This research attempted to develop an environmentally-friendly functional building mortar by the combined use of agriculture wastes (agro-wastes) and construction wastes in magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC). The agro-wastes referred to corn stalk (CS) and saw dust (SD), which were used to improve the flexural properties of host cementitious material, whilst the construction wastes referred to recycled clay brick powder (CBP), which was employed to enhance compressive strength and water resistance. Moreover, tourmaline powder (TP) was added as a negative ion-inducing admixture, at a fixed dosage of 10% by weight of MgO, to bestow air-improving functions on the end products. Results showed the flexural strength of MOC was enhanced by the addition of CS and SD. Besides, the incorporation of CBP improved the water resistance in a dosage-dependent way. In addition, the specimens containing CS and SD also had better negative ion-inducing performance due to their higher porosity. Overall, the study provided a feasible and attractive approach to recycle agro- and construction wastes for the production of air purifying mortar. The developed mortar possesses an eco-friendly nature (simultaneous reuse of various waste materials and improvement of the air quality).
Keywords: clay brick power; corn stalk; magnesium oxychloride mortar; saw dust; tourmaline power.