In recent years, the massive production of industrial waste is becoming a big scourge for our ecology system and all humanity.
Cement paste and mortar made with Silica waste powder is a new type of green building materials, which is environmentally friendly and has various application prospects. The type of Silica waste used in this research possesses a high silica content (87%) and is highly crystalline with a mean particle size of 37.4 μm. Silica waste was used in cement paste and mortar as cement substitute which can only be used up to 10% replacement in weight. We study this new material in comparison with silica fume since they have some similarities in terms of chemical composition. The concrete produced were tested for compressive strength and durability properties such as UPV, Thermal Conductivity, water absorption, we also focused on the sample microstructure by doing SEM/EDS and XRD. Mortar shows good results for UPV ( ≥3660 m/s) with a compressive strength around 90 MPa for 28 days which shows good properties of mortar mixed with Silica waste. Slump flow was also measured to estimate the fresh properties of concrete containing silica waste. It shows a decrease in slump flow with an increase in silica waste proportion.
With a Specific gravity of 0.65, it’s classified as a very light material and is flowable on the top of water and hardly mixable with water. In combination with latex, silica waste due to its high water repellency is also used as a coating material in order to play a waterproofing role. The mix design used is the ratio (L/S) between the Latex, considered as liquid and silica waste considered as solid. The tests we have conducted on the coated simples are mainly Contact angle Test, Water spray test and coating layer microstructure study. The optimum ratios showing good contact angle results (≥ 90o) are mainly L/S=2.5, 3 and 3.5.
Nowadays, researchers from all around the world are trying to find a more efficient way to use that industrial waste, mainly in the field of concrete science. Now the main work is a strategy to maximize those new waste materials performance.

In recent years, the massive production of industrial waste is becoming a big scourge for our ecology system and all humanity.
Cement paste and mortar made with Silica waste powder is a new type of green building materials, which is environmentally friendly and has various application prospects. The type of Silica waste used in this research possesses a high silica content (87%) and is highly crystalline with a mean particle size of 37.4 μm. Silica waste was used in cement paste and mortar as cement substitute which can only be used up to 10% replacement in weight. We study this new material in comparison with silica fume since they have some similarities in terms of chemical composition. The concrete produced were tested for compressive strength and durability properties such as UPV, Thermal Conductivity, water absorption, we also focused on the sample microstructure by doing SEM/EDS and XRD. Mortar shows good results for UPV ( ≥3660 m/s) with a compressive strength around 90 MPa for 28 days which shows good properties of mortar mixed with Silica waste. Slump flow was also measured to estimate the fresh properties of concrete containing silica waste. It shows a decrease in slump flow with an increase in silica waste proportion.
With a Specific gravity of 0.65, it’s classified as a very light material and is flowable on the top of water and hardly mixable with water. In combination with latex, silica waste due to its high water repellency is also used as a coating material in order to play a waterproofing role. The mix design used is the ratio (L/S) between the Latex, considered as liquid and silica waste considered as solid. The tests we have conducted on the coated simples are mainly Contact angle Test, Water spray test and coating layer microstructure study. The optimum ratios showing good contact angle results (≥ 90o) are mainly L/S=2.5, 3 and 3.5.
Nowadays, researchers from all around the world are trying to find a more efficient way to use that industrial waste, mainly in the field of concrete science. Now the main work is a strategy to maximize those new waste materials performance.

ABSTRACT iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS v
LIST OF TABLES viii
LIST OF FIGURES ix
NOMENCLATURE xii
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 General introduction 1
1.2 Motivation of this study 2
1.3 Aim and Objectives of the research 3
1.4 Research organization 4
CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW 7
2.1 Review on the Effect of SF on the Hydration of Cement Paste & Mortar 7
2.1.1 Silica fume characteristics 7
2.1.2 Silica Fume Properties and Mix proportions 9
2.1.3 Reaction mechanism of SF in Concrete 13
2.2 Review on Water Repellent by Surface Coating 19
2.3 Literature review Summary 22
CHAPTER III: MATERIALS AND EXPERIMENTAL METHODS 25
3.1 Materials 26
3.1.1 Portland cement 26
3.1.2 Silica fume ( SF ) 27
3.1.3 Silica waste ( SW) 28
3.1.4 Latex 31
3.1.5 Mixing water 33
3.1.6 Natural fine aggregate 33
3.2 Experimental Methods and apparatus 34
3.2.1 Mix Proportion and Samples Preparation 34
3.2.2 Testing specimens 39
CHAPTER IV: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 59
4.1 Mix proportion parameters 60
4.2 Comparison of the effect of SF and SW on the performance of cement paste and mortar mix design Concept 62
4.2.1 Slump results 62
4.2.2 Compressive Strength 65
4.2.3 Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV) 68
4.2.4 Thermal Conductivity 72
4.2.5 Water Absorption 75
4.2.6 SEM & EDS 78
4.2.7 X-ray Diffraction ( XRD ) 82
4.3 Coating Materials performance produced from SW and Latex 83
4.3.1 Contact Angle 83
4.3.2 Water Spray 85
4.3.3 Microstructure 87
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS 89
5.1 Conclusion 90
5.1 Suggestion 91
References 92

[1] World business council for sustainable development. Cement Industry Energy and CO2 Performance, Getting the Numbers Right. www.wbcsd.cement.org (2009).
[2] The American concrete institute (ACI ) 234R-06: Guide for the Use of Silica Fume in Concrete (Reapproved 2012).
[3] ASTM 1240-15 Standard Specification for Silica Fume Used in Cementitious Mixtures.
[4] AASHTO M 307 Standard Specification for Silica Fume Used in Cementitious Mixtures
[5] M. Rasol, Effect of Silica Fume on Concrete Properties and Advantages for Kurdistan Region, Iraq, International Journal of Scientific and Engineering Research 6 (2015) 170-173.
[6] H.-W. Song, S.-W. Pack, S.-H. Nam, J.-C. Jang, S. Velu, Estimation of the permeability of silica fume cement concrete, Construction and Building Materials - 24 (2010) 315-321.
[7] S. Lee, H.Y. Moon, R.N. Swamy, Sulfate attack, and role of silica fume in resisting strength loss, Cement and Concrete Composites 27 (2005) 65-76.
[8] R.K. Siddiq, M.I., Supplementary Cementing Materials, Springer XVI (2011) 288.
[9] S. Materials, "MicroSilica Concrete- The Next Generation Construction Material" available: http://www.chinamicrosilica.com
[10] A. Nk, J. Mathew, Effect of silica fume on strength and durability parameters of concrete, International Journal of Engineering Sciences & Emerging Technologies 3 (2012).


[11] K. Perumal, Sundararajan, R. (2004), Effect of partial replacement of cement with silica fume on the strength and durability characteristics of High-performance concrete. 29th Conference on Our World In Concrete & Structures: 25-26 August 2004, Singapore, CI-Premier2004.
[12] R. Kumar, Dhaka, J., Review paper on partial replacement of cement with silica fume and its effects on concrete properties., International Journal for Technological Research in Engineering. 4,(1). (2016).
[13] N. Amarkhail, EFFECTS OF SILICA FUME ON PROPERTIES OF HIGH-STRENGTH CONCRETE, International Journal of Technical Research and Applications (2015) pp. 13-19.
[14] V. Srivastava, Agarwal, V.C. & Kumar, R., Effect of Silica Fume on Mechanical Properties of Concrete. Acad. Indus Res., 1(4), (2012).
[15] D.D. Pradhan, D., Effects of Silica Fume in Conventional Concrete, International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications. 3(5).
[16] V.S.B. Ghutke, P.S., Influence of silica fume on concrete, IOSR Journal of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, (2014) pp 44-47.
[17] A.P. Jain, P. Y., Characteristics of Silica Fume Concrete, International Journal of Computer Applications (2015).
[18] V. Hanumesh B. M., B. K. & Harish B. A., The Mechanical Properties of Concrete Incorporating Silica Fume as Partial Replacement of Cement., International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering. 5 (9), 270. (2015).
[19] T.U.R.N. Shanmugapriya Experimental Investigation on Silica Fume as Partial Replacement of Cement in High-Performance Concrete, The
International Journal of Engineering And Science (IJES) .2 (5), 40-45. (2013).
[20] V. Srivastava, R. Kumar, V. Agarwal, Effect of Silica Fume on Workability and Compressive Strength of OPC Concrete, 3 (2015) 32-35.
[21] P. Sargent, 21 - The development of alkali-activated mixtures for soil stabilization, in F. Pacheco-Torgal, J.A. Labrincha, C. Leonelli, A. Palomo, P. Chindaprasirt (Eds.), Handbook of Alkali-Activated Cements, Mortars and Concretes, Woodhead Publishing, Oxford, 2015, pp. 555-604.
[22] V. Nežerka, P. Bílý, V. Hrbek, J. Fládr, Impact of silica fume, fly ash, and metakaolin on the thickness and strength of the ITZ in concrete, Cement and Concrete Composites 103 (2019) 252-262.
[23] K. N, V. P, Microstructural behavior and flowing ability of self-compacting concrete using micro- and nano-silica, Micro & Nano Letters 13(8) (2018) 1213-1218.
[24] L. Dembovska, D. Bajare, I. Pundiene, L. Vitola, Effect of Pozzolanic Additives on the Strength Development of High-Performance Concrete, Procedia Engineering 172 (2017) 202-210.
[25] A.K.S.a.S.S. Devansh Jain, A Review of Effect of Micro Silica in Concrete, Corona Journal of Science and Technology vol. 3, (2014) pp. 14-18.
[26] T. Holland, Silica Fume Utilisation in Field Concrete, International Workshop on the Use of Fly Ash, Slag, Silica Fume, and other Siliceous Materials in Concrete, Sydney, Australia, (1988).
[27] M. Bhattacharya, K.V. Harish, An integrated approach for studying the hydration of portland cement systems containing silica fume, Construction, and Building Materials 188 (2018) 1179-1192.
[28] J. Zelić, D. Rušić, D. Veža, R. Krstulović, Role of silica fume in the kinetics and mechanisms during the early stage of cement hydration, Cement and Concrete Research 30(10) (2000) 1655-1662.
[29] H.F.W. Taylor, Cement chemistry.
[30] F.H.D. R. Rasheeduzzafar, A.S. Al-Gahtani, Corrosion of reinforcement in concrete structures in the middle east, Concr. Int., 7 (9) , pp. 48-55 (1985).
[31] M. PK., Concrete technology at the crossroads, ACI SP-144. p. 1–31.
[32] G.B. Mehta PK, Concrete in the service of the modern world. In: Proceedings of International Conference on Concrete in the Service of Mankind, University of Dundee, Scotland. (1996).
[33] S.H. Maslehuddin M, Al-Mana AI, Shamim M., Performance of concrete in a high-chloride sulfate environment, ACI SP-122. 1990. p. 469–94.
[34] Hewlett PC. Methods of protecting concrete-coatings and linings.In: Dhir RK, Green JW, editors. Proceedings of the InternationalConference on Protection of Concrete. London: E & FN Spon;1991. p. 105–29.
[35] Swamy RN, Suryavanshi AK, Tanikawa S. Protective ability of acrylic-based surface coating system against chloride and carbonation penetration into concrete. ACI Mater J 1998;95(12):101–12.
[36] S.A.P.o.r.c.a.c.b.p.c.I.D.R. Kamal MM, Green JW, editors. Proceedings of International Conference on protection of Concrete. London: E & FN Spon; 1991. p. 281–91.
[37] A.-G.A. Ibrahim M, Maslehuddin M., Use of surface treatment materials to improve concrete durability. ACI Mater J; II(1):36–40., (1999).
[38] M.M. Dulaijan SU, Al-Zahrani MM, Al-Juraifani EA, Alidi SA, Al-Meththel M., Performance evaluation of cement-based surface coatings., Proceedings of 2000 InternationalConference, Repair, Rehabilitation and Maintenance of ConcreteStructures and Innovations in Design and Construction, Seoul, Korea, (2000) p. 321–38.
[39] M.M. Dulaijan SU, Al-Zahrani MM, Sharif AM, Al-Juraifani EA, Al-Idi SH, Performance evaluation of resin-based surface coatings., Proceedings of 6th International Conference in Deterioration and Repair of Reinforced Concrete in the Arabian Gulf, Bahrain (2000) p. 345–62.
[40] T.S. Swamy RN, Surface coatings to preserve concrete durability., Narayan Swamy R, editor. Corrosion and Corrosion Protection of Steel in Concrete (1994) p. 149–65.
[41] L.S. Sergi G, Page CL. , Influence of surface treatments on corrosion rates of steel in carbonated concrete.; Page CL, Treadaway, Bomforth, editors. Corrosion and Reinforcement inConcrete. London: Elsevier Applied Science (1990. ) p. 409–19.
[42] H.K. Cabrera JG, Assessment of the effectiveness of surface treatments against the ingress of chlorides into mortar and concrete.
, Swamy, RN, editor. Corrosion and corrosion protection of Steel in Concrete ( 1994. ) p. 1129–43.
[43] B.P. Basheer L, Montgomery FR, Cleland DJ., Assessment of the effectiveness of protective surface treatments., International Conference on Bridges and Flyovers, Hyderabad, India, (1991. ) p. 22–27.
[44] A.A. Almusallam, F.M. Khan, S.U. Dulaijan, O.S.B. Al-Amoudi, Effectiveness of surface coatings in improving concrete durability, Cement and Concrete Composites 25(4) (2003) 473-481.
[45] D. Singha Roy, A. Sil, Effect of Partial Replacement of Cement by Silica Fume on Hardened Concrete, International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering 2 (2012) 472-475.
[46] P.A.M. Basheer, L. Basheer, D.J. Cleland, A.E. Long, Surface treatments for concrete: assessment methods and reported performance, Construction and Building Materials 11(7) (1997) 413-429.
[47] L. Kong, J. Fang, B. Zhang, Effectiveness of Surface Coatings Against Intensified Sewage Corrosion of Concrete, Journal of Wuhan University of Technology-Mater. Sci. Ed. 34(5) (2019) 1177-1186.
[48] ASTM C1602/C1602M-18 Standard Specification for Mixing Water Used in the Production of Hydraulic Cement Concrete.
[49] ASTM C128-15 Standard Test Method for Relative Density (Specific Gravity) and Absorption of Fine Aggregate.
[50] ASTM C305 Standard Practice for Mechanical Mixing of Hydraulic Cement Pastes and Mortars of Plastic Consistency.
[51] ASTM C109 Standard Test Method for Compressive Strength of Hydraulic Cement Mortars (Using 2-in. or [50-mm] Cube Specimens).
[52] ASTM C230/C230-14 Standard Specification for Flow Table for Use in Tests of Hydraulic Cement.
[53] Humbolt, Construction Materials, Testing equipment https://www.humboldtmfg.com/flow-mold.html.
[54] ASTM C597-16. Standard Test Method for Pulse Velocity Through Concrete.
[55] B. Al-Nu'man, B. Aziz, S. Abdulla, S. Khaleel, Compressive Strength Formula for Concrete using Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity, International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology 26 (2015) 9-13.
[56] ASTM C642-13. Standard Test Method for Density, Absorption, and Voids in Hardened Concrete.
[57] https://www.environmental-expert.com/products/jeol-model-jsm-6390-scanning-electron-microscope-426298.
[58] ASTM D7334-08 Standard Practice for Surface Wettability of Coatings, Substrates, and Pigments by Advancing Contact Angle Measurement, 2013.
[59] https://webllena.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/ImageJ.png.
[60] A. Arabzadeh, H. Ceylan, S. Kim, K. Gopalakrishnan, A. Sassani, S. Sundararajan, P. Taylor, Influence of Deicing Salts on the Water-Repellency of Portland Cement Concrete Coated with Polytetrafluoroethylene and Polyetheretherketone, 2017.
[61] M. Maqsood, Y. Nawab, T. Hamdani, K. Shaker, M. Umair, W. Ashraf, Modeling the effect of weave structure and fabric thread density on the barrier effectiveness of woven surgical gowns, Journal of the Textile Institute (2015).
[62] X. Xie, T. Zhang, Y. Yang, Z. Lin, J. Wei, Q. Yu, Maximum paste coating thickness without voids clogging of pervious concrete and its relationship to the rheological properties of cement paste, Construction and Building Materials 168 (2018) 732-746.
[63] S.-F.K.C.H. Yiching Lin, L. Chao-Peng, Investigation of Pulse Velocity-Strength Relationship of Hardened Concrete, ACI Materials Journal 104(4).
[64] Z. Lafhaj, M. Goueygou, A. Djerbi, M. Kaczmarek, Correlation between porosity, permeability, and ultrasonic parameters of mortar with variable water/cement ratio and water content, Cement and Concrete Research 36(4) (2006) 625-633.
[65] P.-K. Chang, C.-L. Hwang, Y.-N. Peng, Application of High-Performance Concrete to High-Rise Building in Taiwan, Advances in Structural Engineering - ADV STRUCT ENG 4 (2001) 65-73.
[66] Malhotra, V. M Testing hardened concrete: nondestructive methods (1st ed). Iowa State University Press, Ames, 1976.
[67] R. Demirboga, Thermal conductivity and compressive strength of concrete incorporation with mineral admixtures, Building and Environment 42 (2007) 2467-2471.
[68] S. Farhan, D.M.F. Khamidi, M. Murni, M. Nuruddin, A. Idrus, A. Al Yacouby, Effect of silica fume and MIRHA on thermal conductivity of cement paste, 2012.
[69] C.-L. Hwang, M. Damtie Yehualaw, D.-H. Vo, T.-P. Huynh, Development of high-strength alkali-activated pastes containing high volumes of waste brick and ceramic powders, Construction and Building Materials 218 (2019) 519-529.
[70] M.Z. Bessenouci, N.E. Bibi-Triki, S. Bendimerad, Z. Nakoul, S. Khelladi, A. Hakem, Influence of Humidity on the Apparent Thermal Conductivity of Concrete Pozzolan, Physics Procedia 55 (2014) 150-156.
[71] A.H.-C. Shin, U. Kodide, Thermal conductivity of ternary mixtures for concrete pavements, Cement and Concrete Composites 34(4) (2012) 575-582.
[72] D. Li, A.W. Neumann, Equation of state for interfacial tensions of solid-liquid systems, Advances in Colloid and Interface Science 39 (1992) 299-345.
[73] S. Dedijer, T. Caligula, D. Novaković, M. Gojo, the contact angle of reference liquids on flexographic printing plates as a function of time, 2012.