Feasibility of the use of mineral wool fibres recovered from CDW for the reinforcement of conglomerates by study of their porosity

Abstract

Mineral wool is currently the most used insulation in the European Union, and quantities of this waste have increased alarmingly in the last decade, making it essential to recycle or reuse the material, which is not current practice. This study aims to verify the feasibility of compounds of a cement base with additives of insulating mineral fibre residues recovered from the recycling of construction and demolition waste (CDW). For this purpose, experiments were designed to classify the physical-chemical behaviour of architectural mineral wool waste, and that of mortars incorporating them to determine their porosity due to the effects of these fibres on the properties of the compounds. The results obtained show that both the structure and chemical composition as well as the microstructure of the reinforced mortars are viable, and that they would therefore be a sustainable alternative to the current mortars of composite materials. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.