Construction and demolition waste (CDW) valorization in a new production process has been widely studied. However, up to now, valorization has been limited to use one type of waste. Hence, the environmental and economic benefits remain quite narrow, particularly in countries with high waste production. This paper aims to determine the feasibility of using waste from rejected concrete specimens by civil engineering laboratories combined with waste brick, as an alternative of natural fine aggregate in the production of cement mortar. Natural fine aggregate (NFA) has been replaced by recycled fine aggregate (RFA), at 0%, 15 %, 30 %, 45 %, and 90 %, by weight. In this study, RFA from concrete and brick wastes were firstly characterized and compared to the NFA. Then several tests were carried out in order to evaluate the effect of RFA on mortars. The RFA’ physical, mineralogical and microstructural properties prove to be different from those of NFA. Nevertheless, the results have shown that the incorporation of these RFA at 15 % do not have any negative effect on the mechanical performance of the mortars. Besides, the microscopic analysis has revealed that the addition of RFA doesn’t compromise the microstructural properties of the mortars at low substitution rates. As a whole, this study shows that the use of RFA is possible.

The global population continues to grow, ensuing the expansion of urban building construction and the depletion of natural aggregates, which damage the ecosystem. Meanwhile, concrete is one of the most used materials in the civil construction sector, as well as an enormous quantities are produced...

Although rapid urbanization has improved the quality of life by enabling the development of infrastructure, and buildings, it has also contributed to a significant increase in construction and demolition waste (CDW). Traditionally, most CDW has ended up in landfills and has not sufficiently...

Identifying suitable local materials for civil engineering is a key challenge for geotechnical engineers. This study characterises the physico-mechanical properties of Taza marl-limestone (Morocco), focusing on the correlation between uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and non-destructive tests. Twenty-eight samples from various sites underwent physical, mineralogical and mechanical tests. UCS showed a strong positive correlation with P-wave velocity, Vp (R² = 0.95; internal leave-one-out cross-validated Q² = 0.94, RMSE = 2.8 MPa) and a moderate correlation with Schmidt rebound hardness (R² = 0.79; Q² = 0.75, RMSE = 5.6 MPa). Eleven published UCS–Vp equations gave much larger errors on the same specimens (RMSE ≥ 11 MPa), partly because the Taza data lie outside their calibration ranges; they therefore cannot be transferred to this material without recalibration. The average CaCO₃ content is 75.07%. Degradability and fragmentability tests classified the samples, informing long-term behaviour under mechanical and hydric stress. Within the calibrated ranges, these site-specific correlations enable a preliminary non-destructive evaluation of intact Taza marl-limestone and may support local-material use and field-investigation optimisation. However, predictive performance was only internally cross-validated, and the specimens could not be traced to individual outcrops; independent validation (new specimens, other locations, field and moisture conditions) is therefore required before wider use.