Waste marble powder emerges as a promising material choice to enhance the properties of alkali-activated slag cement

Egypt is one of the world's leading marble producers, resulting in substantial amounts of waste marble powder (WMP). The management and recycling of this abundant waste have become a critical priority for the nation to avert potential environmental hazards posed by its accumulation. Aligned with this approach, the authors embarked on a study aimed at environmentally managing this waste by incorporating it into alkali-activated slag (AAS) cement. Various ratios of WMP, ranging from 5% to 50%, were blended with slag as partial replacements. A fulfillment was conducted to examine the effect of varying WMP ratios on several attributes of AAS cement. The attributes in focus include flowability, setting time, compressive strength development, resistance to environmental conditions, transport properties, and drying shrinkage of alkali-activated cement. Cutting-edge methods were employed for analyzing the findings. The findings indicated that including WMP led to increased flowability and extended setting time. The other properties of AAS cement were improved with including 5–20% WMP. However, ratios exceeding this range led to adverse effects. The WMP optimal ratio was 10%. This study not only provides a viable solution for the environmentally sustainable management of WMP but also contributes to the development of innovative alkali-activated cement with enhanced properties. Variation in compressive strength with alteration of WMP ratios. [Display omitted] •WMP can enhance AAS cement properties when used in appropriate proportions.•The introduction of WMP improved flowability and extended the setting time.•Adding 5–20% WMP to AAS cement had benefits but higher ratios are not recommended.•The nuclear sites of suitable ratios of WMP can expedite the C–S–H formation.•To put it simply, it is advised to incorporate 10% WMP in AAS cement.