Solid wastes: alternative materials for cementitious composites production

Abstract Cementitious composites such as concrete, mortar, etc., are the most used building materials in the world. However, the increasing urbanization and population have resulted in higher consumption of these cementitious composites which have resulted in a significant strain on the natural sources of the materials used to produce these composites. On the other hand, there exist large quantities of wastes that are generated annually by different processes ranging from industrial to agricultural process. The majority of these wastes end up in the environment where they create various safety and health problems. In order to effectively manage these wastes, they can be incorporated as different components into cementitious composites. This chapter discusses various solid wastes that can be incorporated into cementitious composites and their corresponding influence on the composites. Conclusions from this chapter showed that the use of these solid wastes in cementitious composites not only helps to manage these wastes effectively but also helps to supplement the limited supply of raw materials for the production of cementitious composites.