Journal of Building Engineering 42 (2021) 103038

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Journal of Building Engineering

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Effect of the use of diatomite as partial replacement of sand on thermal and

mechanical properties of mortars
Driss Taoukil a, *, Younes El meski a, Mohammed lhassane Lahlaouti a, Rabah Djedjig b,
Abdelmajid El bouardi a
a
Energy Laboratory, Physics Department, Faculty of Sciences of Tetuan, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Morocco
b
LERMAB, Faculty of Sciences and Technologies of Nancy, Lorraine University, France

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: This article is devoted to studying the feasibility of using Moroccan diatomite as replacement of sand in mortars.
Lightweight concrete The principal objective is to value the use of this type of lightweight aggregates in insulating concrete. The
Diatomite diatomite is characterized by means of physical and chemical analyses, to determine its potential use in mortars,
Mortar
and then seven formulations of mortar with different amounts of diatomite are tested. The effect of this type of
Thermal insulation
aggregates on the density, porosity, thermal conductivity and diffusivity, thermal effusivity and capacity,
Thermal properties
Mechanical properties compressive strength, flexural strength and water absorption, is presented herein. The thermal characterization
shows that the incorporation of diatomite in mortar improves significantly its thermal insulation potential. Thus,
the lightning results in a net reduction of thermal conductivity and diffusivity. In the mechanical character­
ization, it is noted that despite the decrease in the compressive and flexural strengths with the addition of
diatomite, the results obtained are satisfactory to use this type of mortar as insulating concrete. The water ab­
sorption test brings to light the increase of hygroscopic aspect with increasing diatomite ration.

1. Introduction and floor) which may contain concrete. It is therefore interesting to

Diatomaceous earth is a siliceous sediment resulting from the accu­
mulation of fossil frustules of diatoms. Pure diatomite appears as a
sediment fine, white, very porous, light, friable, more or less finely
rolled. Diatomaceous accumulations exist in many countries of the
world: In the United States (especially in California), the countries of the
Commonwealth of Independent States (USSR), Canada, South Korea,
Romania, Belgium, Japan, Brazil, Denmark, Germany, Island, South
Africa etc., and in the Mediterranean countries it is found in Algeria,
Italy, France, Crete, Cyprus, Spain and Morocco. The majority of diat­
omite deposits are found at or near the earth’s surface and can be mined
by open pit methods or quarrying. The main export markets are the
Canadian market (17.900 t/year), Germany (12.000 t/year), Belgium
(6.200 t/year), South Africa (4.600 t/year) and Russia (4.300 t/year).
These five countries accounted for 47% of total declared exports. Diat­
omite is found in several uses after treatment and calcination. It is used
as an agent for filtering water, agro-food sugars, oils, table fats and other
chemical product [1].
In a building, heat losses come from various opaque parts (wall, roof
reflect to structural concrete formulations with improved thermal
insulation properties. The use of lightweight aggregates, which have
good insulation thermal properties, thanks to their porous structure, can
be a solution to improve the insulation potential of concrete elements.
This insulation technique can make it possible to avoid heavy con­
struction elements while respecting the requirements of thermal regu­
lation standards, i.e. RTM 2012 [2]. Lightweight aggregates are of
vegetal and organic as well as mineral origin. Among the aggregates of
vegetal origin, we can cite wood, cork, straw and hemp. As for aggre­
gates of mineral origin, the most frequently encountered are artificial
aggregates resulting from an industrial process as thermal or other
modifications (expanded clay, expanded shale, etc.), pumice, sedimen­
tary rocks such as limestone and diatomite [3].
Many works have studied the use of powders as a partial replacement
of sand aggregate in mortars and concretes. Abdel wahab et al. [4] use
the wollastonite powder to enhance flexural and compressive strengths,
initial setting time and drying shrinkage resistance of mortar mixes.
Safarizki et al. [5] study the effectiveness of glass powder on compres­
sive strength of concrete mixtures. Prokopski et al. [6] examine the

* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: d_taoukil@yahoo.fr (D. Taoukil).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2021.103038
Received 28 May 2021; Received in revised form 24 July 2021; Accepted 27 July 2021
Available online 28 July 2021
2352-7102/© 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
D. Taoukil et al.
effect of using granite powder as a component of concrete mixture on
microstructure, porosity, water absorption and mechanical strength. As
regards of diatomite powder, several researchers have examined the
possibility and the interest of the use of diatomite in cement, mortar and
concrete. Degirmenci and Yilmaz [7] investigate the use of diatomite as
a partial replacement of cement in the production of cement mortar.
According to compressive and flexural strength, freeze–thaw resistance,
sulfate resistance, water absorption test results, the authors suggested
that the diatomite can be used up to 5% as a replacement of Portland
cement. Xu and Lu [8] and Costa et al. [9] use diatomite with other
aggregates and paraffin for making a stable phase change materials
(PCMs). The authors demonstrated that the thermal performance of
cementitious mortars can be improved with the use of these PCMs. Li
et al. [10] study the early-age behavior, mechanical properties and
environmental impacts of green concrete containing diatomite and
limestone as replacement of cement clinker. Diatomite containing mixes
showed improved strength development and early properties suitable
for general applications. The authors show that the substitution of
cement with diatomite at 30% of weight resulted in over ~30% lower
global warming potential and energy use as well as appreciably reduc­
tion in air pollutant emissions. Xiao and Liu [11] study the effect of
diatomite as constituent of cement on thermal insulation properties of
straw fiber cement-based composites. They show that thermal conduc­
tivity decreases with the increase of diatomite content, which improves
thermal insulation performance. Saridemir et al. [12] show that the use
of calcined diatomite improves the mechanical and microstructural
properties of high strength mortars at ambient and high temperatures.
In Morocco, Messinian diatomite sedimentation is mainly known in
the north-eastern of Rif in various basins. The most significant accu­
mulations concern the Boudinar basin and the Melilla-Nador basin [13].
Moroccan diatomite is found abundant in the national territory and little
exploited. However, several researches have been devoted over the past
decade to the characterization and exploitation of this diatomite
through its use in several fields. Ezzirari et al. [14] propose the treat­
ment of the leachate of Mediouna (Casablanca city) landfill by diato­
mite. El attmani [1] study the use of diatomite in the treatment and
filtration of polluted water. El ouardi [15] study the possibility of the use
of diatomite for nickel and silver removal from synthetic and real
solutions.
In this context, this work aims to contribute to the study of the
possibility and the interest to use Moroccan diatomite as replacement of
sand aggregate in mortar in order to improve its thermal insulation
capacity. The choice to use diatomite as lightener of mortar is justified
not only by its insulating nature, but also to valorise abundant natural
resources. The particularity of this research work reside both in the way
of treating the scientific problematic related to this kind of material and
in the subject study itself. Several works have studied the effect of using
diatomite as replacement of cement [7,10–12]. Nevertheless, rare re­
searches have studied the effect of using diatomite as replacement of
sand in mortars. In addition, authors are often interested in mechanical
properties while thermal properties are poorly treated. This study is
based on a global approach of the properties of diatomite mortar, with a
cross analysis of thermal, mechanical and hygric proprieties.
2. Materials
2.1. Raw materials
2.1.1. Cement
The cement used in this study is a compound Portland cement CPJ
35. The CPJ 35 containing a minimum percentage of clinker of 61%, the
rest has being made of additions (limestone, secondary constituent). The
CPJ35 develops performances adapted for use in the preparation of low
stress concrete and all types of mortars. It has mechanical performance
and physicochemical characteristics in accordance with Moroccan
standard NM 10.1.004 [16]. Among the mechanical characteristics, the
2
Journal of Building Engineering 42 (2021) 103038
compressive strength at 28 days must be greater than 22 MPa. Its
chemical composition is presented in Table 1. The chemical character­
ization is made using the X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. The pro­
cedure is in accordance with international standards EN 196-2.2 [17]
and ASTM C114 [18].
2.1.2. Sand
The sand used is a CEN standardized commercial one. It is a natural
sand, siliceous in particular in its finest fractions. It is clean, dry, and the
particles have generally isometric and rounded form. The chemical
composition of this sand, established according to the NF EN 196-2.2
[17] and ASTM C114 [18], demonstrates its essentially siliceous na­
ture (Table 2). The granulometric analysis, established according to the
NF X 11–640 standard [19], is presented in Fig. 1. The curve shows that
it is a fine sand with a maximum diameter of 2.5 mm. The bulk density of
this sand is in the order of 1640.3 kg/m3.
2.1.3. Diatomite
The diatomite aggregate used is from the area of Nador-Morroco
(Figs. 2 and 3), obtained after grinding the material in a BB10
grinding machine. BB10 type is designed for crushing and grinding a few
kilograms of samples. The average chemical composition of the studied
diatomite, established according to the NF EN 196-2.2 [17] and ASTM
C114 [18] standards, is presented in Table 3. The result show the
dominance of silica at an average percentage of 57.61%. The presence of
aluminum oxide as an impurity is in the order of 15.75%. The impurity
may mask a part of the porosity, and the permeability of the product will
be affected. The analysis results are similar to those found by El attmani
[1], except for the percentage of aluminum oxide which is a bit high in
our case. According to these results and in comparison with those of the
literature, it can be said that the used diatomite has a good quality and
can be used as a building material. The granulometric analysis by
sieving, established according to the NF X 11–640 standard [19], is
presented in Fig. 4. It is therefore a very fine material (powder) with a
maximum diameter of 0.2 mm. The water content of the studied diat­
omite is about 11.7%.
2.1.4. Water
The mixing water used for the preparation of the various samples is
drinking water from the laboratory tap.
2.2. Mortar mix design
The preparation of the samples was carried out in a room maintained
at a temperature of 20 ◦ C ± 2 ◦ C and at a relative humidity above
50–60%.
2.2.1. Fresh mortar
The mortar constituents are mixed in a blender to get a good ho­
mogeneity. It is only with a homogeneous mixture that good contact
between the constituents will be ensured. Thus, four stages are
distinguished:
- Introducing the water first into the mixer tank, then introducing the
cement into it, and starting the mixer at low speed;
- After 30 s of mixing, introducing the aggregates regularly for the
following 30 s, then putting the mixer at high speed and continuing
mixing for another 30 s;
- Stopping the mixer for 1 min 30 s. During the first 15 s, using a
rubber squeegee, removing all the mortar adhering to the walls and
the bottom of the container and pushing it towards the middle of the
container;
- Resuming mixing at high speed for 60 s.
2.2.2. Sampling
For the manufacture of mortar specimens; two type of moulds were
D. Taoukil et al. Journal of Building Engineering 42 (2021) 103038

Table 1
Chemical composition of cement.
Element SiO2 Al2O3 Fe2O3 CaO MgO SO3 K2 O Na2O P2O5 MnO TiO2 Insoluble residues Sulfate LOI

Content (%) 14.81 3.22 2.15 58.75 2.33 2.10 0.40 0.20 0.08 0.04 0.22 1.29 2.06 15.68

Table 2
Chemical composition of sand.
Element SiO2 Al2O3 Fe2O3 CaO MgO SO3 K2O Na2O LOI

Content (%) 96.47 0 0 2.43 0.2 0 0.36 0.2 0.34

used. For the thermal characterization, parallelepiped moulds of

dimension (25 × 25 × 2 cm3) were used. For mechanical and hygric
characterization, prismatic moulds (16 × 4 × 4 cm3) were used. Finally,
the samples are completely immersed in water for 28 days.

Fig. 1. Granulometric distribution of sand.
2.2.3. Formulations
The reference mortar is in accordance with the standard NM
10.1.005 [20]. It is based on 1/4 of the cement (C) and 3/4 of the sand
(S) with a water cement ratio (W/C) of 0.5. For the other formulations,
the sand is substituted by diatomite (D) at D/(S + D) mass contents
ranging from 10 to 100%. The (W/C) is between 0.5 and 0.7. Except the
reference mortar, it is found that the amount of water is insufficient to
maintain acceptable workability. To overcome this problem an adjuvant
was added. A water reducing plasticizer compatible with the standard
NF EN 934-2 [21] was used. It is based on lignosulfonates, salts of
organic acids, melamine sulfonates, naphthalene sulfonate and de­
rivatives of melamine or naphthalene. The different studied formula­
tions with their flow times measured according to the standard NF
P18-452 [22] are regrouped in Table 4.

3. Test procedure

3.1. Density and porosity test

The bulk density of the hardened samples, in the dry state, was
determined at the age of 28 days in accordance with the NF EN 12390-7
standard [23]. It was determined on the prismatic specimens of volume
V = (4 × 4 × 16 cm3) and of dry mass Md. The dry state was obtained by
drying in a ventilated oven at (105 ± 5) ◦ C until the variation in mass
between two weighings is less than 0.2% in 24 h. The density measured
on average of three specimens is given by the following formula:
Fig. 2. Piece of a diatomite rock. Md
ρbd = (1)
V
The true density ρtd, in the dry state, was determined using the “Le
Chatelier flask” method according to the standard NF EN 196-6 [24],
after grinding and drying the sample. The true density is the ratio be­
tween the mass of the ground sample and its total volume.
The total porosity was estimated using the formula [25]:
ρbd
PT = 1 − (2)
ρtd

3.2. Thermal conductivity test

For measuring the thermal conductivity, a “model house-box” has

Fig. 3. Example of diatomite of Moroccan origin from the Boudinar basin [12].
been used. It presents the advantage of a very simple implementation
and the measurement uncertainty is less than 10% according to Nav­
acerada et al. [26], which is comparable to that obtained by conven­
tional methods (hot wire, hot disk, etc.). This technique has been
developed by the Physics Laboratory Experiments of the German Com­
pany “PHYWE Systeme GmbH & Co. KG” [27]. The measuring principle
is based on achieving a permanent unidirectional heat flow through the
sample, supposed homogeneous and without internal generation of

3
D. Taoukil et al. Journal of Building Engineering 42 (2021) 103038

Table 3
Chemical composition of diatomite.
Element SiO2 Al2O3 Fe2O3 CaO MgO SO3 K2 O Na2O LOI

Content (%) 57.61 15.75 5.55 7.73 4.17 0.5 2.08 5.6 14.99

as one might suppose adiabatic. Thus, the house offers the possibility of
operating simultaneously on four samples. The temperature gradient is
created by heating the interior atmosphere of the house, using a 100 W
incandescent bulb.

(2) Heating regulator (thermostat)

A heating regulator practically maintains the interior temperature of the

room constant. To do this, a temperature sensor of the regulation is fixed
on the protective window and it is connected with the regulation by
means of the 5-pole sockets placed on the ground and on the side of the
house. The power supply for heating is provided from a power outlet of
the regulator.

(3) Acquisition chain

Fig. 4. Granulometric distribution of diatomite. It is used to display the temperatures of the wall faces and of the anterior
and external environments, and to record them at the same time on a
memory card.
Table 4 Once the steady state is established, the thermal conductivity is given
Formulations and flow time of mortars.
by:
Sample Dosage (%) Flow time (s)
Te − Tae
D/A1 S/A W/C P1/C λ = ehe (3)
Ti − Te
M0 0 100 50 0 7±1
M10 10 90 50 0.83 9.52 ± 1 e (m): thickness of the sample;
M20 20 80 50 1.13 13.45 ± 1 Ti: temperature of the internal (hot) face of the sample;
M40 40 60 50 3.33 15.06 ± 1 Te: temperature of the external face of the sample;
M60 60 40 50 6.66 18.35 ± 1 Tae: temperature of the outside environment (the test room);
M80 80 20 56 6.66 21.54 ± 1
M100 100 0 67 6.66 25.10 ± 1
he (W/m2◦ C): global exchange coefficient between the external face
of the sample and the environment of the test room. Based on models
(1) A: Aggregates, P: Superplasticizer. and correlations from the literature [28], a computer program is
established by our laboratory to determine this coefficient.
heat, by creating a temperature gradient between its two faces. The steady state is reached when the temperatures remain constant
The experimental set-up is composed of (Fig. 5): for more than 15 min. A temperature is considered constant if the ab­
solute error on its value does not exceed 0.1 ◦ C. The temperature of the
(1) Model house test room must remain constant during the experimental test.
The device described above is designed for consolidated samples. In
It is a kind of cubic-shaped model, with four replaceable side walls with this study, to measure the thermal conductivity of diatomite aggregates,
a surface area of 25 × 25 cm2, a well-insulated floor with a 5 cm layer of the aggregates are placed in a frame which has a form similar to that of
polystyrene, as well as the roof, which can be easily raised and installed the hardened material (Fig. 6), and are subjected to a series of vibrations
whenever a specimen is attached to a side wall, and which is secured and compressions. These operations serve to minimize porosity and
with cap screws. The remainder of the lateral surface is as well isolated achieve perfect contact between the stainless steel plates and the ag­
gregates. The steel plates are of 1 mm of thickness, and the wood side
faces are of 15 mm of thickness. The thermal conductivity of stainless

Fig. 6. Frame used for the measurement of thermal conductivity and diffusivity
Fig. 5. Thermal house prototype. of granular diatomite.

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D. Taoukil et al. Journal of Building Engineering 42 (2021) 103038

steel at 20 ◦ C is in the order of λst = 13–20 W/m◦ C [28]. The choice of

F(M− 1 ) = 0.08548 − 0.314(0.5486 − M− 1 )
metal or alloy plates (copper, steel, etc.) is justified by Martin [29]. In
fact, the thermal resistance of steel plates is negligible compared to that + 0.500(0.5486 − M− 1 )2.63 ​ for M− 1

of the granular medium. > 0.27

3.3. Thermal diffusivity test F(M− 1 ) = − 0.08519 − 0.305M− 1 for M− 1 > 0.44 (7)

Diffusivity measurement is undertaken by using the Flash method With:

[30]. A uniform short pulse of energy is applied on one face of the
sample and then the thermal diffusivity a is evaluated from the tem­
perature variation of the non irradiated face of sample, using existing
theoretical models.
There are several models of the Flash device [31]. The experimental
device used in this work is illustrated in Fig. 7. It was developed for the
first time at the Thermal and Solar Studies laboratory of the University
Claude Bernard Lyon I in France [32–34]. A similar prototype was
mounted in the Energetic Laboratory of the Faculty of Sciences of Tetuan
in Morocco [35,36]. The device consists of a box carrying the sample
with insulating and reflective internal walls. The sample, which is
placed there, receives a thermal pulse from a thermal radiation source
consisting of an incandescent lamp with a power of 1000 Watts. The
temperature measurement on the non-irradiated face (rear face) is car­
ried out using a thermocouple. The dimension of the parallelepiped
sample is imposed at (25 × 25 × e) cm3.
During measurements, the temperature reading period is fixed in the
data logger at 1 s. On the other hand, the chosen excitation duration is
20 s. Indeed, this duration is sufficient to obtain a significant rise in
temperature of the rear face and a regular thermogram. To obtain a
regular thermogram, it is imperative that the temperature at any point of
the sample, and in particular on the rear face, before the application of
the thermal pulse, is as stable as possible, which corresponds to a steady
state well established.
The thermal diffusivity was estimated using the model of partial
temporal moments [37]. This model consists in determining the diffu­
sivity from the moments of order 0 and -1 of the experimental thermo­
gram defined by:
t8 .
∫10
T(t)
M0 = dt (4)
Tm
t1
10
t8
∫10
1 T(t)
M− 1 = dt (5)
t Tm
t1
10
e: sample thickness;
T(t): variation of the temperature with time t;
Tm: maximum elevation of the temperature;
ti/j: time when the temperature of the unirradiated face is i/j of the
maximum elevation of the temperature.
According to Hay et al. [38] the uncertainty of the thermal diffusivity
determination using this model is estimated to be from ±3 to ±5%,
depending on the material and the temperature.
To measure the thermal diffusivity of diatomite aggregates, the same
frame used for the measurement of thermal conductivity is used.
3.4. Mechanical strength test
The test of the compressive strength of the mortars was carried out in
accordance with the standard NF EN 196-1 [39] in a machine for
compression testing, by applying a loading force to the prismatic spec­
imens (4 × 4 × 16 cm3) in the direction perpendicular to the casting axis
until breaking. The compressive strength of the mortars, at the age of 28
days, is the arithmetic mean of the values measured on three test spec­
imens. The precision of the used machine is on the order of 1%.
Flexural tests allow to determine the breaking stress to the traction
by flexion. The specimens used in the flexural test are also prismatic
specimens (4 × 4 × 16 cm3). The rupture is carried out under concen­
trated load in a machine fitted with a device comprising three supports,
i.e. standard NF EN 196-1 [39]. The flexural strength of the mortars, at
the age of 28 days, is the arithmetic mean of the values measured on
three specimens. The precision of the used machine is on the order of
1%.
3.5. Water absorption test
The immersion absorption test was performed after the age of 28
days, by immersing the prismatic specimens completely in water, until
the variation in mass between two weighings is less than 0.2% in 24 h (i.
e. until partial saturation of the material). The absorption is expressed as
follows:

The thermal diffusivity can be eventually concluded from the W=

Ms − Md
(8)
following equation: Md

F(M− 1 ) With:
a = e2 (6)
M0 Ms: mass of the specimens saturated with water;
Md: dry mass of the specimens.

4. Results and discussion

4.1. Density and porosity

Figs. 8 and 9 present, respectively, density and porosity of samples. It

Fig. 7. Flash method apparatus.
is clear that the incorporation of diatomite in the mortar is translated by
a gain of the porosity, accompanied by losses on the density. This
lightness is due to the high porosity and low density of diatomite
(Table 5). The bulk density of diatomite is obtained by measuring the
mass of a volume of diatomite aggregate using a standard container (of
known volume), while its true density is established following the
standard EN 196-6 [24]. For a mass percentage of diatomite ranging
from 0 to 100%, the reduction in bulk density is about 49.12% and the
augmentation in porosity is about 183.27%. Thus, the use of diatomite

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D. Taoukil et al. Journal of Building Engineering 42 (2021) 103038

4.2. Thermal properties

Figs. 10 and 11 present, respectively, thermal conductivity and

thermal diffusivity of the studied mortars at the thermal and hygric
equilibrium state with the room test ambient (Ta = 15–20 ◦ C, R.H =
60–80%). The results presented are the arithmetic mean of the values
obtained from three repeatability tests. The thermal conductivity and
diffusivity decrease with the addition of diatomite in the mortar and
consequently the thermal insulation potential is improved. For a mass
percentage of diatomite ranging from 0 to 100%, the reduction in
thermal conductivity increases until 75.38% and the reduction in cor­
responding thermal diffusivity increases until 73.69%. Thermal con­
ductivity λ reflects the ability of a material to transport heat by
conduction. It depends on the nature of the considered material. The
Fig. 8. Dry density of mortars. lower its value, the more the material is insulating. Whereas, thermal
diffusivity a characterizes the speed at which heat is propagated in a
material. The lower its value, the longer the heat takes time to pass
through the material. Indeed, the thermal insulating capacity of the
material depends on the value of λ and a. The improve in thermal
insulation is related to the insulating character of diatomite aggregates.
The thermal conductivity and diffusivity of diatomite aggregate,
measured in its natural state, are respectively λ = 0.085 W/mK and a =
6.52 10− 8 m2/s. In addition, the addition of diatomite increases the
porosity and decreases the density of the mortar, which results in the
reduction of thermal conductivity and diffusivity. This relation is
already verified on mortars with lightweight aggregates according to
Ferrándiz-Mas et al. [41] which used expanded polystyrene and paper
sludge ash or, according to Widodo et al. [42] which used pumice.
Figs. 12 and 13 present, respectively, thermal capacity and thermal
effusivity of the studied mortars. Thermal capacity C and thermal effu­
sivity E are calculated from the values of thermal conductivity and
Fig. 9. Total porosity of mortars. diffusivity, using the following formulates:
λ
C= (9)
Table 5 ρa
Density and porosity of diatomite.
λ
Bulk density (kg/m3) True density (kg/m3) Porosity (%) E = √̅̅̅ (10)
a
559 2330 77
Where: ρ is the bulk density of sample.
Thermal capacity is a property that reflects the ability of a material to
as aggregate in mortar lighten it more. This kind of lightweight aggre­ store heat. Material with a high C value is not affected by sudden
gate effect was cited by many researchers, i.g. Kim Hung et al. [40] on changes in temperature. Whereas, thermal effusivity characterizes its
mortar lightened by expanded vermiculite. Degirmenci and Yilmaz [7] ability to exchange heat with its environment. It is noticed that thermal
noticed the same decrease in density when diatomite is used as a partial capacity increases while thermal effusivity decreases with the amount of
replacement of cement in sand mortar. Diatomite was used at 0, 5, 10 diatomite. This result is expected seen the thermal conductivity and
and 15% replacement by weight of cement while sand and water diffusivity results. Otherwise, it confirms the positive influence of
quantities were kept constant. addition of diatomite in thermal insulation potential of mortar.

Fig. 10. Thermal conductivity of mortars. Fig. 11. Thermal diffusivity of mortars.

6
D. Taoukil et al.
Fig. 12. Thermal capacity of mortars.
Fig. 13. Thermal effusivity of mortars.
4.3. Mechanical strengths
Fig. 14 show that when diatomite was included as partial sand
replacement, the mechanical strength was noticeably reduced as the
replacement level was increased. For a mass percentage of diatomite
ranging from 0 to 100%, the reduction in compressive strength is about
73.93% and in flexural strength is about 59.35%. The decrease in
compressive strength is most important than that in flexural strength.
The decrease in mechanical strengths in the diatomite mortars could be
attributed to the high porosity and low strength of diatomite. Reduced
strength of mortar due to increased of lightweight aggregates such as
expanded vermiculite [40], expanded polystyrene [41] and expanded
perlite [43] were previously reported. Degirmenci and Yilmaz [7] show
that the compressive and flexural strength decrease with increasing
diatomite content as replacement of cement in sand mortar. The authors
Fig. 14. Mechanical strength of mortars at 28 days.
7
Journal of Building Engineering 42 (2021) 103038
found that the compressive strength of the mortar increase after 25
freezing and thawing cycles. In this study, it is noted that the loss in
mechanical strengths is replaced by a profit of the thermal insulation
capacity and the elaborated composite can be used as lightweight
insulating concrete according to the functional classification of RILEM
[44].
4.4. Water absorption
Water absorption is a crucial property for construction materials, as
it represents one of the most important indicator of the material dura­
bility, its value gives indication of the permeable voids present in the
mortar. Fig. 15 represents the water absorption of the studied simples. It
shows that the addition of diatomite in the mortar is translated by an
increase of its water absorption. The sand mortar has a higher absorp­
tion capacity than normal concrete [45], and the addition of diatomite
increases it even more. The increase in the water absorption of diatomite
mortars is likely due to the porous nature of diatomite. The increase in
water absorption with the increase of lightweight aggregates content
was also reported in few researches, i.g. expanded vermiculate [40,46],
foamed plastic aggregates [47], wood aggregates [48]. Water absorption
is an important property of building materials, as it is one of the most
significant indicator of the material’s durability. High hygroscopic ca­
pacity constitutes an inconvenience of this material. It can entertainer
high shrinkage, which cause damages and affect the durability of con­
struction. On other hand, thermal properties are strongly dependent on
water content. High water content reduce thermal insulation capacity of
mortars [36]. However, high water absorption can be avoided if auto­
clave curing is used. Autoclave curing is a technique in which concrete
cured with high pressure and temperature in sealed vessel. Further, the
shrinkage is reduced by autoclave curing [49].
5. Conclusion
The growing interest in new concretes and their use in many areas of
civil engineering especially in building construction, has led us to
contribute to the study of mortar with Moroccan diatomite aggregates as
replacement of sand. In conclusion, this work shows that diatomite can
be used successfully as a sand replacement in a cement mortar. In gen­
eral, the following conclusions were made:
- The obtained values of thermal properties make this composite a
competitive material with lightweight insulation concrete.
- Given the mechanical character completely antagonist of the two
components (diatomite and cement), it is predictable to expect a
more or less significant drop of mechanical properties with the
decrease in density of material, and this within a limit that allows us
to consider this material as lightweight concrete according to the
Fig. 15. Water absorption of mortars.
D. Taoukil et al.
RILEM classification [44]. It would therefore be possible to use this
material as build walls or floors for example.
- The main inconvenience is its high water absorption. However,
several methods existent in the literature allow to solve this problem
[49,50].
Authors statement
Substantial contribution to conception and design: D.Taoukil & M.
Lahlaouti; Substantial Contribution to acquisition of data: Y. El meski &
D.Taoukil; Substantial contribution to analysis and interpretation of
data: D.Taoukil & Y. El meski; Drafting the article: R. Djedjig, A. El
bouardi & D.Taoukil; Critically revising the article for important intel­
lectual content: M. Lahlaouti & R. Djedjig; Final approval of the version
to be published: A. El bouardi.
Declaration of competing interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence
the work reported in this paper.
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