Development of One‐Part Alkali‐Activated Mortar Using Foundry Waste Sand

Foundry waste sand (FWS) refers to sand that is no longer useful after being utilized in metal casting processes. This sand is produced at a rate of around 0.6 tons per 1 ton of foundry industry manufactured and is typically discarded in landfills. To provide a sustainable solid waste management solution and reuse of the FWS, a study was conducted to develop an innovative one‐part alkali‐activated foundry sand mortar (OAFSM) based on waste materials. In this mortar, blast furnace slag fine powder (BFSFP) and fly ash (FA) were used as the solid precursors with different proportions while sodium metasilicate (SM) was utilized as the solid activator. To replace the conventional fine aggregate, FWS was used in varying proportions (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%). The integration of BFSFP and FWS greatly improved the mechanical properties of the mortar. Mortar mixes with increased BFSFP content typically exhibited higher compressive and flexural strengths. The optimum mix reached a compressive strength of 17.68 MPa and a flexural strength of 2.1 MPa after 28 days. The study shows that combining one‐part alkali‐activated binders with FWS can create high‐performance, durable mortars that are well‐suited for construction applications. The research findings advance the development of sustainable construction materials and offer a practical approach to utilizing industrial byproducts in building technologies.