j o u r n a l o f m a t e r i a l s r e s e a r c h a n d t e c h n o l o g y 2 0 2 3 ; 2 3 : 2 0 6 5 e2 0 7 4

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jmrt

Original Article

Performance assessment of limestone calcined clay

cement (LC3)-Based lightweight green mortars
incorporating recycled waste aggregate

Hussam Alghamdi a, H. Shoukry b,*, Aref A. Abadel a,

Mohammad Khawaji a
a
Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, King Saud University, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia
b
Building Physics Institute (BPI), Housing and Building National Research Center (HBRC), 87 El-Tahrir St., Dokki,
P.O. Box 1770, Cairo, Egypt

article info abstract

Article history: Limestone-calcined clay cement (LC3) is one of the green or low-carbon binder options for
Received 11 December 2022 replacing Portland cement, leading to sustainable construction. Reducing the thermal
Accepted 19 January 2023 conductivity of the building's rendering mortar is helpful in reducing energy consumption
Available online 27 January 2023 for heating and cooling in buildings. In this study, LC3 has been prepared by replacing 60 wt
% of White Portland Cement (WPC) with a blend of limestone (LS) powder and metakaolin
Keywords: (MK) with LS: MK of 1:2 (wt%). Lightweight LC3-based mortars were prepared in which the
Green binder binder was combined with recycled fine aggregate (RFA) from autoclaved aerated concrete
Rendering waste (AACW) with aggregate volume contents of 25, 50, and 75%. Mechanical, thermal,
Recycled aggregate and hygric parameters, including compressive strength, in-direct tensile strength, bulk
Thermal conductivity density, thermal conductivity, volume of permeable voids (VPV), and capillary water ab-
Compressive strength sorption, have been investigated after 28 days of curing. In order to explore the thermal
Fire resistance stability of the prepared mortars, the residual strength after exposure to standard fire has
been examined. The LC3-mortar incorporating 75 vol% of AACW possessed a bulk density
of 1230 kg/m3; i.e., below the specified limit for lightweight rendering mortars. In addition,
a reduced thermal conductivity (as low as 0.21 W/m K) has been obtained. Even at the
highest volume content of AACW in the LC3-binder matrix, the lowest compressive
strength was significant (13 MPa). Moreover, the newly developed mortars showed
enhanced strength retention efficiency; a residual strength of about 61.5% was achieved
after standard fire exposure for an hour (1hr). SEM analysis exhibited adequate bonding
and a dense interface between the AACW aggregate and the LC3-binder matrix.
© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC
BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: hamadashoukry@yahoo.com (H. Shoukry).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2023.01.133
2238-7854/© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
2066 j o u r n a l o f m a t e r i a l s r e s e a r c h a n d t e c h n o l o g y 2 0 2 3 ; 2 3 : 2 0 6 5 e2 0 7 4

high porosity (low void fraction) and low TC, the utilization of
1. Introduction lightweight (LW) aggregate in the production of LW cementi-
tious renders can reduce the thermal conductivity, i.e., spe-
In recent decades, industrial carbon emissions have contrib- cifically reduce the ability to transmit heat from outside to
uted dramatically to global warming and, hence, climate inside the building [27]. Over recent decades, various LW ag-
change. It is widely known that the ordinary Portland cement gregates, such as expanded perlite [28], expanded clay [29],
(OPC) industry is responsible for almost 5e8% of carbon di- vermiculite [30], and expanded polystyrene [31], have been
oxide emissions [1]; therefore, the global environmental ini- used to develop LW mortars with good thermal insulation
tiatives motivated the development of low-carbon cement [2]. properties. Shoukry et al. (2016) [28] reported a reduction in TC
There are a variety of strategies to reduce the carbon footprint of 84.21% for cement mortars containing 70 vol % EP. Koksal
of cement, including the utilization of supplementary et al. (2015) [32] investigated the thermal properties of
cementitious materials (SCMs) as cement replacement, cementitious mortars incorporating vermiculite and silica
thereby reducing the clinker factor. The concrete industry fume at ambient and elevated temperatures. The TC of
aims to achieve a clinker factor of 0.52 by 2050, down from the developed mortars possessed a significant decrease (as low as
current value of 0.62 [3]. Industrial by-products like fly ash, 0.257 W/m K) depending on vermiculite ratio. The reduced TC
blast furnace slag, and silica fume, in addition to natural provided a significant improvement in thermal performance
pozzolana, are utilized in the production of low-carbon ce- (heat transfer).
ments [4e6]. However, most of these by-products are also AAC block is a special type of porous, lightweight building
going through a green transition, and their availability is not block with good thermal insulation and fire resistance. It is
in the range of massive production of cement. Due to their made of cement, lime, water, sand, and a blowing agent, and it
widespread availability, kaolinite clays and lime stone became is widely used as an alternative to clay solid bricks for
important sources of SCMs in this scenario [7]. Synthesis and improving the thermal performance of the building envelope
characterization of new binding materials is very important and hence energy efficiency in buildings [33]. With the accel-
topic for several construction applications [8,9]. erated urban development, the production of AAC has
Recently, a new economical and green binder based on remarkably increased and reached in some countries more
calcined clay and limestone powder has been developed and than 200 million square meters per year and with the world
is known as Limestone-Calcined Clay Cement (LC3), which attention towards achieving sustainability in construction
typically consists of 40% calcined clay, 20% limestone, and sector this rate is expected to increase annually [34]. Due to its
40% clinker [10e12]. Such a binder was proven to reduce the lightweight nature, AAC can be easily damaged during pro-
carbon dioxide emissions of cement production by about 30%, duction and transportation. It is reported that the amount of
according to the assessment conducted in India [13] and Cuba AACW accounts for approximately 3%e5% of the entire AAC
[14]. Furthermore, it has superior cementing efficiency and is block production [35]; i.e., a large amount of AAC waste
almost equivalent to the OPC of 52.5 N grade [10]. Owing to the (AACW) can be generated during production and construction
rapid development of the construction industry, the natural and is being dumped. Previous studies confirmed the feasi-
aggregate resources became exhausted, which consumed an bility of recycling autoclaved aerated concrete waste (AACW)
estimated 40.2 billion metric tons of aggregates worldwide in on a wide scale to prepare cement mortars without large
2014, increasing around 5.2% per year, continuously. On the mechanical strength reduction. The recycled AACW was uti-
other hand, the increase of discarded industrial by-products lized as fine aggregate to partially replace natural river sand in
and waste has forced modern society to face the challenges mortar with various replacement levels and particle sizes. D.
of landfill shortage and environmental pollution [15]. By- Zou et al. [34] reused AACW as RFA with partial replacement of
products or waste side streams such as slag [16], glass [17], natural sand in mortar up to 50%. Results indicate that the
ceramic [18], plastic waste [19], crumb rubber [20], marble [21], incorporation of AACW decreased the density and increased
mine tailings [22], incinerated bottom ash [23], and construc- water absorption and void volume of mortar.
tion demolition waste (CDW) [24] are feasible for direct use as Evangeline Lalrinmawii et al. [33] investigated various
fine or coarse aggregates in concrete. Despite the weather physical and mechanical properties of mortar in which sand
conditions, building needs either heating or cooling facilities and cement were partially replaced with recycled AAC and
along with air conditioning for a comfortable living. Thus, cellular lightweight concrete (CLC) blocks. The results
there is a need for better thermal insulation systems to keep revealed that materials from recycled AAC and CLC blocks can
energy requirements down [25]. Maintaining the thermal be used in cement mortar as a partial replacement of either
properties of the building envelope at a lower energy level is cement or sand up to 15e20% without significant reduction in
challenging and drives global efforts to decrease the thermal strength. Although; few papers have investigated the utiliza-
conductivity (TC) of building materials if the material has tion of AACW as aggregate replacement in OPC mortars, So
lower insulation properties, leading to high thermal losses. far, there are no extensive experimental or analytical studies
Recently, alkali-activated concrete based on metakaolin and to understand the use of LC3 binders with AACW aggregates
river sediment was prepared as eco-friendly and low-carbon for mortar or concrete applications. Therefore, owing to their
lightweight foamed concrete for external wall insulation. cellular structure, AACW was studied as a potential alterna-
The foamed concrete prepared in this study possessed tive for natural sand in the production of lightweight LC3-
enhanced thermal insulation performance under high based green rendering mortars, which adds to the sustain-
temperature-humid conditions, and it also exhibited high ability factor. In addition to the mechanical performance, the
waterproof and high temperature resistances [26]. Due to their interaction effect of the LC3 binder with AACW aggregate on
 j o u r n a l o f m a t e r i a l s r e s e a r c h a n d t e c h n o l o g y 2 0 2 3 ; 2 3 : 2 0 6 5 e2 0 7 4 2067

the thermal insulation, mechanical strength, pore structure, AACW aggregate were investigated by SEM, as introduced in
and fire resistance properties has been studied. Fig. 2a. Fig. 2b shows the grain size distributions of AACW
Using by-products to make greener construction materials aggregates, along with the lower and upper acceptable ranges
that meet technical standards has the potential to save nat- of grading according to ASTM C33 [37]. The grading is within
ural resources and energy while also benefiting the the permissible range to qualify as fine aggregate in cement
environment. mortar. AACW showed an angular morphology with a porous
structure. The mineralogical composition has been studied by
X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy as presented in Fig. 2c.
2. Experimental details The XRD pattern revealed quartz (SiO2), tobermorite (Ca5Si6-
O16(OH)2$4H2O), and calcite (CaCO3) (see Table 3).
2.1. Materials
2.2. Sample preparation and identification
The materials used in this study include WPC, kaolinite clay,
LS powder, and AACW aggregates. CEM I 52.5 N was purchased The LC3 binder was prepared by blending 40 wt% of WPC with
from Suez Cement Co., Egypt. The kaolinite clay and LS are 40 wt% of MK in addition to 20 wt% of LS as recommended by a
adequately available all over the world [36]; they were sup- recent study [10]. Three groups of LC3 lightweight mortars
plied by the Middle East Mining Investments Company were prepared, in which AACW was added as a volume
(MEMCO). Kaolinite was calcined at 600
C for a period of 2 h to replacement of the binder at the ratios of 25, 50, and 75%.
provide highly reactive metakaolin (MK). The chemical These groups were identified as M1, M2, and M3, respectively.
composition and physical properties of WPC, MK, LS, and WPC-based sand mortar was prepared with cement: sand
AACW were determined using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), as ratio of 1:3 and W/C of 0.5 as a reference mix for comparison;
presented in Table 1. Autoclaved aerated concrete recycled this group was coded “Ref".
fine aggregate was obtained by crushing the waste AAC from Table (3) illustrates the mix design of the prepared AACW-
lightweight sand brick factory in Quesna, Monufia Gover- blended LC3 mortars expressed in kg/m3.
norate, Egypt. The material was crushed, screened, and sieved The mortar ingredients (WPC, MK, LS, and AACW) were
to pass through sieve No. 4 (2.36 mm) as illustrated in Fig. 1. first mixed in an electric mixer for a period of 5 min at a
The physical properties of AACW aggregates are illustrated moderate speed (50 rpm) until homogeneity was achieved,
in Table 2. The micro-morphology and pore structure of then water that was necessary to get an acceptable

Table (1) e Chemical composition of raw materials.

SiO2 Al2O3 Fe2O3 CaO MgO Na2O SO3 K2O L.O$I.
Material
Binder WPC 20.72 3.89 0.17 68.41 0.48 0.12 2.69 e 3.49
MK 52.25 38.91 0.16 0.34 0.030 0.18 0.03 e 8
LS 0.1 0.08 0.03 55.59 0.11 0.09 0.04 e 43.91
Aggregate AACW 50.11 5.25 2.39 27.59 0.74 0.19 0.67 0.72 12.34

Fig. 1 e Info-graphic representation for the AACW aggregate preparation and application in LC3 mortar.
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characteristics. In order to assess the fire resistance perfor-

Table (2) e physical properties of AACW aggregates.
mance of the developed LC3-based lightweight mortars,
Color White Compressive strength was determined after fire exposure
Moisture Content, max 5.5% according to the standard temperature-time curve described
Specific Gravity 0.450 by ISO 834 [43] up to an hour and the residual strength was
Thermal Conductivity, W/mK 0.17 calculated relative to the 28-day compressive strength of non-
Water absorption, % 8.1
fire exposed mortar. The standard fire curve along with the
actual or applied furnace temperatures are shown in Fig. 3.

workability was poured. After that, the fresh blend was

mixed for another 5 min. Immediately after being mixed,
3. Results and discussion
the fresh mixtures were placed in 5  5  5 cm cubes to form
the specimens for compressive strength, indirect tensile
3.1. Mini-slump
strength, capillary water absorption, VPV, fire resistance,
and thermal conductivity tests. In order to ensure a good
The variation of flow spread (%) as a function of AACW con-
packing, the moulds were vibrated on a vibratory table for
tent is introduced in Fig. 4. As expected, the LC3-mortars
1 min, and then the specimens were kept under laboratory
incorporating AACW aggregate exhibited decreased flow
conditions for 24 h. The samples were then demoulded and
(spread); i.e., reduced workability relative to the ordinary
kept under tap water for curing for a period of up to 28 days
reference mortar. The mix incorporating 75 vol% AACW (M3)
before testing.
possessed the lowest flow diameter. A reduction of about 21%
in the spread has been obtained as compared with the Ref
2.3. Testing and analysis
mortar. The inferior workability is attributed to the cellular
structure, angular morphology, high roughness, and high
The compressive strength test was carried out at 28 days of
water absorption of AACW aggregates as compared with sand,
curing on 5-cm cubic specimens in accordance with the
which require additional water for maintaining acceptable or
standard specification ASTM C109 [38]. Three specimens were
satisfactory workability than rounded smooth sand. In order
tested from every group, and the average value was reported.
to achieve a constant degree of workability among the various
The indirect tensile strength was determined through the
AACWeblended LC3 mortars, the w/b ratio was increased
splitting test, in which a load is applied along the centre of two
from 0.485 for Ref to 0.51, 0.61, and 0.99 for the mortars
opposite sides of a 5-cm cube by means of narrow steel strips,
incorporating 25, 50, and 75 vol% of AACW aggregate,
as presented in Fig. 1 [39].
respectively. These results are compatible with the results of a
The splitting tensile stress is calculated from the following
previous study that reported an additional water requirement
formula:
for mortars incorporating AACW [34].
2P
Ts ¼
pL2 3.2. Mechanical performance
where: Ts is the tensile strength (MPa), P is the load at failure
(N), and L is the length of the cube (mm). Fig. 5 shows the variations in the 28-day compressive and
The bulk density of the prepared 5-cm cubic samples was tensile strengths of LC3 mortars incorporating various volume
determined in the oven-dry state according to ASTM C642-13 contents of AACW aggregate as compared with the Ref
[40]. mortar. As expected, there are distinctly reduced compressive
The thermal conductivity was measured using thermal and tensile strengths with the incorporation of AACW aggre-
properties analyzer adopting the transient line heat source gates into the LC3 binder matrix. The incorporation of 75 vol%
method according to ASTM D5334 [41]. The capillary water AACW led to the highest strength loss; reductions of about
absorption and VPV tests were conducted on 5-cm cubic 69.73 and 59.10% relative to ordinary mortar were found for
specimens after 28 days of hydration in accordance with EN compressive and tensile strengths, respectively. Even with the
1015-18 and ASTM C642, respectively [40,42]. highest content, the 75 vol% AACWeblended LC3 mortars
The microstructure of the hardened LC3 mortars was possessed a compressive strength significantly higher than
investigated before and after fire exposure by scanning elec- the requirement of EN 998-1 standard for the highest category
tron microscopy SEM (Model: FEI-Inspect S). Fresh fractured (CS IV) of rendering mortar [44], whose compressive strength
surfaces were used for investigation to get typical real at 28 days shall be  6 MPa.

Table (3) e Mix design expressed in Kg/m3.

Mix Binder Aggregate Water Flow spread, mm
WPC MK LS Sand AACW
Ref 551 e e 1515.2 0 639.47 23.1
M2 467.91 467.91 233.91 e 112.5 596.56 22.3
M3 311.94 311.94 155.97 225 479.60 22.7
M4 155.97 155.97 77.98 337.5 389.90 22.5
 j o u r n a l o f m a t e r i a l s r e s e a r c h a n d t e c h n o l o g y 2 0 2 3 ; 2 3 : 2 0 6 5 e2 0 7 4 2069

Fig. 2 e Characteristics of AACW aggregate (a) Particle morphology, (b) Grain size distribution and (c) XRD.

Many studies attribute the degradation of mechanical perfor- performance lightweight cementitious composites, the achieved
mance with the incorporation of porous recycled aggregate to the tensile results are significant or adequate values [29,46]. The
formation of high number of air voids and cavities in the structure improved compressive strength of the newly developed mortars
of mortars [28,30,45]; Furthermore, due to their porous or cellular is attributed to the high strength of the LC3 binder and the higher
structures, the utilization of AACW aggregate increases the water/ toughness of the AACW aggregates relative to other volcanic
binder ratio in the paste, which increases the capillary pores. materials like expanded shale or expanded perlite [28]. A recent
Although no minimum acceptable limit for the tensile strength of study on lime-silica fume mortar incorporating 75% expanded
rendering mortars has been specified according to BS EN 998-1,
based on the results reported in previous studies for similar high-

Fig. 3 e Standard time-temperature curve and the actual Fig. 4 e Variation in the flow spread of mortars containing
furnace temperature. various percentages of AACW.
2070 j o u r n a l o f m a t e r i a l s r e s e a r c h a n d t e c h n o l o g y 2 0 2 3 ; 2 3 : 2 0 6 5 e2 0 7 4

Fig. 5 e Compressive and tensile strengths of the prepared LC3- mortars relative to Ref mortar measured at 28 days of
curing.

perlite reported 28-day compressive and tensile strengths of 5.9 before and after fire exposure, along with the residual strength
and 0.59 MPa, respectively [31]. The reduction in the CH content percentages after fire exposure. As the Ref mortar experienced
caused by the pozzolanic reaction of calcined clay and the for- complete failure during fire exposure, it possessed 0% relative
mation of carboaluminates compensated for the strength loss of residual strength. The LC3-mortars incorporating AACW
AACW-blended LC3 mortar [2]. exhibited significant residual strengths. The greatest residual
strength was found for the mortar incorporating 75 vol%
3.3. Residual strength after fire exposure AACW; it maintained about 61.5% of its initial strength. Losses
of free and chemically bound water, phase changes, cracking,
Owing to fire exposure, construction and building materials spalling, etc., are irreversible processes occurring upon fire
experience changes in their physical and chemical properties exposure of cement-based structures [39]. Cement paste loses
that significantly influence their mechanical properties. most of the free or physically bound water at temperature up
Compressive strength of the LC3-based mortars was deter- to 150
C [47]. Moreover; at the temperatures of 400
Ce600
C,
mined after fire exposure according to the standard the decomposition of portlandite Ca(OH)2 in the binder matrix
temperature-time cellulosic fire curve of ISO834 up to an hour resulting in the release of water vapour. The doping of porous
and the residual strength was calculated relative to the 28-day aggregate into the cementitious matrix provides escape routes
compressive strength of non-fire exposed mortar. Fig. 6 de- for water vapour migration, which helps in reducing the in-
picts the compressive strengths of the prepared LC3 mortars ternal pressure or stress inside the structure and preventing
the cracking and spalling phenomena; i.e., improving the
structural stability [48,49]. These results were also reported by
previous studies that examined the performances of cement
mortars incorporating expanded vermiculite (EVM) at
elevated temperature, it was found that EVM could be an
effective solution for enhancing the high-temperature resis-
tance, contributing to insignificant reduction in strength.
Photos of the developed mortar specimens taken after fire
exposure for 1hr are shown in Fig. 7. As clear; complete
damage to the ordinary reference mortar. AACW-blended
mortar specimens were approximately free of any visual or
considerable damage, spalling, or cracks.

3.4. Volume of permeable voids (VPV) and capillary

water absorption (Aw)

Fig. 6 e Residual strengths of LC3-based mortars after fire Fig. 8 shows the capillary water absorption coefficients versus
exposure. the permeable voids volume for all of the prepared mortars.
 j o u r n a l o f m a t e r i a l s r e s e a r c h a n d t e c h n o l o g y 2 0 2 3 ; 2 3 : 2 0 6 5 e2 0 7 4 2071

Fig. 7 e Photos of the prepared mortar specimens taken after fire exposure.

Fig. 8 e Capillary water absorption coefficients Vis volume Fig. 9 e Density and thermal conductivity of the developed
of permeable voids for LC3-mortars relative to Ref mortar. LW mortars at 28 days of curing.

Owing to its relatively dense structure, the Ref mortar showed (density1300 kg/m3) of lightweight rendering/plastering
the lowest VPV as well as Aw. LC3 mortars incorporating AACW mortar based on the European standard EN 998-1 definition. It
showed distinctly increased VPV and hence, Aw relative to Ref can be seen that the TC of the mortar incorporating 25%
mortar. Although, LC3 mortars possess higher water absorp- AACW is 0.37 W/m K, which is about 52% lower than the
tion, their Aw coefficients are less than the recommended limit conventional most frequently used sand mortar of 1:3:0.5
as per EN 998 standard. The high closed cells content of AACW cement to sand to water. This reduction in TC was further
aggregates explains the reduced Aw coefficients since the enhanced to 74.5% when the AACW content increased to 75%
closed cells are incapable of holding water. The high permeable (M4 mix). Referring to the thermal insulation criterion ac-
voids ratio testifies that the developed LC3 mortars are highly cording to EN 998-1; the mortar M4 is classified as class T2
permeable for water vapour, which can be considered advan- (TC ¼ 0.1e0.2 W/mK); i.e., thermal insulation mortar that can
tageous for repairing or rendering masonry suffering from be used for energy efficient rendering applications. The high
excessive moisture content [50]. The new mortars facilitate the amount of the enclosed air pockets created as a result of the
drying of the moist masonry and improve the hygrothermal addition of AACW explains the reduction in thermal conduc-
state of the newly repaired structures. tivity [3,5,11]. The low TC results in reducing the operational
energy consumed to attain better thermal comfort in build-
3.5. Density and thermal conductivity ings and hence related cost of energy.

In addition to the bulk density, thermal conductivity is the 3.6. Microstructure analysis
main themo-physical property that affects the insulation
performance of a building envelope. Fig. 9 shows the dry bulk In order to examine the structural quality of the newly
density and thermal conductivity of the prepared LC3 mortars developed mortars, the microstructure of the mortar with
with different contents of AACW aggregate. As it was ex- the best themo-physical properties (M3, incorporating 75%
pected, due to its low density and thermal conductivity, the AACW) has been analyzed before and after standard fire
incorporation of AACW aggregates into the mortar has exposure as displayed in Figs. 10 and 11 The SEM images
significantly reduced both the density and thermal conduc- focused on the pore structure provided by AACW aggregate
tivity. The lowest density obtained was 1230 kg/m3 for the and the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) between the LC3
mixture containing 75% AACW (I.e. M4). Furthermore, all the matrix and AACW granules. Fig. 10 showed uniform semi-
developed mortars are below the prescribed limit spherical pore with diameter of about 811 mm and the
2072 j o u r n a l o f m a t e r i a l s r e s e a r c h a n d t e c h n o l o g y 2 0 2 3 ; 2 3 : 2 0 6 5 e2 0 7 4

Fig. 10 e SEM micrographs of the non-fire exposed LC3 mortar incorporating 75 vol% AACW.

hydration products completely covered the AACW granules. it is clear from Fig. 11, AACW aggregate led to a quite
Adequate bonding and a dense ITZ are obvious. Due to the decrease in the extent of the pressure that build up in the
high content of MK and LS in the LC3 binder, the needle-like porous medium during fire and provided a great protection
ettringite and cubic calcite crystals are abundant at ITZ. As to the LC3 hardened matrix. Although; under the action of

Fig. 11 e SEM micrographs of the fire exposed LC3 mortar incorporating 75 vol% AACW.
 j o u r n a l o f m a t e r i a l s r e s e a r c h a n d t e c h n o l o g y 2 0 2 3 ; 2 3 : 2 0 6 5 e2 0 7 4 2073

fire, the microstructure appeared quite dense, delamination

has been observed at ITZ without the appearance of signif- Acknowledgement
icant cracks and other damage type's on the LC3 skeleton.
The authors extend their appreciation to the Deputyship for
Research & Innovation, Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia
4. Conclusions for funding this research work through the project no. (IFK-
SURG-2-1523).
The recycling of AACW in the production of lightweight,
sustainable, and green mortar with the utilization of the
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the current study. The technical feasibility was assessed by
exploring the mechanical performance, thermal conductivity,
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