Chemical-mechanical characteristics of crushed oyster-shell

Waste Manag. 2003;23(9):825-34. doi: 10.1016/S0956-053X(02)00159-9.

Abstract

Enormous amount of oyster-shell waste has been illegally disposed at oyster farm sites along the southern coast of Korea. To seek for a possibility to recycle the waste as construction materials, chemical and mechanical characteristics of crushed oyster-shell were investigated. Chemical and microstructure analyses showed that oyster-shells are predominantly composed of calcium carbonate with rare impurities. Compressive strength tests for soil mortar specimens with varying blending ratio of cement, water, sand, and oyster-shell were compared with normal cement mortar. There was no significant reduction in the compressive strength up to 40% of dosages of oyster-shell instead of sand. The experimental results demonstrate that oyster-shells can be resources of pure calcareous materials and effective in replacement of sand, indicating promising reusable construction materials.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Compressive Strength
  • Conservation of Natural Resources*
  • Construction Materials*
  • Korea
  • Materials Testing
  • Ostreidae* / chemistry
  • Refuse Disposal / methods*
  • Silicon Dioxide

Substances

  • Silicon Dioxide