Sustainable Utilization of Waste Marble in Concrete Production
Summary
The extraction and processing of marble generate substantial volumes of fine and coarse waste, creating environmental burdens and landfill pressures. Incorporating waste marble as a partial substitute for cement or natural aggregates in concrete offers a dual benefit: it diverts quarry by‐products from disposal sites and reduces the embodied carbon associated with cement manufacture. The high calcium carbonate content of marble dust can improve particle packing, refine pore structure and, when paired with supplementary cementitious phases, contribute to matrix densification and enhanced durability. Optimal replacement levels—commonly between 5 % and 20 %—have been shown to maintain or even improve compressive and flexural strengths, depending on the mix design. Applications span ordinary Portland cement replacement, self-compacting and high-strength formulations, and lean-cement concretes. By valorising marble waste, the construction sector advances circular economy goals and mitigates the environmental footprint of building materials.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Sustainable Utilization of Waste Marble in Concrete Production publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in sustainable utilization of waste marble in concrete production across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Supplementary cementitious material (SCM): A reactive mineral additive, such as fly ash or silica fume, used alongside cement to enhance concrete properties and reduce clinker content.
Pozzolanic reaction: A chemical process in which silica-rich materials react with calcium hydroxide to form additional calcium-silicate-hydrate, improving strength and reducing permeability.
Interfacial transition zone (ITZ): The microstructurally distinct region surrounding aggregate particles, where the cement paste exhibits higher porosity and potential weaknesses.
Compressive strength: The maximum axial load per unit area that a concrete specimen can withstand before failure, a primary indicator of structural performance.
References
- Durability and microstructural behavior of Nano silica-marble dust concrete. Cleaner Materials (2023).
- Optimum usage of waste marble powder to reduce use of cement toward eco-friendly concrete. Journal of Materials Research and Technology (2023).
- Effects of Waste Powder, Fine and Coarse Marble Aggregates on Concrete Compressive Strength. Sustainability (2022).
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.