To combat environmental challenges—such as the depletion of natural resources and a high carbon footprint—and contribute to the effort of achieving zero-waste technology and sustainable development, the use of agricultural and industrial wastes in the cement industry has created a research interest. This study explores the potential of two types of harvest residue ash (HRA) and three types of ceramic waste (CP) as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) through: (1) the characterization of raw materials and (2) examining the physical properties and mechanical performance of cement-based mortar samples prepared with 10%, 30% and 50%wt of the selected SCMs ground into powder form as cement replacement. Two main variables were the water-to-binder ratio (w/b) and the effect of different grinding procedures. Experimental results demonstrated that flexural and compressive strengths were not significantly impaired by SCM additions of up to 50%, but higher replacement levels led to an increased permeability and higher capillary water absorption due to the dilution effect. Also, a lower w/b was shown to effectively reduce the porosity of mortar and increase its mechanical properties, allowing for higher shares of SCMs to be utilized. This study verifies the technical feasibility of cob corn ash and ceramic powder application as SCMs in mortar formulations, further promoting the practice of incorporating industrial and agricultural by-products in greener cementitious composites.

Due to greenhouse gas emissions, the production of cement clinker is considered unsustainable and many attempts are being made to replace cement with alternative materials sourced from agriculture, industry and other urban practices, such as construction and demolition works. The aim of this paper is to analyze the effects of cement substitution by locally available waste materials in Serbia, such as fly ash (FA), blast furnace granulated slag (BFGS) and wheat straw ash (WSA), up to the 50% replacement volume rate in cement–lime mortars. As the effective application of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) in cement-based materials requires a comprehensive insight into their properties, a characterization of materials involving all relevant physical, chemical and mechanical tests is conducted. Ten different mortar mixed with ingredients of a volume ratio 1:2:4 (cementitious powder/lime/sand) were designed and their consistency, bulk density, capillary water absorption, flexural strength, compressive strength and thermal analysis (TGA/DTA) results were examined to determine the influence of the abovementioned SCMs on mortar properties. Research findings highlight the possibility of replacing cement with slag (50%), fly ash (30%) or wheat straw ash (30%) while maintaining its performance and improving the economic and environmental impacts of masonry mortar production.

Implementing a circular approach through waste valorization in mortar production with environmentally efficient mix design is a viable pathway for relieving the ecological burden of greenhouse gas emissions, resource depletion and waste management. The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the feasibility of using fly ash (FA), corn cob ash (CCA), and ceramic waste powder (CWP) as supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) in cement–lime masonry mortars. As part of an extensive experimental study, twelve mortar mixtures were made: three reference and nine blended, with mixing ratios of 1:1:5, 1:0.7:4.2, and 1:1:4 ((cement + SCM)/lime/sand), by volume. The examined properties include workability, compressive and flexural strengths, dry bulk density, capillary water absorption, adhesive bond strength, and water vapor permeability. The compressive and flexural strengths of tested mortars were notably impaired, with reductions of up to 60%, while the capillary water absorption coefficient rose by 100% compared to the reference values. The adhesive bond strength of some blended mortars exceeded the strength of the reference mortars. Nevertheless, all blended mortars fulfilled the requirements for general-purpose mortars, while the majority met the criteria for structural masonry applications. In addition, a performance-based index and weighting triangle were used for the comparison and ranking of all analyzed mortar mixtures. The findings of this study may herald a novel use of FA, CCA, and CWP as more eco-friendly binding materials in contemporary construction leading to the reduction in the process’s carbon footprint, the improvement in cost efficiency, and the mitigation of the detrimental environmental impact of waste disposal.

Building façade assessment could be performed in a more efficient way using a multidisciplinary approach and modern technologies. This study proposes the orthofaçade-based assisted inspection method (AIM), universal and applicable to different types of façade cladding and suitable for application in the condition assessment of inaccessible building façades or high-rise and large structures of all kinds. The AIM method offers a multidisciplinary approach by combining unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology, electronic tachymetry, and digital image processing techniques (photogrammetry and open-source computer vision methods). The method was verified in a case study performed on a high-rise building façade. On-site data acquisition of high-resolution images of façade and control points was conducted by UAV and tachymetry. The data were further processed in photogrammetric software in order to generate a georeferenced orthofaçade. Crack detection was performed at pixel level via computer code using the OpenCV library methods. The established diagnostic model, defined by control points, enables precise determination of crack location. Crack length, width, or area could be calculated based on the coordinates of its points, by performing simple mathematical operations. The AIM method provides automation of crack detection and precise determination of location and geometrical parameters of detected crack.