Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Environmental Science and Pollution Research https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-20456-y RESEARCH ARTICLE Sulfur concrete made with waste marble and slag powders: 100% recycled and waterless concrete Muhammad Faisal Rasheed 1  · Abdur Rahim 1  · Muhammad Irfan‑ul‑Hassan 2  · Babar Ali 3  · Nazam Ali 4,5 Received: 18 November 2021 / Accepted: 21 April 2022 © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2022 Abstract In this research, the mechanical properties and durability of sulfur concrete with two diferent waste aggregates were evalu- ated. The waste aggregates included ground granulated blast-furnace slag and waste marble powder. The properties of sulfur concrete were also compared with those of the conventional binder concretes (i.e., Portland cement concrete and sulfate- resistant cement concrete). The durability parameters included measuring water absorption capacity and resistance to diferent harsh chemical environments (5% HCl solution, 5 Molar NaOH solution, and 16% NaCl solution). It was found that sulfur concrete made with slag as aggregate exhibited the maximum strength, i.e., about 2 times higher than that of Portland cement concrete and sulfate-resistant cement concrete. Sulfur concrete made with slag and marble waste powder showed superior mechanical performance compared to that made with river sand. Thus, sulfur binder develops more favorable properties with eco-friendly fllers than it develops with natural sand. In harsh chloride and acidic environment, sulfur concrete with slag powder exhibited about 90–95% lesser mass loss than Portland cement concrete. Keywords Chemical resistance · Durability · Blast-furnace slag · Mechanical strength · Sulfate-resistant concrete · Waste marble powder Abbreviations SC Sulfur concrete RS River sand WMP Waste marble powder GGBS Ground-granulated blast furnace slag PCC Portland cement concrete SRC Sulfate-resistant cement concrete Introduction The natural resources are exhausting due to the expansive growth in the construction sector, while waste materials are accumulating in the natural environment because of the endless processing and fnishing of raw products. In this scenario, the role of construction cannot be ignored in con- suming the wastes of diferent industries. The utilization of wastes not only reduces landflling requirements but also decreases the abiotic depletion potential and carbon footprint of concrete manufacture (Kurda et al. 2018). Responsible Editor: Philippe Garrigues * Muhammad Faisal Rasheed maharfaisal29@gmail.com Abdur Rahim rahim@uet.edu.pk Muhammad Irfan-ul-Hassan irfanulhassan@uet.edu.pk Babar Ali babar.ali@cuisahiwal.edu.pk Nazam Ali nazam.ali@stu.kanazawa-u.ac.jp 1 Research Scholar, Department of Transportation Engineering and Management, University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore, Pakistan 2 Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore, Pakistan 3 Lecturer, Department of Civil Engineering, COMSATS University Islamabad, Sahiwal Campus, Islamabad 57000, Pakistan 4 Research Scholar, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan 5 Lecturer, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Management and Technology, Lahore 54770, Pakistan