lower values of mechanical strength resistance, incompatible
with market requirements. This result is probably due to the low heat of hydration of the waste material
which generates slower reactions. On the other hand, higher levels of waste material content, above 10%,
are appropriate convenient for mortar used to fill small repairs in masonry that do not require control of
properties.
© 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction industrialization (Staley and Barlaz, 2009). Brazil, for instance,

1.1. Sustainability actions
The concept of sustainability, as applied to the industrial sector,
began around 1970 in Europe and North America targeting solid
waste generation and other pollutants, such as air contaminants.
Those developed countries began to adopt austere environmental
policies for the sector (Sieffert et al., 2014).
In contrast, developing countries have only recently begun to be
concerned with environmental issues because of their late history of
* Corresponding author. .
E-mail address: afonso.garcez91@gmail.com (A.R.G. de Azevedo).
reached a sustainability landmark when it enacted its National Policy
of Solid Waste in 2010 (Hanson et al., 2010). The law is intended for
urban solid waste management associated with concepts such as
inverse logistics models and elimination of open air storage (Govidan
et al., 2016). The Brazilian Association of Public Sanitation and Special
Waste Disposal CompanieseABRELPE - reported that, of the 70
million tons of urban solid waste collected annually in Brazil, 42% is
still destined to landfills and dumps considered to be environmentally
inappropriate (ABRELPE, 2016). According to Lech (2014), the great
challenge for Brazil is sustainable growth, driven by public policies
associated with a wide range of actions, in order for future generations
to achieve a good quality of life.
In this context, the country is currently developing legislation
based on a policy of proper solid waste management, aiming for a

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.05.011
0959-6526/© 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
336 A.R.G. de Azevedo et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 192 (2018) 335e346

20% reduction in waste disposed of in landfills. This policy includes

the destination of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) for reuse actions,
such as the large scale incorporation into applied materials (Deus
et al., 2017), such as those for building construction. In fact, Vieira
et al. (2016) reported that the incorporation of paper industry
waste sludge into clay ceramic products has recently contributed to
an almost 60% reduction in this sludge being sent to municipal
landfills. Similarly, Frias et al. (2015) investigated the possible
application of paper industry sludge as a soil conditioner. The
common goal of all of these actions is to contribute to environ-
mental sustainability. A review of the international literature
demonstrates other wastes that have the application of soil stabi-
lization, such as biochar, which is made from pyrolysis biomass and
helps to control climate change (Marou
sek et al., 2015a,b) and has
in its production process a need for optimization because of the
large volumes produced, which can be perfectly used (Marou
sek,
Fig. 1. Concepts associated with sustainability (Zolfania et al., 2017).
2014). In the case of paper industry effluent sludge, waste man-
agement takes into consideration the total volume produced rela-
tive to paper production, currently about 40%.
construction. One possible method to reduce lime consumption is
In this respect, the developing countries are currently devel-
the use of paper manufacturing sludge to replace the lime in
oping legislation based on solid waste management policies, aim-
mortar. Such a substitution in material would reduce the exploi-
ing to reduce 20% of those being disposed of in landfills. This policy
tation of natural resources, both the depletion of raw materials as
includes the destination of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) for reuse
well as use of energy required for processing.
actions, such as incorporation in large-scale applied materials
Cultural aspects must be verified in building materials, such as
(Deus et al., 2017), such as those for building construction. In fact,
their composition, with a cleaner and more sustainable production.
Vieira et al. (2016) related thatthe incorporation of paper industry
The sludge from the pulp and paper production process is an in-
waste sludge into clay ceramic products has recently contributed to
dustrial waste cited in the literature as being non-hazardous
an almost 60% reduction in this sludge being sent to municipal
(Pinheiro et al., 2008). being analyzed by the constituents
landfills. Frias et al. (2015) also investigated the possible
released during their solubilization (Lee et al., 2015), especially
application.
when added to a cementitious matrix since the reactions that occur
In general, sustainability is associated with three basic concepts
internally can generate compounds with high toxicity, releasing in
(Fig. 1): sociocultural, economic, and environmental. The impor-
some cases heavy metals (Argane et al., 2015), allowing your
tance of each of them depends on the condition of a given sector,
evaluation aiming at its use and production on a commercial scale,
always aiming for quality of life (Hoseini et al., 2013; Alnaser et al.,
generating the lowest possible environmental impact, contributing
2008).
to clean production (Zolfania et al., 2017). The excessive release of
In the civil construction sector, traditionally lacking in envi-
carbon-based compounds can be a major environmental obstacle
ronmental controls, sustainability initiatives still suffer from
for the use of solid waste in building materials and should be
resistance to change, whether from companies in the sector or even
evaluated. According to the literature, the sludge studied in this
from the consumer market.
research has a low carbon content. (Mymrin et al., 2015).
An important challenge for sustainability in civil construction is
the consumption of natural raw materials, such as cement, the
exploitation and production of which have a high environmental 1.2. Paper processing waste
impact. Indeed, the cement production process is extremely
damaging to the environment. Another example is lime, produced The paper and cellulose industry is present worldwide, owing to
by heating limestone to temperatures reaching 1110  C, generating the importance of its produce in a day and is growing at annual
calcium oxide (CaO) and eliminating carbon dioxide (CO2). In this rates of up to 30%. A consequence of this growth is the generation of
process, a large amount of raw material is depleted, approximately significant quantities of waste. Predominant among these is an
2 tons of quarried limestone for each ton of virgin lime produced extremely humid sludge with an average of 50% water content, in
(Mymrin et al., 2015). In addition to the large quantity of minerals addition to kaolin, celluloseand other minor constituents, including
extracted to obtain lime, this processes requires a significant use of heavy metals (Joshi et al., 2017). According to earlier studies (Boni
energy resources to manufacture the product. According to et al., 2004; Hamm and Gottsching, 1989), the fraction of metal in
Contreras et al. (2016), wood was the predominant energy source paper sludge is not significant and represents a low environmental
used in the lime transformation process between 1987 and 1996, at risk, justifying its withdrawal from the European 2007 IPPC norm.
49.4%, followed by wood processing wastes (44,9%), and electricity In most parts of the world, paper sludge is disposed of in landfills
(5,8%). where it can cause serious contamination of soil and groundwater.
In particular, the use of lime in mortar is very important in civil The United States Environmental Protection Agency estimates that
construction. Mortar can have multiple uses, including fixing or over 250 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) are gener-
binding building blocks, as well as wall and ceiling coatings which ated per year, of which around 30% is attributable to paper, either in
serve as a regularization layer, later to be painted. Mortar is also the form of initial processing sludge or final discarded packaging.
used as glue to fix plates and coat walls or floors. The majority of Paper related MSW possesses a significant amount of cellulose
multiple-use mortars are composed of cement, lime, and sand in (Marou
sek et al., 2015a,b). European countries have reported
varying amounts (traces), according to the area of use and appli- promising reductions, on the order of 15%, in the proportion of
cation (Marastoni et al., 2016). paper waste in their MSW. Furthermore, countries, such as Austria
The search for methods to reduce the consumption of lime has (Walter and Tesar, 2009), Spain (Cusido  et al., 2015) (Monte et al.,
proven to be extremely important to sustainability in civil 2009), and the United Kingdom (Smith, 2014), are not only
 A.R.G. de Azevedo et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 192 (2018) 335e346
investigating, but also already incorporating paper waste sludge in
materials for civil construction.
The paper industry has a number of adverse effects on the
environment, including in the generation of large amounts solid
waste as well as theexploitation of natural wood resources for
cellulose production, which is the basis for its manufacturing. It is
estimated that for every ton of paper produced, approximately 0.4
ton of waste is generated (Toczyłowska-Mamin  ska, 2017). The
enormous amount of waste generated at each stage in the paper
manufacturing process must have an appropriate destination ac-
cording to the directives of the Brazilian environmental legislation
that established the National Policy for Solid Waste in 2003
(Azevedo et al., 2017a,b).
Indeed, the paper and cellulose industry is responsible for a
considerable amount of a specific waste, which is generated in the
form of effluent sludge at different steps in the manufacturing
process (Guerrini et al., 2017) (Mirkovic et al., 2015). Many solutions
have been proposed for the disposal of paper waste sludge. One of
the most common solutions is to send the sludge to sanitary
landfills (Bravo et al., 2015), which is very expensive for the in-
dustry. Other applications have been proposed for paper waste
sludge, such as use in material for road foundations (Silva Junior,
2010) and building construction (Ahmadi and Al-Khaja, 2001a,b).
The sludge generated at different stages in the paper produc-
tion process was originally taken to a decantation tank, allowing
for different levels of treatment (primary, secondary or tertiary)
and subsequent disposal (usually in landfills) (Guerrini et al.,
2017). In general, the treatment of these effluents occurs at the
primary level due to advantages such as the costs involved, but
there are other steps that can be carried out allowing secondary
and tertiary treatment, which generates a purer sludge due to the
chemical processes that aim to obtain a residue with lower per-
centage of impurities, being much more advantageous from the
environmental point of view than the primary one (Cusido  et al.,
2015). However, studies show that treatment at the secondary
and tertiary level costs about 10% more energy and financial re-
sources in the industries of this segment, which is one of its major
disadvantages, but favors the use of this residue in some specific
materials, such as high strength composites (Walter and Tesar,
2009). Thus, most of the industries in the industry carry out
treatment at the primary level, because in addition to being more
economical, this treatment still allows their disposal in landfills
(in an environmentally correct manner by environmental legis-
lation) and its use in materials such as cement and ceramics, we
can cite examples of countries such as Brazil, USA and some Eu-
ropeans that use primary treatment in their pulp and paper in-
dustries (Cusido  et al., 2015) (Smith, 2014).
There are also some studies aimed at the incineration of pulp
and paper industry waste, however several authors have demon-
strated that this disposal alternative entails unacceptable envi-
ronmental risks due to compounds that are released into the
atmosphere, as well high costs linked to the process (Gao et al.,
2017).
According to international standards, the effluent sludge
resulting from the paper manufacturing process is classified as non-
dangerous and non-inert, guiding the possibility of its incorpora-
tion into construction materials. This classification is consistent
with the literature and international agency guidelines
(Malinauskaite et al., 2017). The high humidity content poses dif-
ficulties in transportation and in applications for other materials
(Sim~ ao et al., 2017). By contrast, the high concentration of fibrous
material in the sludge composition, derived from cellulose used in
the paper production, is a favorable factor for its use in cementi-
tious materials, as reported in several published studies (Cavdar
et al., 2017).
337
Some authors (Pinheiro et al., 2008; Vieira et al., 2016) examined
the morphological aspects of the waste by means of micrographs
attained by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). They reported
that the sludge presents small interlaced tubes, representing cel-
lulose fibers, present in a more compact form, possibly an
agglomerate composed of cellulose, calcite, and kaolinite.
The relatively visible appearance of the cellulose fibers with
particles associated with their surface has been observed by
Pinheiro et al. (2008), such morphological constitution of the waste
indicates that, because of the presence of the cellulose fibers, it may
behave as a reinforcement material inside the cement matrix. As a
consequence, resulting in a more resistant mortar with higher
packing, decrease of its absorption by capillarity, and consequently
improving the parameters related to durability (Vieira et al., 2016).
The tubular form of cellulose fibers was found to promote
greater interfacial adhesion between the paper sludge and the
cement paste in mortar. This is due to the increase in contact sur-
face area as well as the heat released by the hydration reaction,
both of which contribute to the transformation of the waste ma-
terial within the cementitious matrix (Ranachowski and
Schabowicz, 2017).
1.3. Cementitious mortars
Cementitious materials, like traditional mortar, always present
microstructural pores due to the interaction of constituents with
cement and water. These may cause excessive shrinkage and
reduction over the course of its useful life (Kelham, 1988). The
evaluation of water absorption by a cementitious mortar after cure
is done by capillarity, which has a direct relationship with dura-
bility, especially for mortars that are exposed to aggressive envi-
ronmental conditions (Lockington et al., 2015) (Hall, 1989). In
addition to porosity, the accumulation of fluids causes interfacial
reactions as well as development of hydrated products that affect
the mortar (Barneyback and Diamond, 1981).
Hydration reactions, occurring between the cement paste and
aggregates, release not only heat but also CO2, which is related to
global warming. As for mortar microstructure, hydration is
responsible for cracks that affect the mechanical properties and
durability, as well as water permeability and atmospheric gas
diffusion (Trtnik et al., 2008). Studies on hydration heat measure-
ments demonstrate its effect on several xxx properties, including a
decrease in durability (Boumiz et al., 1996).
1.4. Objective of this work
The main objective of the present work is to evaluate the effect
of partial substitution of paper sludge, up to 20 wt%, for lime in
cementitious mortars. To achieve this objective, a technical evalu-
ation of the sludge-incorporated mortars, in a paste-like condition,
was carried out by means of standard tests, aiming for a more
sustainable production.
2. Experimental procedure
2.1. Materials
Brazilian Portland II Cement-E (CPII-E) was chosen, in order to
manufacture the mortar used in this work, which was composed of
cement, lime, sand, and waste sludge material. This cement is
composed of 56%e94% limestone and a high-temperature mix of
clays as clinker. In addition, gypsum and 6%e34% of slag are
included in the cement composition for improved workability. The
compressive strength of the cement is indicated as 32 MPa after 28
days of cure (NBR 11578, 1991). The use of CPII-E is justified because
338 A.R.G. de Azevedo et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 192 (2018) 335e346
this kind of cement releases heat more slowly during the hydration
reactions (Nie et al., 2017). This favors a decrease in mortar
retraction and, consequently, reduces the appearance of cracks,
which may affect the mechanical properties of the material (Wong
and Buenfeld, 2009). This was the reason for checking the cement
batch, to keep every trial from the same production batch. The
brazilian Votorantim cement brand was chosen, due to its high
quality and availability.
As for the lime, brazilian hydrated lime III (CHIII) was used,
which is composed of both calcium and magnesium hydroxides.
This lime is extremely thin and light, favoring water retention and
reaction speed properties. However, unlike cement which is a hy-
draulic agglomerate that hardens in contact with the water (Mira
et al., 2002), lime hardens in contact with air and is denominated
as an aerial agglomerate (Scho € ler et al., 2015). The nomenclature
(CHI, II, or III) differentiates the purity level, which impacts the
production cost. The less expensive CHIII is often used as the most
economical alternative in civil construction as it also meets the
recommendations established by the Brazilian standards (Azevedo
et al., 2017a,b). The lime used in this study was Brazilian SuperCal
(CHIII), which complies with all required technical standards in the
State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where this work was conducted.
The sand, used as humid aggregate, comes from the Paraiba do
Sul riverbed in the southeast of Brazil, and is classified as a natural
sand with maximum diameter equal to or lower than 4.8 mm (NBR
MN 51, 2001). This sand was subjected to a rigorous sieving oper-
ation in order to obtain a uniform distribution of particle sizes. The
objective was to have particles as fine as 2.2 mm for better packing
of the incorporated mortar for an expected increase in mechanical
strength and reduced porosity (Azevedo et al., 2017a,b).
The water was sourced from the public water supply, presenting
the drinkability standards required by the National Council on the
Environment-CONAMA, according to the data provided by the
supplying company. It has been reported that the water tempera-
ture at the moment of mortar fabrication may influence some
technical properties (Jeyaprabha et al., 2016). Therefore, care was
taken to control the water temperature at around 23 ± 2  C during
the mixing of the paper sludge with the cement and other mortar
components.
The waste used in this study came from the sludge separation
stage of the paper manufacturing process. It was collected in the
final operational stage from the Companhia Paduana de Papeis
(COPAPA), located in the city of Santo Antonio de Padua, in the state
of Rio de Janeiro. This paper sludge was transported to our labo-
ratory in the city of Campos dos Goytacazes, which is located
nearby. This sludge is gray in color, extremely humid and primarily
composed of kaolin and cellulose. It went through a mixing and
homogenization process before being added to the mortar (Seo
et al., 2017).
2.2. Methods
Fig. 2 shows a schematic illustration of the methodology used
for this work. The waste processing consisted of a local drying
process at room temperature (23  C) for a 24-h period to extract the
excess humidity, followed by heating in an oven for 24 h at
110 ± 5  C and subsequent cooling at room temperature (23  C).
When the material was removed from the oven, its dry condition
was verified manually by touch. The grinding of the waste material
was performed in a ball mill operating at 30 rotations per minute,
using a grinding load of roller and 12 steel balls with an approxi-
mate diameter of 48 mm and a mass between 390 g and 445 g. This
grinding operation is in accordance with the 2001 NBR NM 51-
Coarse Aggregate- “Los Angeles” Abrasion Test. After these steps,
the material was packed and stored for use in the trials, thus
presenting the features for its incorporation (Ribeiro and Abrantes,
2001).
A chemical, physical, and mineralogical characterization of the
waste was performed after processing in order to evaluate its
condition and enable a decision on the incorporation amount.
Based on experimental data from authors working with such ma-
terial (Frias et al., 2015), a mathematical model was used by plan-
ning a simplex network to set the optimum experimental trace
(proportion of each material in the mortar). The simplex methods
are adjusted to set a response surface as a function of the param-
eters analyzed, ensuring a condition for the least possible error
(Ko
cí et al., 2016).
According to the ANOVA (variance analysis) test, the quadratic
model presents the lowest dispersion of values. A fixed base trace
was found presenting water/agglomerated and cement/lime/sand
ratios of 0.80 up to 0.95, and 1:1:6, respectively, with lime mass
replacements implemented at varying levels of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and
20%. The waste incorporation levels come from several studies
assessing the technological parameters of waste incorporation into
cement matrices, as well as from the material characterization re-
sults and the prognosis of the mathematic model studied (Shi et al.,
2015).
The technological tests (trials) with the mortars were sub-
divided into fresh state trials, which is the mortar in its fluid-paste
state, and hardened state trials, which is the mortar consolidated
for application. The first trial to be performed in the fresh state was
to establish the consistency of the mortar, and consequently, the
amount of water to be used in each trace. There are different
methods for establishing this property, and this work used the
dispersal of the trunk of the cone on a table as recommended by the
Brazilian standards (NBR 13276, 2016) (Chen and Zhang, 2015).
As for the trial to measure the mass density (NBR 13,278, 2005),
the purpose is to assess the influence of the waste material on the
volumetric mass of the mortar to be tested while in the fresh state.
The measurement of bulk density is important for determining the
content of incorporated air, which is another important property of
mortar that affects its rheological behavior. It corresponds to the
amount of air in a given mortar volume, generally expressed as a
Fig. 2. Scheme of the methodology used.
 A.R.G. de Azevedo et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 192 (2018) 335e346 339

percentage. Mortar workability is influenced by the percentage of 11 h followed by air exposure, again for 30 min. A total wet/dry
air (Haach et al., 2011). Two kinds of holes filled with air can be cycle of 24 h is required. These cycles are repeated after 15, 30, and
found inside the mortar: incorporated air bubbles and trapped air 45 days (cycles 1, 2, and 3, respectively) followed by loss of mass
holes. The control of the content of incorporated air, by determining analysis and mechanical resistance measurements (Piazzarollo
minimum and maximum desirable limits and identifying the ex- et al., 2015).
istence of air holes, is fundamental for controlling the quality of the The mortars evaluated in this work, with varying levels of lime
mortar, (Hemalatha et al., 2016). substitution, were submitted to solubilization tests (CONAMA,
Measurement of water retention (NBR 13277, 2005) was carried 2012), and hazardous constituents of the extracts were qualita-
out by means of a suction procedure to set the amount of water tively and quantitatively evaluated in order to determine the
(expressed as a percentage) retained in the mortar. Water retention presence of any elements harmful to man and/or the environment.
interferes with the chemical reaction of mortar agglomerates, The quantitative evaluation was performed according to the
which requires an appropriate amount of water (Govin et al., 2016). American standard, CFR - Hazardous waste management.
Mechanical resistance, adherence, and durability are properties
that depend on the water retention of the mortar (Marliere et al.,
3. Results and discussion
2012). Water retention is the property of the mortar. in its fresh
state, to maintain a favorable consistency even under situations
3.1. Characterization
involving water loss (Poinot et al., 2014). Water is responsible for
transporting hydration products in the cement to the pores and
The constituents of paper waste sludge has some distinctive
cavities of the substrate, favoring the mechanical anchorage be-
characteristics. Understanding of these characteristics by use of
tween them with direct influence on the hardened state of the
specific methods is extremely important for evaluating the qualities
adhesive mortar (Gartner et al., 2017).
of sludge-incorporated mortar. Indeed, the behavior of paper waste
The heat of hydration is an important parameter in cementitious
sludge as a mortar component may be understood by means of
materials in which reactions release a large amount of heat (Abbas
typical elemental analysis and chemical characterization tests.
and Majdi, 2017). This release may cause the formation of cracks
Chemical characterization results from energy-dispersive ray
and a change in temperature, which impair the durability and ef-
spectroscopy (EDX) are presented in Table 1.
ficiency of the mortars (Baran and Pichniarczyk, 2017). The test to
The results presented in Table 1 show that the waste is pre-
measure heat of hydration consists evaluating the specimen tem-
dominantly composed of calcium oxide, CaO, silicon dioxide, SiO2
perature after a period up to its complete stabilization (Liu et al.,
and aluminum oxide, Al2O3. The CaO is associated with calcite. The
2017).
SiO2 and Al2O3 combine to form the structure of kaolinite. Carbon is
Presently, there are a variety of tests established by national and
associated with the presence of cellulose. The other oxides present,
international agencies to measure the mechanical resistance of
TiO2 and Fe2O3, are probably impurities present in the kaolin and
mortars. In Brazil, the Brazilian Association of Technical Norms
calcite. Cl, Na, and K are elements that probably exist in the sludge
(NBR 7215, 1997) mechanically determines the resistance with
or were introduced in its processing. The high amount, 79 wt%, of
simple compression, tensile as well as flexural tests by using pris-
CaO contributes to the paste reactions. In fact, CaO may increase the
matic specimens (4  4  16 cm) in a machine with an appropriate
mechanical strength of the mortar. However, the final properties of
load cell.
the incorporated mortar depend on several other factors in addi-
The determination of water absorption through the mortar
tion to the composition of the waste material (Porter et al., 2017).
capillarity was performed to set the capillarity coefficient according
To evaluate the possibility of partially replacing the lime, the
to the directives of the Brazilian standards. To obtain the water
paper waste sludge was submitted to the determination of its
absorption, three specimens were used after 28 days of curing. The
pozzolanicity. Thus, influencing the ability of the waste to actuate
surface of each specimen was rubbed with rough sandpaper, and
as a pozzolanic material, and therefore enabling it to substitute for
cleaned with a brush before measuring the initial mass. The square
the agglomerate (lime). An often-used method for this measure-
face of the specimen was placed over supports in the test vessel to
ment is that proposed by Luxan et al. (1989), which is relatively fast,
prevent wetting of other surfaces. The water level remained con-
because it assesses the conductivity measurement that may be
stant at 5 ± 1 mm above the face touching the water. From the
applied to natural materials. Thus, the pozzolanic activity index of
placement of the specimens touching the water, the mass was
the waste material was measured based on the variation in the
measured at 10 and 90 min, and later, correlations to the capillarity
electrical conductivity in a specific saturated calcium hydroxide
coefficient were obtained by the difference between m90 (mass at
solution over a given period of time. The pozzolanicity assessment
90 min) and m10 (mass at 10 min) (NBR 15,259, 2005).
of a material, as measured by conductivity, may be classified as
The durability investigation was based on a methodology that
follows: non-pozzolanic, medium pozzolanicity, and good pozzo-
recommends the evaluation of a given construction, or its parts, to
lanicity. The results for the studied waste material are shown in
attend the user needs at a required time (Kallel et al., 2016).
Table 2.
Because mortars are subject to air expansion, it is necessary to
The conductivity index is defined as the difference between the
predict some parameters, such as the loss of mass (Karataş et al.,
initial and final conductivity measurements. Values above 1.20 mS/
2017). The durability tests consist of placing the mortar speci-
cm are classified as having good pozzolanic activity. According to
mens, after 28 days, in a stove at an average temperature of 110  C
Table 2, the paper waste sludge may have similar properties to
for 11 h. After this period, the specimen should be exposed to air
pozzolans, presenting advantages as additions in mortar mixtur-
for 30 min and then immersed in water at room temperature for
es(Datta and Raj, 1983) (ASTM C618-15).

Table 1
Chemical characterization of the paper waste sludge by EDX, in % of compound.

CaO Al2O3 SiO2 K2O SO3 Fe2O3 TiO2 SrO ZnO ZrO2 Cl Na K

79 9 8 1 1 1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1

340 A.R.G. de Azevedo et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 192 (2018) 335e346

Table 2
Pozzolanicity assessment by the LUXAN method.
Pozzolanicity
Conductivity (mS/cm at 25  C)
Initial Final
7.09 5.30
Due to the high conductivity, based on the Luxan method, the
paper waste sludge tends to react with the calcium hydroxide in the
cement at room temperature, or at the internal temperature of the
mortar developed during the cure. This favors the mechanical
properties of the mortar and supports the possibility of partial
replacement of the lime (Azevedo et al., 2017a,b).
3.2. Technical results of the fresh state mortar trial
The procedure used to manufacture the mortar, according to the
experimental trace adopted, followed the sequence prescribed in
the standard (NBR 13276, 2016) for cement and lime-based mortar.
The consistency index was the first technological test carried out in
the mortar samples, and the results determine the amount of water
for a specific mass dispersal on a reduction table (260 mm variation
of 5 mm). This can be observed in Table 3, together with the
formulation of the mortar trace.
In Table 3, the trace adopted using the simplex methodology
was successful in meeting the parameters set for the water/
agglomerate ratio. These results show that the mortar mixes with
15% and 20% of waste-incorporation presented more difficulty in
handling because of their high fluidity, making them less useful for
civil construction applications. Workability characteristics can
determine the type of mortar application (AzariJafari et al., 2014).
Difference in conductivity
Recent studies indicate the composition of mortars that may be
used for mechanized projection, a process that still has limited
1.79 applications (Hendrickx et al., 2010). For more traditional applica-
tions, such as wall coatings, the workability parameter is of
fundamental relevance. The limits for this test methodology reveal
that for substitution up to 10%, the mortar performs according to
the standards. By contrast, higher percentages of waste material
causes weakening of the surface tension between the waste ma-
terial and the cement paste. This increases the workability of the
mortar, which is not convenient for coating applications (Song
et al., 2017).
The content (%) of incorporated air for the different levels waste
content can be seen in Fig. 3. The result of the test for content of
incorporated air shows an increase in the value as a function of the
content percentage of the replacement material. Several studies
have reported that values around 7%e17% of content of incorpo-
rated air are optimum to ensure a mortar for common application
conditions (Hendrickx et al., 2010; Azevedo et al., 2017a,b). Exces-
sive incorporated air causes problems for the durability of the
cement materials because of the high porosity found in the matrix.
The results show a considerable increase in incorporated air for
waste content levels of 15% and 20%, explaining the difficulty in
determining the consistency index, and precluding the use of these
mortar mixes in civil construction (Gokce et al., 2004).
A considerable increase in incorporated air content is a problem
in mortars because of the relatively higher porosity, which may
facilitate CO2 penetration from the atmosphere. This CO2 as well as

Table 3
Results of the trials to set the consistency in the mortars and trace formulations.

Addition (%) Cement (g) Lime (g) Sand (g) Waste (g) Water (g) Medium Spreading (mm) Water/Agglomerate

0% 150 150.0 900 0 240.00 261.60 0.80

5% 150 142.5 900 7.5 245.00 263.00 0.83
10% 150 135.0 900 15.0 250.00 262.00 0.87
15% 150 127.5 900 22.5 255.00 256.70 0.91
20% 150 120.0 900 30.0 257.50 258.30 0.95

70% 65.0%

60%
Incorporated air (%)

50%

40%
31.5%
30%

20% 17.5%
13.8%
10% 7.8%

0%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20%
% Replacement of waste
Fig. 3. Content of air incorporated (%) as a function of the lime content replaced with paper waste sludge.
 A.R.G. de Azevedo et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 192 (2018) 335e346 341

95
93.22

90

Water Retention (%)

85 83.06

81.03 80.97
78.10
80

75

70
0% 5% 10% 15% 20%
% Replacement of waste
Fig. 4. Water retention (%) as function of the content of lime content replaced with paper waste sludge.

other existing gases could react with the cement paste and cause perform the flexural strength test, the prepared specimens were
weakening of the final product (Martins et al., 2018). In some cases, placed in the support devices of the test equipment so that the
the increase in incorporated air can be beneficial to the density by shallow face was not in contact with the supporting devices or with
reducing the specific weight, however durability is impaired (Lima the load devices. Subsequently, a load of 50 ± 10 N/s was applied
et al., 2008). until the specimen ruptured. For the compression resistivity test,
Water retention was analyzed for each of the different content the two halves of ruptured specimens were used. The specimens
levels of waste material substitute, is shown in Fig. 4. were placed so that the shallow face did not come into contact with
The water retention results show a decrease in their numerical the supporting device or the loading device. A load of 500 ± 50 N/s
value. The proportional reduction is 10.89% between the reference was applied until the specimen ruptured.
trace (0%) and 5% waste material content, whereas the proportional Prismatic specimens were then tested after 7, 14, and 28 days.
reduction between the 5% and 20% content levels was 5.97%, thus There is a well-known direct relationship between the mechanical
showing sufficient stability in water retention after adding the strength of cementitious materials and the curing time, for up to 28
waste material. The incorporation of the waste material changes days of complete stabilization (Barneyback and Diamond, 1981).
the properties of the matrix after the cement hydration process, Studies have shown that rupture before 28 days is associated with
filling the existing pores with water from the hydration and comparatively lower results which could lead to erroneous con-
reducing the water retention ability in those spaces. Subsequently, clusions (Baran and Pichniarczyk, 2017).
the existing pores due to incorporated air are saturated by the This is shown in Fig. 5, with respect to flexural strength, and in
water released by the hydration reaction and by air, preventing the Fig. 6, for the simple compression tests.
accumulation of more water in those pores (Seo et al., 2017).
The water retention influences the time available for the
addition of the waste material to contribute to the regularization
of the mortar. There is also a change in some properties, in its
hardened state, that are influenced by reactions of the agglom-
erates during the cure. These properties may be related to the
retention of consistency and retraction from drying. This happens
because there is a tendency for the mortar to keep the water
required to dampen its surface, enabling the hydration reactions
of the agglomerates to be processed. Moreover, cracking is very
easily formed after the waste material is added and dried.
Therefore, values well below those properties preclude its use, as
in the case of the 20% trace.

3.3. Technical results of the mortar in its hardened state

Mechanical strength tests were performed on the mortar sam-

ples with a universal testing machine for measuring the tensile
strength, compressive strength, and flexural strength (model EMIC
23-1 MN, electromechanical with 100,000-kg capacity), following Fig. 5. Flexural strength of mortar mixes with varying lime replacement levels
(rupture variation after 7, 14, and 28 molding days).
all the requirements of the Brazilian standards (NBR 7215, 1997). To
342 A.R.G. de Azevedo et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 192 (2018) 335e346

Table 4
Capillarity coefficient as a function of the waste replacement percentages in
the traces studied.

% Waste Capillarity coefficient (g/sq. min1/2)

0% 14.46
5% 14.30
10% 13.90
15% 12.34
20% 11.23

Table 5
Percentage of mass loss in mortar mixes with waste substitution content levels.

% Waste Cycle 1 Cycle 2 Cycle 3

0% 2.10 2.50 3.10

5% 2.15 2.84 3.20
10% 2.20 2.95 3.25
15% 3.50 4.20 5.50
Fig. 6. Mechanical strength to compression in mortar mixes with varying lime 20% 4.30 5.47 6.90
replacement levels (rupture variation after 7, 14, and 28 molding days).

microstructural defects (Abbas and Majdi, 2017). However, exces-

Fig. 7. Specimen temperature over 28 days of cure. Note that in this figure, the
specimens with no addition (0%) and 5% addition of waste material present close
values and a similar trend with maximum temperatures occurring around 9 days. As
the % of waste material increases, the temperature decreases with a tendency to
displace the maximum temperatures toward higher values. For instance, the sample
with addition of 20% waste is associated with a 45  C maximum after 12 days. This
behavior is shown in Fig. 8, for a hardened mortar with slow hydration reactions and,
consequently, lower strength with increasing % of waste addition (Liu et al., 2017;
Abbas and Majdi, 2017) as confirmed in Figs. 5 and 6.
The results of the mechanical strength tests were satisfactory
and within the usual values in the literature for block fixing, as well
as ceiling and wall coating mortars. Despite the low values found
for the samples in the fresh state, the results show that the mortars
are appropriate for the intended purpose. Very consistent mortars
can be hard to use because of the low deformations they suffer,
which may be extremely bad when masonry joins structural ele-
ments, for instance, where the mortar must absorb the stress
imposed on it.
These results are similar to other findings reported in the liter-
ature, demonstrating that incorporation of high amounts of paper
sludge into ceramic (Cusido  et al., 2015) or cementitious (Ahmadi
and Al-Khaja, 2001a,b) materials impair mechanical strength. In
fact, an increase in the incorporation of paper waste sludge would
not increase the strength of the material because the lime stabili-
zation effect ends up reducing the final strength (Ahmadi and Al-
Khaja, 2001a,b). However, incorporation of up to 10 wt% does not
affect the mechanical properties that are required by the standards.
The heat of hydration of the waste-added mortars was evaluated
by continuously measuring the specimen temperature for 28 days
of open air cure, as shown in Fig. 7.
A reduction in hydration heat is beneficial to the mortar by
reducing the linear shrinkage, which may cause surface cracks and
sive heat reduction could impair the mechanical strength for rela-
tively higher levels of waste incorporation (Barneyback and
Diamond, 1981). Another problem related to a lower hydration
heat is the eventual water stored in the pores of the cementitious
matrix. This water comes from the increase in internal trapped air
(Fig. 3) and may freeze at subzero temperatures, resulting in
pressure on the pore walls (Lima et al., 2008).
Another important complementary analysis is the capillarity
test, for which results are shown in Table 4.
A decrease in the capillarity coefficient with increase in amount
of waste material content analyzed is evident, results similar to the
findings from the water retention tests. The internal pores are
saturated with air and water from the cement hydration. As a
consequence, they lose their absorption capacity and ascension by
capillarity (internal connection of the pores). Values close to those
of the reference trace, with some variation in intolerance, would be
optimal, such as results for the 5% and 10% traces (Lanzo  n and
García-Ruiz, 2009).
Lower capillarity values in the mortars directly affect fine
durability. This is related to the fact that interconnected pores
generate a flux of both water and external gases contributing to the
modification of the mortar microstructure and properties. This flux
increases the mortar plasticity in its fresh state, while stiffening it in
its hardened state. A higher amount of incorporated waste, on the
order of 15%e20%, promotes obstruction of the pores, which de-
creases the capillarity coefficients (Hall, 1989). According to Lima
et al. (2008), low hydration heat causes an increased pressure in-
side the internal walls of the pores, which impairs the permeability
between pores. This mechanism is likely responsible for the
reduction in the capillarity coefficient for levels waste incorpora-
tion of 15 wt% and 20 wt%.
Table 5presents the percentage of mass loss in the mortar mixes
for different traces of waste analyzed in wet/dry cycles 1, 2, and 3,
respectively, at 15, 30, and 45 days after the standard 28 days of
curing.
Note that as the time exposure of the specimens increases with
the cycles, the mass loss associated with water release increases.
This is a consequence of two factors: either a mass loss is due to
existing water in the mortar, but was not lost due to the hydration
reaction, or a mass loss is due to the large variation in temperature
under the exposure conditions (Kallel et al., 2016). As for the results
in Table 5, small mass losses of around 3% may be tolerated. This is
because of the existing water. Higher losses, corresponding to
 A.R.G. de Azevedo et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 192 (2018) 335e346 343

3.4. Environmental aspects

Environmental aspects were evaluated according to solubiliza-

Fig. 8. Compressive strength for different traces after wet/dry cycles.
critical situations, observed in cases of larger amounts of added
waste, are attributed to degradation agents as evidenced by the
visual analysis of the specimens (Piazzarollo et al., 2015).
Another important indication of the effect of the addition of the
waste material is the compressive strength after exposure to the
aforementioned wet/dry cycles, as shown in Fig. 8. Based on these
results, it is possible to state that for up to 10% addition of waste
material, the mechanical strength of the mortar improved. It may
then be inferred from Table 5 that the mass loss associated with up
to 10% of waste addition is due to the natural water in the specimen
derived from the dosing process. This water does not contribute to
hydration reactions because the material has already been stabi-
lized at 28 days. Therefore, the specimen strength is directly related
to its composition (Karataş et al., 2017). For additions of waste
material higher than 10%, the observed reduction in strength,
shown in Fig. 8, is the result of mass loss due to the variation in the
amount of water trapped in the mortar matrix pores. This water
during the wet/dry cycles weakens the material resulting in lower
strength (Piazzarollo et al., 2015).
tion tests conducted on the evaluated mortars, for the different
levels of substitution, allowing for comparison with the limits
imposed by the literature, as observed in Table 6. The solubilization
of individually studied waste was reported by Pinheiro et al. (2008)
who demonstrated full compliance with environmental legislation
in European countries, the USA and Brazil.
The solubilization extract results for the mortar mixes with
varying levels of substitution of paper industry sludge waste for
lime, shown in Table 6, indicate that the evaluated parameters are
within the limits established for pure mortars, or in some cases do
not exist due to characteristics of the composite, such as those of
the control sample (0%) (NBR 10004, 2004) (CONAMA, 2012). When
the sludge waste is added to the cement matrix, the toxic elements
evaluated as highlighted in the American standard and environ-
mental studies, are within the stipulated limits (Lo pez-Zaldívar
et al., 2017), with the exception of magnesium, which slightly
above the limit does not present a risk to users and the environ-
ment (Xu et al., 2018). The high values of manganese is probably
due to the peculiarities of the production process of the paper in-
dustry evaluated (Vieira et al., 2016). The findings show that the
evaluated mortar mixes for all waste content levels meet the
technical requirements for maximum allowed limits of toxic ele-
ments in the American standard, which is used as a base in other
countries, including Brazil. European countries require different
limits for the components evaluated, suggesting that the percent-
age of incorporation in these cases should be evaluated for specific
€ler, 1988).
cases, but indicate a trend towards viability (Kho
3.5. Statistical analysis
A statistical analysis of the results was performed to show the
significance of the values found. The main results are significant
and representative of the trials performed. In some cases, wide
dispersion led to the exclusion of some data points, which is

Table 6
Potentially toxic elements in the solution extract of the waste-incorporated mortars.

Parameter Toxic element content (mg/L) Maximum allowed

limit (mg/l) (CFRa)
0% Reference 5% 10% 15% 20%

Aluminum e 0.145 0.150 0.155 0.150 0.2

Total chromium e 0.0045 0.005 0.0038 0.0040 0.005
Iron e 0.124 0.122 0.120 0.150 0.3
Manganese 0.050 0.120 0.122 0.140 0.130 0.1
Zinc <0.001 <0.003 <0.002 <0.002 <0.002 5.0
Surfactants <0.020 <0.060 <0.040 <0.040 <0.040 0.5
Cyanides e <0.003 <0.003 <0.004 <0.004 0.07
Fluorides <0.054 <0.540 <0.500 <0.500 <0.500 1.5
a
CFReTitle 40eProtection of environmentePart 260e265eHazardous waste management.

Table 7
ANOVA effect of the residual percentage of air content.

Parameter Analyzed SQ gl MQ Fcal value Ftab Result

Content of air incorporated 46.67 4 15.563 124.75 2.86E-22 2.401 **

Water Retention 13.47 9 1.580 31.29 2.41E-13 2.601 **
Mechanical Strength 20.45 9 1.667 19.32 2.55E-07 2.088 **
Capillarity coefficient 15.67 8 1.569 28.56 2.85E-12 2.097 **
Heat of hydration 18.56 8 1.895 25.87 2.71E-13 2.156 **
Durability 19.74 9 2.657 24.59 2.30E-25 2.098 **

**r-value: 0.005.
344 A.R.G. de Azevedo et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 192 (2018) 335e346
allowed by the standards. In Table 7, the analysis of variance
(ANOVA) and the accuracy of 0.05 (r-value) are shown.
The intensity of the influence associated with each of the factors
is indicated by the Fcal and Ftab values in Table 7This confirms that
the most influential parameter on the results is the content of air
incorporated, whereas the remaining parameters are secondary.
Mechanical strength is the least influential factor. However, all
other factors are statistically significant, since the Fcal value of each
parameter is higher than the corresponding Ftab. In addition, the r-
value for all parameters is lower than 0.05, indicating statistical
significance at the 95% confidence interval. This means that each of
these independent variables, when taken separately, exerts an in-
fluence on the adherence strength.
4. Conclusions
 The technical tests of the waste sludge incorporated mortar
samples in a fresh state showed that both incorporated air and
water retention parameters are not only within the proposed
limits supported by the literature, but also within the recom-
mended safety range, for mixtures with up to 10% waste content.
Problems occurred in the application of mortars that did not
comply with this limit.
 The mechanical strength measurements obtained in the
compressive strength and flexural strength tests revealed that
mortars with paper sludge waste additions have a potential for
application in building construction. However, feasibility de-
pends on the type of application. For common mortar uses, such
as block fixing/binding, as well as ceiling and wall coatings,
waste substitution for lime in the range of 10% is recommended.
Additions above this value may also be acceptable for
nonstructural applications in building construction.
 Wetting and drying cycle tests, performed after a standard of 28
days of mortar curing, simulated severe degradation conditions,
such as rain and sun exposure. These durability tests revealed
the importance of mass loss because of the existing water in the
initial composition of the mortar, as well as the water used in
the wet/dry cycle tests. The latter is retained in the pores of the
already hardened mortar by the capillarity mechanism and
contributes to crack formation, which impairs mechanical
strength.
 After the durability tests, a visual analysis of the mortar degra-
dation confirmed that addition of paper sludge waste above 15%
is not recommended for building construction applications.
 The substitution of paper industry waste sludge for lime in
mortar composition demonstrated environmental feasibility
based on the toxic elements evaluated in the solubilization tests.
All of the traces were within the environmentally acceptable
limits set by the legislation, justifying the classification of the
residue, according to the literature, as not dangerous and non-
toxic to users and contributing to clean production.
 The partial substitution of waste sludge generated from the in-
dustrial production of paper and cellulose, for lime in cemen-
titious mortars is externally satisfactory in up to 10 wt% waste
incorporations. This was not only found in the main technical
parameters required by mortar standards but also when
compared to results reported in the literature. Substitution
above the value of 10 wt% may occasionally be alone, depending
on the final mortar application in civil construction. In this case,
mortars are not recommended for commercial use. This con-
firms the hypothesis that up to 10 wt% of paper waste sludge
substitution for lime is acceptable as a technical parameter.
 The reduction in the use of lime in cementitious materials,
proposed in this study, suggests a beneficial factor in the use of
waste sludge from the pulp and paper industry, since the
extraction of lime from nature is an extremely aggressive and
unsustainable process. It should also be noted that reutilization
of this waste in a new industrial activity (such as the incorpo-
ration into cementitious materials), contributes to a cleaner and
environmentally beneficial production process for global sus-
tainability standards.
Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank the Brazilian entities: CNPq, CAPES
and FAPERJ for the support provided for this study.
References
Abbas, Z.H., Majdi, H.S., 2017. Study of heat of hydration of Portland cement used in
Iraq. Case Stud. Construct. Mater. 7, 154e162.
ABRELPE, 2016. Brazilian Association of Public Cleaning Companies and Special
Waste - ABRELPE (In Portuguese).
Ahmadi, B., Al-Khaja, W., 2001a. Utilization of paper waste sludge in the building
construction industry. Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 32, 105e113.
Ahmadi, B., Al-Khaja, W., 2001b. Utilization of paper waste sludge in the building
construction industry. Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 32, 105e113.
Alnaser, N.W., Flanagan, R., Alnaser, W.E., 2008. Model for calculating the sustain-
able building index (SBI) in the kingdom of Bahrain. Energy Build. 40,
2037e2043.
American Society for Testing and Materials, 2015. Standard Specification for Coal Fly
Ash and Raw or Calcined Natural Pozzolan for Use in Concrete, ASTM C618e15.
West Conshohocken, USA.
Argane, R., Benzaazoua, M., Hakkou, R., Bouamrane, 2015. Reuse of base-metal
tailings as aggregates for rendering mortars: assessment of immobilization
performances and environmental behavior. Construct. Build. Mater. 96 (15),
296e306.
AzariJafari, H., Kazemian, A., Ahmadi, B., Berenjian, J., Shekarchi, M., 2014. Studying
effects of chemical admixtures on the workability retention of zeolitic Portland
cement mortar. Construct. Build. Mater. 72 (15), 262e269.
Azevedo, A.R.G., Alexandre, J., Petrucci, L.J.T., Zanelato, E.B., Oliveira, T.F., 2017a.
Evaluation of the pozzolanic activity of residue from the paper industry. In: The
Minerals, Metals & Materials Series, 15ed. Springer International Publishing,
pp. 657e662.
Azevedo, A.R.G., Alexandre, J., Zanelato, E.B., Marvila, M.T., 2017b. Influence of
incorporation of glass waste on the rheological properties of adhesive mortar.
Construct. Build. Mater. 148, 359e368.
Baran, T., Pichniarczyk, P., 2017. Correlation factor between heat of hydration and
compressive strength of common cement. Construct. Build. Mater. 150 (30),
321e332.
Barneyback, R.S., Diamond, S., 1981. Expression and analysis of pore fluids from
hardened cement pastes and mortars. Cement Concr. Res. 11 (2), 279e285.
Boni, M.R., D'Aprile, L., De Casa, G., 2004. Environmental quality of primary paper
sludge. J. Hazard Mater. 58, 93e102.
Boumiz, A., Vernet, C., Tenoudji, F.C., 1996. Mechanical properties of cement pastes
and mortars at early ages: evolution with time and degree of hydration. Adv.
Cement Base Mater. 3 (34), 94e106.
Bravo, M., De Brito, J., Pontes, J., Evangelista, L., 2015. Mechanical performance of
concrete made with aggregates from construction and demolition waste recy-
cling plants. J. Clean. Prod. 99, 59e74.
Cavdar, A.D., Yel, H., Boran, S., Pesman, E., 2017. Cement type composite panels
manufactured using paper mill sludge as filler. Construct. Build. Mater. 142 (1),
410e416.
CFReTitle 40eProtection of environmentalePart 260e265eharzardous waste
management.
Chen, J., Zhang, L., 2015. Experimental study of effects of waterecement ratio and
curing time on nonlinear resonance of concrete. Mater. Struct. 34, 423e433.
CONAMA, 2012. National Environmental Council Standard, 316 Procedures and Cri-
Teria for Functioning of Residue Thermal Treatment Systems (In Portuguese).
CONAMA, Brasília, Brazil.
Contreras, M., Teixeira, S.R., Lucas, M.C., Lima, L.C.N., Cardoso, D.S.L., Da Silva, G.A.C.,
Grego rio, G.C., De Souza, A.E., Dos Santos, A., 2016. Recycling of construction
and demolition waste for producing new construction material (Brazil case-
study). Construct. Build. Mater. 123, 594e600.
Cusido, J.A., Cremades, L.V., Soriano, C., Devant, M., 2015. Incorporation of paper
sludge in clay brick formulation: ten years of industrial experience. Appl. Clay
Sci. 108, 191e198.
Datta, R.K., Raj, T., 1983. Estimation of pozzolana content in Portland pozzolana
cement. Cement Concr. Res. 13 (6), 861e868.
Deus, R.M., Battistelle, R.A.G., Silva, G.H.R., 2017. Current and future environmental
impact of household solid waste management scenarios for a region of Brazil:
carbon dioxide and energy analysis. J. Clean. Prod. 155 (1), 218e228.
European IPPC BureaueInstitute for Prospective Technological Studies, 2007. Sus-
tainability in Industry, Energy and Transport. Reference Document on Best
Available Techniques in the Ceramic Manufacturing Industry, p. 260. Available
at: http://eippcb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/reference/BREF/cer_bref_0807.pdf.
 A.R.G. de Azevedo et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 192 (2018) 335e346
Frias, M., Rodriguez, O., Sanchez de Rojas, M.I., 2015. Paper sludge, an environ-
mentally sound alternative source of MK-based cementitious materials. A re-
view. Construct. Build. Mater. 74 (15), 37e48.
Gao, X., Yuan, B., Yu, Q.L., Brouwers, H.J.H., 2017. Characterization and application of
municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) bottom ash and waste granite
powder in alkali activated slag. J. Clean. Prod. 164 (15), 410e419.
Gartner, E., Maruyama, I., Chen, J., 2017. A new model for the C-S-H phase formed
during the hydration of Portland cements. Cement Concr. Res. 97 (8), 95e106.
Gokce, A., Nagataki, S., Saeki, T., Hisada, M., 2004. Freezing and thawing resistance
of air-entrained concrete incorporating recycled coarse aggregate: the role of
air content in demolished concrete. Cement Concr. Res. 34 (5), 799e806.
Govidan, K., Madan Shankar, K., Kannan, D., 2016. Sustainable material selection for
construction industryea hybrid multi criteria decision making approach.
Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 55, 1274e1288.
Govin, A., Bartholin, M., Biasotti, B., Giudici, M., Langella, V., Grosseau, P., 2016.
Modification of water retention and rheological properties of fresh state
cement-based mortars by guar gum derivatives. Construct. Build. Mater. 122,
772e780.
Guerrini, A., Carvalho, P., Romano, G., Marques, R.C., Leardini, C., 2017. Assessing
efficiency drivers in municipal solid waste collection services through a non-
parametric method. J. Clean. Prod. 123 (10), 431e441.
Haach, V.G., Vasconcelos, G., Lourenço, P.B., 2011. Influence of aggregates grading
and water/cement ratio in workability and hardened properties of mortars.
Construct. Build. Mater. 25 (6), 2980e2987.
Hall, C., 1989. Water sorptivity of mortars and concretes: a review. Mag. Concr. Res.
41 (147), 51e61.
Hamm, V., Gottsching, L., 1989. Heavy metals in papermaking from waste papers:
sources, destination and evaluation criteria. Das Papier 43 (10 A), 39e48 (in
German).
Hanson, James L., Yesiller, Nazli, Von Stockhausen, Shawna A., Wong, Wilson W.,
2010. Compaction characteristics of municipal solid waste. J. Geotech. Geo-
environ. Eng. 136 (8), 1095e1102.
Hemalatha, T., Mapa, M., George, N., Sasmal, S., 2016. Physico-chemical and me-
chanical characterization of high volume fly ash incorporated and engineered
cement system towards developing greener cement. J. Clean. Prod. 125,
268e281.
Hendrickx, R., Roels, S., Van Balen, K., 2010. Measuring the water capacity and
transfer properties of fresh mortar. Cement Concr. Res. 40 (12), 1650e1655.
Hoseini, A.H.G., Dahlan, N.D., Berardi, U., Hoseini, A.G., Makaremi, N., Hoseini, M.G.,
2013. Sustainable energy performances of green buildings: a review of current
theories, implementations and challenges Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 25, 1e17.
Jeyaprabha, B., Elangovan, G., Prakash, P., 2016. Effects of elevated temperature and
water quenching on strength and microstructure of mortars with river sand
substitutes. Construct. Build. Mater. 114 (1), 688e698.
Joshi, G., Naithani, S., Varshney, V.K., Bisht, S.S., Rana, V., 2017. Potential use of waste
paper for the synthesis of cyanoethyl cellulose: a cleaner production approach
towards sustainable environment management. J. Clean. Prod. 142, 3759e3768.
Kallel, T., Kallel, A., Samet, B., 2016. Durability of mortars made with sand washing
waste. Construct. Build. Mater. 122 (30), 728e735.
Karataş, M., Benli, A., Ergin, A., 2017. Influence of ground pumice powder on the
mechanical properties and durability of self-compacting mortars. Construct.
Build. Mater. 150 (30), 467e479.
Kelham, S., 1988. A water absorption test for concrete. Mag. Concr. Res. 40 (143),
106e110.
Kho€ler, A., 1988. Use of industrial wastes with combustible components in brick and
tile industry. Ziegelind. Int./Brick and Tile Int. 42 (9), 441e445.
Ko
cí, V., Ko

a
cí, J., C chova, M., Vejmelkov

a, E., Cerný, R., 2016. Multi-parameter
optimization of lime composite design using a modified downhill simplex
method. Compos. B Eng. 93, 184e189.
Lanzo  n, M., García-Ruiz, P.A., 2009. Evaluation of capillary water absorption in
rendering mortars made with powdered waterproofing additives. Construct.
Build. Mater. 23 (10), 3287e3291.
Lech, A.M., 2014. Municipal waste management in context of sustainable urban
development. Proc. Soc. Behav. Sci. 223 (10), 244e256.
Lee, J., Lee, J., Lim, J., Park, T., Byun, I., 2015. J. Ind. Eng. Chem. 24 (25), 359e364.
Lima, S.M., Vareda, L.V., Liborio, J.B.L., 2008. High performance concrete applied to
storage system buildings at low temperatures. Mater. Res. 11 (2), 345e359.
Liu, H., Bu, Y., Guo, Q., Sanjayan, J.G., 2017. Converting hydration heat to achieve
cement mixture with early strength and low hydrating-thermal dissipation.
Construct. Build. Mater. 151 (1), 113e118.
Lockington, D.A., Leech, C., Parlange, J.Y., Dux, P.F., 2015. The sportively test and
predicting resistance to water absorption in concrete. Innovations and De-
velopments in. Concr. Mater. Construct. 30 (5), 49e55.
pez-Zaldívar, O., Lozano-Díez, R.V., Verdú-V
Lo  -Pe
azquez, A., Llaurado rez, N., 2017.
Effects of the addition of inertized MSW fly ash on calcium aluminate cement
mortars. Construct. Build. Mater. 157 (30), 1106e1116.
Luxan, M.P., Madruga, F., Saavedra, J., 1989. Rapid evaluation of pozzolanic activity
of natural products by conductivity measurement. Cement Concr. Res. 19,
63e68.
Malinauskaite, J., Jouhara, H., Czajczyn  ska, D., Stanchev, P., Spencer, N., 2017.
Municipal solid waste management and waste-to-energy in the context of a
circular economy and energy recycling in Europe. Energy 45 (8), 356e369 (in
press), accepted manuscript.
Marastoni, D., Pel a, L., Benedetti, A., Roca, P., 2016. Combining Brazilian tests on
masonry cores and double punch tests for the mechanical characterization of
345
historical mortars. Construct. Build. Mater. 112 (1), 112e127.
Marliere, C., Mabrouk, E., Lamblet, M., Coussot, P., 2012. How water retention in
porous media with cellulose ethers works. Cement Concr. Res. 42 (11),
1501e1512.
Marou
sek, J., 2014. Economically oriented process optimization in waste manage-
ment. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Control Ser. 21 (12), 7400e7400.
Marou
sek, J., Ha
skova , S., Zeman, R., Zak, J., Vaní
ckova, R., Marou
skova, A., Va
chal, J.,
My
skov a, K., 2015a. Techno-economic assessment of processing the cellulose
casings waste. Clean Technol. Environ. Policy 17 (8), 2441e2446.
Marou
sek, J., Ha
skova , S., Zeman, R., Zeman, R., Vaní
ckova , R., 2015b. Managerial
preferences in relation to financial indicators regarding the mitigation of global
change. Sci. Eng. Ethics 21 (1), 203e207.
Martins, R.O.G., Alvarenga, R.C.S., Pedroti, L.G., Oliveira, A.F., Mendes, B.C.,
Azevedo, A.R.G., 2018. Assessment of the durability of grout submitted to
accelerated carbonation test. Construct. Build. Mater. 129 (20), 261e268.
Mira, P., Papadakis, V.G., Tsimas, S., 2002. Effect of lime putty addition on structural
and durability properties of concrete. Cement Concr. Res. 32 (2002), 683e689.
Mirkovic, I.B., Majnaric, I., Bolanca, Z., 2015. Ecological sustainability and waste
paper recycling. Proc. Eng. 100, 177e186.
Monte, M.C., Fuente, E., Blanco, A., Negro, C., 2009. Waste management from pulp
and paper production in the European Union. Waste Manag. 29 (1), 293e308.
Mymrin, V.A., Alekseev, K.P., Catai, R.E., Izzo, R.L.S., Rose, J.L., Nagalli, A.,
Romano, C.A., 2015. Construction material from construction and demolition
debris and lime production wastes. Construct. Build. Mater. 79, 207e213.
NBR 10004, 2004. Brazilian Association of Technical Norms. NBR 10004-Solid waste
- Classification Rio de Janeiro (In Portuguese).
NBR 11578, 1991. Brazilian Association of Technical Norms NBR 11578ePortland
Cement Compound (In Portuguese).
NBR 13276, 2016. Brazilian Association of Technical Norms NBR 13276eMortars
Applied on Walls and CeilingeDetermination of the Consistence Index (In
Portuguese).
NBR 13277, 2005. Brazilian Association of Technical Norms NBR 13277eMortars
Applied on Walls and CeilingseDetermination of the Water Retentively (In
Portuguese.
NBR 13278, 2005. Brazilian Association of Technical Norms NBR 13278eMortars
Applied on Walls and CeilingseDetermination of the Specific Gravity and the
Air Entrained Content in the Fresh Stage (In Portuguese).
NBR 15259, 2005. Brazilian Association of Technical Norms NBR 15259eMortars
Applied on Walls and CeilingseDetermination of Water Absorption Coefficient
Due to Capillary Action Rio de Janeiro (In (Portuguese).
NBR 7215, 1997. Brazilian Association of Technical Norms NBR 7215ePortland
CementeDetermination of Compressive Strength Rio de Janeiro (In
Portuguese).
NBR MN 51, 2001. Brazilian Association of Technical Norms NBR MN 51eLarge
aggregate - “Los Angeles” abrasion test (In Portuguese).
Nie, S., Hu, S., Wang, F., Hu, C., Li, X., Zhu, Y., 2017. Pozzolanic reaction of lightweight
fine aggregate and its influence on the hydration of cement. Construct. Build.
Mater. 153 (30), 165e173.
Piazzarollo, C.B., Xavier, C.G., Albuquerque, F.S., Maia, P.C.A., Alexandre, J.,
Azevedo, A.R.G., Monteiro, S.N., 2015. Statistical analysis of degradation data of
red ceramic pieces incorporated with ornamental stone waste. Mater. Sci.
Forum 820, 455e461.
Pinheiro, R.M., Vieira, C.M.F., Sa nchez, R.J., Monteiro, S.N., 2008. Recycling of waste
from paper production in red ceramic. Rev. Mater. 13 (1), 220e227 (In
Portuguese).
Poinot, T., Govin, A., Grosseau, P., 2014. Importance of coil-overlapping for the
effectiveness of hydroxypropylguars as water retention agent in cement-based
mortars. Cement Concr. Res. 56 (5), 61e68.
Porter, H., Dhami, N.K., Mukherjee, A., 2017. Synergistic chemical and microbial
cementation for stabilization of aggregates. Cement Concr. Compos. 83,
160e170.
Ranachowski, Z., Schabowicz, K., 2017. The contribution of fiber reinforcement
system to the overall toughness of cellulose fiber concrete panels. Construct.
Build. Mater. 156 (15), 1028e1034.
Ribeiro, M.J.P.M., Abrantes, J.C.C., 2001. Ball mill milling: study of some variables and
energetic optimization of the process. Ind. Ceram. 6 (2), 6e11 (In Portuguese).
Scho€ler, A., Lothenbach, B., Winnefeld, F., Zajac, M., 2015. Hydration of quaternary
Portland cement blends containing blast-furnace slag, siliceous fly ash and
limestone powder. Cement Concr. Compos. 55 (2015), 374e382.
Seo, W.B., Ahn, J.H., Lee, H.L., 2017. Upgrading waste paper by in-situ calcium car-
bonate formation. J. Clean. Prod. 155, 212e217.
Shi, C., Wu, Z., Lv, K., Wu, L., 2015. A review on mixture design methods for self-
compacting concrete. Construct. Build. Mater. 84, 387e398.
Sieffert, Y., Huygen, J.M., Daudon, D., 2014. Sustainable construction with repur-
posed materials in the context of a civil engineeringearchitecture collaboration.
J. Clean. Prod. 67 (15), 125e138.
Silva Junior, W.S., 2010. Study for the Use of Waste Papermaking in Road Con-
struction. Thesis (Doctorate). Polytechnic School, University of Sa ~o Paulo, S~ ao
Paulo, p. 210 (In Portuguese).
Sim~ao, L., Jiusti, J., Lo h, N.J., Hotza, D., Raupp-Pereira, F., Labrincha, J.A.,
Montedo, O.R.K., 2017. Waste-containing clinkers: valorization of alternative
mineral sources from pulp and paper mills. Process Saf. Environ. Protect. 109,
106e116.
Smith, A.S., 2014. Materials from alternative, recycled and secondary sources
(MARSS) 2005e2010: a review of the use of non-primary clay raw materials in
346 A.R.G. de Azevedo et al. / Journal of Cleaner Production 192 (2018) 335e346
the UK brick manufacturing sector. In: Lucideon Report. Available at: http://
www.lucideon.com/insighthub/news-releases.
Song, X., Shang, S., Chen, D., Gu, X., 2017. Multi-walled carbon nanotube reinforced
mortar-aggregate interfacial properties. Construct. Build. Mater. 133 (15),
57e64.
Staley, B.F., Barlaz, M.A., 2009. Composition of municipal solid waste in the U.S. and
implications for carbon sequestration and methane yield. J. Environ. Eng. 135
(10), 901e909.
Toczyłowska-Mamin  ska, R., 2017. Limits and perspectives of pulp and paper in-
dustry wastewater treatmentea review. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 78,
764e772.
Trtnik, G., Turk, G., Kav
ci

c, F., Bosiljkov, V.B., 2008. Possibilities of using the ultra-
sonic wave transmission method to estimate initial setting time of cement
paste. Cement Concr. Res. 38 (11), 1336e1342.
Vieira, C.M.F., Pinheiro, R.M., Rodriguez, R.J.S., Candido, V.S., Monteiro, S.N., 2016.
View publication stats
Clay bricks added with effluent sludge from paper industry. Tech. Econ. Environ.
Benefit. 123 (11), 456e461.
Walter, B., Tesar, M., 2009. Porosity additives for industrial bricks ad tiles in Austria
(in German). Available at: http://www.umweltbundesamt.at/fileadmin/site/
publikationen/REP0244.pdf (Wien, Austria, 60 pp).
Wong, H.S., Buenfeld, N.R., 2009. Determining the water-cement ratio, cement
content, water content and degree of hydration of hardened cement paste:
method development and validation on paste samples. Cement Concr. Res. 39
(2009), 957e965.
Xu, D., Zhong, C., Yin, K., Peng, S., Zhu, T., Cheng, G., 2018. Alkaline solubilization of
excess mixed sludge and the recovery of released phosphorus as magnesium
ammonium phosphate. Bioresour. Technol. 249 (5), 783e790.
Zolfania, S.H., Pourhosseinb, M., Yazdanic, M., Zavadskasd, E.K., 2017. Evaluating
construction projects of hotels based on environmental sustainability with
MCDM framework. Alexandria Eng. J. 234 (10), 341e352.