In-situ hydrocarbon formation and accumulation mechanisms of micro- and nano-scale pore-fracture in Gulong shale, Songliao Basin, NE China

By conducting experimental analyses, including thermal pyrolysis, micro-/nano-CT, argon-ion polishing field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (2D NMR), the Gulong shale oil in the Songliao Basin was investigated with respect to formation model, pore structure and accumulation mechanism. First, in the Gulong shale, there are a large number of pico-algae, nano-algae and dinoflagellates, which were formed in brackish water environment and constituted the hydrogen-rich oil source materials of shale. Second, most of the oil-generating materials of the Qingshankou Formation shale exist in the form of organo-clay complex. During organic matter thermal evolution, clay minerals had double effects of suppression and catalytic hydrogenation, which expanded shale oil window and increased light hydrocarbon yield. Third, the formation of storage space in the Gulong Shale was related to dissolution and hydrocarbon generation. With the diagenesis, micro-/nano-pores increased, pore diameter decreased and more bedding fractures appeared, which jointly gave rise to the unique reservoir with dual media (i.e. nano-scale pores and micro-scale bedding fractures) in the Gulong shale. Fourth, the micro-/nano-scale oil storage unit in the Gulong shale exhibits independent oil/gas occurrence phase, and shows that all-size pores contain oils, which occur in condensate state in micropores or in oil-gas two phase (or liquid) state in macropores/mesopores. The understanding about Gulong shale oil formation and accumulation mechanism has theoretical and practical significance for advancing continental shale oil exploration in China.

Gypsum-based Silica Gel Humidity-controlling Composite Materials:Preparation,Characterization,and Performance

Gypsum was used as substrate,and silica gel was mixed into substrate at a certain mass ratio to prepare humidity-controlling composites;moreover,the moisture absorption and desorption properties of gypsum-based composites were compared with adding different silica gel particle size and proportion.The morphological characteristics,the isothermal equilibrium moisture content curve,moisture absorption and desorption rate,moisture absorption and desorption stability,and humidity-conditioning performance were tested and analyzed.The experimental results show that,compared with pure-gypsum,the surface structure of the gypsum-based composites is relatively loose,the quantity,density and aperture of the pores in the structure increase.The absorption and desorption capacity increase along with the increase of silica gel particle size and silica gel proportion.When 3 mm silica gel particle size is added with a mass ratio of 40%,the maximum equilibrium moisture content of humidity-controlling composites is 0.161 g/g at 98% relative humidity(RH),3.22 times that of pure-gypsum.The moisture absorption and desorption rates are increased,the equilibrium moisture absorption and desorption rates are 2.68 times and 1.61 times that of pure-gypsum at 58.5% RH,respectively.The gypsum-based composites have a good stability,which has better timely response to dynamic humidity changes and can effectively regulate indoor humidity under natural conditions.

New Data on Coal, Gypsum, Iron and Silica Sand Deposits and Geochemical Exploration (Pakistan): Revision of 25 Years History of Dinosaur Discoveries from Pakistan

Discoveries of many coal seams at depths by drilling carried by Geological Survey of Pakistan in Sor Range and Harnai Gochina, extended the coal seams at depth which is challenge for mine owners to exploit feasibly. Bed to bed gypsum samplings (and their chemical analyses) of huge gypsum deposits from Sulaiman foldbelt is a base for industrialist and also planers to develop cement and gypsum industries to increase export and foreign exchange for the development of area and Pakistan. Low and high grade sedimentary iron deposits, silica sand and uranium host rocks and their extensions in Sulaiman and Kirthar foldbelts are presented. Anomalies of a few base metals arise as a result of geochemical exploration carried at part of Loralai District of Balochistan. Theropod dinosaurs were frequent in India, while Poripuchian titanosaurs (Sauropoda, Dinosauria) were frequent in Pakistan. Besides some ichnotaxa, many bone taxa such as 1 titanosauriform, 14 titanosaurian sauropod (including one new titanosaur), and 3 theropod dinosaurs are established from Pakistan. Among these 12 titanosaur species and 3 theropod species are named in about 10 km2 area of Vitakri dome and 2 titanosaur species are named in about a few hundred square meter area of Mari Bohri (Kachi Bohri) which is about 10 km westward from Vitakri dome. Pakistan is a unique country which discoverd 14 diversified titanosaurs in a short area and also in a short period (67 - 66 million years ago/Ma). About 400 bones found from a few meter thick upper part of upper shale horizon of latest Maastrichtian Vitakri Formation which is base for titanosaur taxa. Cranial material is in low fraction (but include significant diverse snouts), caudal vertebrae are prominent, the cervicals, dorsals and sacrals have significant numbers, forelimb and hind limb bones have balanced fraction. Humeri, femora and tibiae are most common. To know the position of Pakistani titanosaurs among titanosaurs and sauropods, there is a need to extend list of characters for phylogenetic analyses. This broad feature list should include main characters of titanosaurs from Pakistan and also from global world.

Al-modified yolk-shell silica particle-supported NiMo catalysts for ultradeep hydrodesulfurization of dibenzothiophene and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene:Efficient accessibility of active sites and suitable acidity

Yolk-shell SiO2 particles(YP)with center-radial meso-channels were fabricated through a simple and effective method.Al-containing YP-supported NiMo catalysts with different Al amounts(NiMo/AYP-x,x=Si/Al molar proportion)were prepared and dibenzothiophene(DBT)and 4,6-dimethyl-dibenzothiophene(4,6-DMDBT)were employed as the probes to evaluate the hydrodesulfurization(HDS)catalytic performance.The as-prepared AYP-x carriers and corresponding catalysts were characterized by some advanced characterizations to obtain deeper correlations between physicochemical properties and the HDS performance.The average pore sizes of series AYP-x supports are above 6.0 nm,which favors the mass transfer of organic sulfides.The cavity between the yolk and the shell is beneficial for the enrichment of S-containing compounds and the accessibility between reactants and active metals.Aluminum embedded into the silica framework could facilitate the formation of Lewis(L)and Brønsted(B)acid sites and adjust the metal-support interaction(MSI).Among all the as-synthesized catalysts,NiMo/AYP-20 catalyst shows the highest HDS activities.The improved HDS activity of NiMo/AYP-20 catalyst is attributed to the perfect combination of excellent structural properties of the yolk-shell mesoporous silica,enhanced acidity,moderate MSI,and good accessibility/dispersion of active components.

Green synthesis of ZSM-5 using silica fume and catalytic co-cracking of lignin and plastics for production of monocyclic aromatics

ZSM-5 with hierarchical pore structure was synthesized by a simple two-step hydrothermal crystallization from silica fume without using any organic ammonium templates.The synthesized ZSM-5 were oval shaped particles with a particle size about 2.0 μm and weak acid-dominated with proper Brønsted(B)and Lewis(L)acid sites.The ZSM-5 was used for catalytic co-cracking of n-octane and guaiacol,lowdensity polyethylene(LDPE)and alkali lignin(AL)to enhance the production of benzene,toluene,ethylbenzene and xylene(BTEX).The most significant synergistic effect occurred at n-octane/guaiacol at 1:1 and LDPE/AL at 1:3,under the condition,the achieved BTEX selectivity were 24%and 33%(mass)higher than the calculated values(weighted average).The highest BTEX selectivity reached 88.5%,which was 3.7%and 54.2%higher than those from individual cracking LDPE and AL.The synthesized ZSM-5 exhibited superior catalytic performance compared to the commercial ZSM-5,indicating potential application prospect.

Residual stress modeling of mitigated fused silica damage sites with CO_(2)laser annealing

A numerical model based on measured fictive temperature distributions is explored to evaluate the residual stress fields of CO_(2)laser-annealed mitigated fused silica damage sites.The proposed model extracts the residual strain from the differences in thermoelastic contraction of fused silica with different fictive temperatures from the initial frozen-in temperatures to ambient temperature.The residual stress fields of mitigated damage sites for the CO_(2)laser-annealed case are obtained by a finite element analysis of equilibrium equations and constitutive equations.The simulated results indicate that the proposed model can accurately evaluate the residual stress fields of laser-annealed mitigated damage sites with a complex thermal history.The calculated maximum hoop stress is in good agreement with the reported experimental result.The estimated optical retardance profiles from the calculated radial and hoop stress fields are consistent with the photoelastic measurements.These results provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate the suitability of the proposed model for describing the residual stresses of mitigated fused silica damage sites after CO_(2)laser annealing.

Silica-modified Pt/TiO_(2) catalysts with tunable suppression of strong metal-support interaction for cinnamaldehyde hydrogenation

Tuning Strong Metal-support Interactions(SMSI)is a key strategy to obtain highly active catalysts,but conventional methods usually enable TiO_(x) encapsulation of noble metal components to minimize the exposure of noble metals.This study demonstrates a catalyst preparation method to modulate a weak encapsulation of Pt metal nanoparticles(NPs)with the supported TiO_(2),achieving the moderate suppression of SMSI effects.The introduction of silica inhibits this encapsulation,as reflected in the characterization results such as XPS and HRTEM,while the Ti^(4+) to Ti^(3+) conversion due to SMSI can still be found on the support surface.Furthermore,the hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde(CAL)as a probe reaction revealed that once this encapsulation behavior was suppressed,the adsorption capacity of the catalyst for small molecules like H_(2) and CO was enhanced,which thereby improved the catalytic activity and facilitated the hydrogenation of CAL.Meanwhile,the introduction of SiO_(2) also changed the surface structure of the catalyst,which inhibited the occurrence of the acetal reaction and improved the conversion efficiency of C=O and C=C hydrogenation.Systematic manipulation of SMSI formation and its consequence on the performance in catalytic hydrogenation reactions are discussed.

Theoretical study on the effective thermal conductivity of silica aerogels based on a cross-aligned and cubic pore model

Aerogel nanoporous materials possess high porosity, high specific surface area, and extremely low density due to their unique nanoscale network structure. Moreover, their effective thermal conductivity is very low, making them a new type of lightweight and highly efficient nanoscale super-insulating material. However, prediction of their effective thermal conductivity is challenging due to their uneven pore size distribution. To investigate the internal heat transfer mechanism of aerogel nanoporous materials, this study constructed a cross-aligned and cubic pore model(CACPM) based on the actual pore arrangement of SiO_(2) aerogel. Based on the established CACPM, the effective thermal conductivity expression for the aerogel was derived by simultaneously considering gas-phase heat conduction, solid-phase heat conduction, and radiative heat transfer. The derived expression was then compared with available experimental data and the Wei structure model. The results indicate that, according to the model established in this study for the derived thermal conductivity formula of silica aerogel, for powdery silica aerogel under the conditions of T = 298 K, a_(2)= 0.85, D_(1)= 90 μm, ρ = 128 kg/m^(3), within the pressure range of 0–10^(5)Pa, the average deviation between the calculated values and experimental values is 10.51%. In the pressure range of 10^(3)–10^(4)Pa, the deviation between calculated values and experimental values is within 4%. Under these conditions, the model has certain reference value in engineering verification. This study also makes a certain contribution to the research of aerogel thermal conductivity heat transfer models and calculation formulae.

Visual Object Tracking and Servoing Control of a Nano-Scale Quadrotor:System,Algorithms,and Experiments

There are two main trends in the development of unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)technologies:miniaturization and intellectualization,in which realizing object tracking capabilities for a nano-scale UAV is one of the most challenging problems.In this paper,we present a visual object tracking and servoing control system utilizing a tailor-made 38 g nano-scale quadrotor.A lightweight visual module is integrated to enable object tracking capabilities,and a micro positioning deck is mounted to provide accurate pose estimation.In order to be robust against object appearance variations,a novel object tracking algorithm,denoted by RMCTer,is proposed,which integrates a powerful short-term tracking module and an efficient long-term processing module.In particular,the long-term processing module can provide additional object information and modify the short-term tracking model in a timely manner.Furthermore,a positionbased visual servoing control method is proposed for the quadrotor,where an adaptive tracking controller is designed by leveraging backstepping and adaptive techniques.Stable and accurate object tracking is achieved even under disturbances.Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the high accuracy and stability of the whole tracking system.

Numerical Analysis of the Adhesive Forces in Nano-Scale Structure

Nanohairs, which can be found on the epidermis of Tokay gecko＇s toes, contribute to the adhesion by means of van der Waals force, capillary force, etc. This structure has inspired many researchers to fabricate the attachable nano-scale structures. However, the efficiency of artificial nano-scale structures is not reliable sufficiently. Moreover, the mechanical parameters related to the nano-hair attachment are not yet revealed qualitatively. The mechanical parameters which have influence on the ability of adhesive nano-hairs were investigated through numerical simulation in which only van der Waals force was considered. For the numerical analysis, finite element method was utilized and van der Waals force, assumed as 12-6 Lennard-Jones potential, was implemented as the body force term in the finite element formulation.

Nano-scale Interfacial Friction Behavior between Two Kinds of Materials in MEMS Based on Molecular Dynamics Simulations

The aim of this article was to provide a systematic method to perform molecular dynamics simulotion or evaluation for nano-scale interfacial friction behavior between two kinds of materials in MEMS design. Friction is an important factor affecting the performance and reliability of MEMS. The model of the nano-scale interracial friction behavior between two kinds of materials was presented based on the Newton＇ s equations of motion. The Morse potential function was selected for the model. The improved Verlet algorithm was employed to resolve the model, the atom trajectories and the law of the interfacial friction behavior. Comparisons with experimental data in other paper confirm the validity of the model. Using the model it is possible to simulate or evaluate the importance of different factors for designing of the nano-scale interfacial friction behavior between two kinds of materials in MEMS.

Highly Efficient Heavy-Metal-Ion Removal from Shellfish Processing Liquid with Low Protein and Polysaccharide Loss by Hybrid Mesoporous Silica Diol-APDC-SBA15

Heavy metal ions in shellfish products are harmful to human health,and their removal with low nutrient loss remains challenging.Herein,a new type of mesoporous silica(SBA15),modified internally with ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate(APDC)and externally with alkyl-diol groups,which was named as Diol-APDC-SBA15,was successfully developed and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction patterns,nitrogen adsorption,and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.The solutions with lead,chromium,cadmium,and copper were used to investigate the adsorption capacity of Diol-APDC-SBA15.Diol-APDC-SBA15 was adopted to remove heavy metals from cooking liquids of clams(Ruditapes philippinarum),hydrolysate liquids of oysters(Ostrea gigas Thunberg),and polysaccharide solution from the cooking liquid of R.philippinarum.The efficiencies of removing heavy metal ions and the loss rates of proteins and polysaccharides were examined.The results showed that the adsorption capacities of Diol-APDCSBA15 for Pb,Cr,Cd,and Cu in standard heavy-metal solutions were 161.4,166.1,29.6,and 60.2mgg^(−1),respectively.The removal efficiency of Diol-APDC-SBA15 for Pb in the three shellfish processing liquids ranged from 60.5%to 99.6%.The Cr removal efficiency was above 99.9%in the oyster hydrolysate liquid.Meanwhile,the percentages of polysaccharide loss were 5.5%and 3.7%in the cooking liquid of clam and polysaccharide solution,respectively,and the protein loss was 1.2%in the oyster hydrolysate liquid.Therefore,the Diol-APDC-SBA15 material exhibits a great potential application in the removal of heavy metals from shellfish processing liquids with low losses of proteins and polysaccharides.

Effect of Different Silica Fumes on Properties of Al_(2)O_(3)-SiC-C Castables for Iron Trough

In order to improve the performance of Al_(2)O_(3)-SiC-C castables for iron trough,samples were prepared using brown corundum,dense corundum,activated alumina micropowder,ball pitch,and silicon as main raw materials,calcium aluminate cement as the binder.Several kinds of silica fumes(93SiO_(2),96SiO_(2),and 99SiO_(2))with different particle size distributions and chemical composition were added to research the effects on the properties of castables.The results show that the sample with 99SiO_(2) fume has high water requirement for molding,but the bulk density is the lowest,the apparent porosity is the highest,the oxidation resistance is the worst,and the permanent linear change on heating is low after firing at 1 450 ℃ for 3 h.The bulk density and the apparent porosity of the sample with 93SiO_(2) fume or 96SiO_(2) fume are equivalent,the hot modulus of rupture of the sample with 93SiO_(2) fume is the lowest,and the slag resistance of the sample with 96SiO_(2) fume is the best.The comprehensive performance of the sample with 96SiO_(2) fume is the best.

Nano silica aerogel-induced formation of an organic/alloy biphasic interfacial layer enables construction of stable high-energy lithium metal batteries

Lithium metal batteries represent promising candidates for high-energy-density batteries, however, many challenges must still be overcome,e.g., interface instability and dendrite growth. In this work, nano silica aerogel was employed to generate a hybrid film with high lithium ion conductivity(0.6 mS cm^(-1)at room temperature) via an in situ crosslinking reaction. TOF-SIMS profile analysis has revealed conversion mechanism of hybrid film to Li–Si alloy/Li F biphasic interface layer, suggesting that the Li–Si alloy and Li F-rich interface layer promoted rapid Li+transport and shielded the Li anodes from corrosive reactions with electrolyte-derived products. When coupled with nickel-cobalt-manganese-based cathodes, the batteries achieve outstanding capacity retention over 1000 cycles at 1 C. Additionally the developed film coated on Li enabled high coulombic efficiency(99.5%) after long-term cycling when coupled with S cathodes. Overall, the results presented herein confirm an effective strategy for the development of high-energy batteries.

Application of Silica Aerogel Carrier via Supercritical Drying for Fragrance Controlled-release

Silica aerogel with different hydrophilicities were prepared from tetramethoxysilane,Methymethoxysilane,tetramethoxysilane-propyltrimethoxysilane,or tetramethoxysilane-phenyltrimethoxysilane mixtures via supercritical drying process(labelled as TMOS-AG Me-TMOS-AG,Pr-TMOS-AG,or Ph-TMOS-AG,respectively).Three fragrances,including geraniol,ethyl vanillin,and menthol,were loaded to TMOS-AG.The thermal analysis confirmed all loading fragrances are stable until over 200℃.And among all fragrances,geraniol presented the maximum loading contents(L_(m)).Concentration dependences indicated the geraniol was mono layer absorbed.Py-GC/MS of geraniol in TMOS-AG under both N_(2)and mimic air atmosphere(90%N_(2)and 10%O_(2))confirmed that loaded geraniol could be thermally controlled-released beginning at 200℃.As N_(2)absorption confirmed,even absorption/desorption equilibrium constant(k)was determined mainly by hydrophilicity of silica aerogels,and the maximum loading contents(L_(m))were influenced more by the pore size.Due to mono layered absorption,bigger pores usually give less specific areas and less absorbing sites for geraniol,and then present lower L_(m).

Preparation and evaluation of controllable drug delivery system:A light responsive nanosphere based on β-cyclodextrin/mesoporous silica

A novel light responsive nanosphere was constructed,and it was used as a drug carrier to investigate the loading and release properties of the Quercetin(QU).In this paper,mesoporous silica nanoparticles(MSN)were used as a substrate,and 3-aminopropyl triethyoxysilane was used as a surface modification agent to introduce—NH_(2),and the azobenzene-4,4’-dicarboxylic acid(AZO)was used as light responsive agent to introduce the group of—N=N—,and thenβ-cyclodextrin(β-CD)was combined with AZO through host-guest interaction to construct light responsive nanoparticles(MSN@β-CD).The structure and properties of the carrier were analyzed by FTIR,BET,XPS,TGA,XRD,SEM and TEM.In vitro drug release studies showed the release rate of QU@MSN@β-CD(dark)was 12.19%within 72 h,but the release rate of QU@MSN@β-CD(light 10 min)was 26.09%,exhibiting a light-responsive property.The CCK8 tests demonstrated that MSN@β-CD could significantly decrease the toxicity of QU.Therefore,the controllable light-responsive drug delivery system has great application prospects.

Preparation of Silica Nanosphere with Vertical Pore and Its Application in Oil-water Separation

Uniform monodispersed mesoporous silica nanospheres with vertical pores were successfully synthesized using chiral amphiphilic small molecule L-16Ala5PyClO4and solvents as dual templates via solgel transcription.The morphologies and pore sizes of silicas are adjustable by changing the type and amount of solvents in the reaction systems.With the increase of the organic solvent content,the morphologies of the obtained silica changed from nanospheres with vertical pore structures to nanosheets structures.When 1 mL of benzene,cyclohexane or toluene were used as solvents,only silica nanospheres were obtained,the BET surface areas of silica nanospheres reached 600.7,669.5,and 560.8 m^(2)/g,respectively.The pore sizes were 3.51,3.54,and 3.46 nm,respectively.Significantly,these ordered silica nanospheres/poly(vinyl alcohol-co-ethylene)(PVAco-PE)nanofiber membranes have high separation efficiencies(>99%)for n-hexane/water mixtures.

Selective capture of silver ions from aqueous solution by series of azole derivatives-functionalized silica nanosheets

The introduction of bifunctional groups into low-cost adsorbents for selective adsorption of Ag(I) through synergistic effect will have a profound impact on the recovery of precious metals. Organo silica nanosheets(organo-Si NSs) functionalized by series of azole derivatives(2-mercaptoimidazole(MI), 2-mercaptobenzimidazole(MBT) and 1H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiol(MTT)), are fabricated and employed for selective removal of Ag(I). The structures of the organo-Si NSs are investigated using several characterization methods. The results of batch adsorption experiments display that the maximum adsorption amounts are 70.3, 103.2 and 139.5 mg·g^(-1) on MI-Si NSs, MBI-Si NSs and MTT-Si NSs for Ag(I) ions, and reach rapid equilibrium within 10–30 min. The adsorption processes are chemisorption and fit pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. Notably, MTT-Si NSs is greatly selective for Ag(I) in multicomponent system, and the distribution coefficient value of Ag(I) ions reaches 2331.26 ml·g^(-1). The reusability of organo-Si NSs is verified by four cycles of regeneration tests with 0.1 mol·L^(-1) HNO_(3) as the eluent. A combination of experimental, structural along with theoretical analysis is conducted to proclaim the structure-adsorptivity relationship:(i) The adsorption mechanisms are attributed to complexation.(ii) The amino group and sulfhydryl group of MTT-Si NSs as well as MBISi NSs may have synergistic impacts on Ag(I) capture.(iii) The differences in adsorption behavior and selectivity of the three organo-Si NSs are mainly related to the form of function groups, charge density and steric hindrance of adsorbent. This work not only sheds light on the promise of functionalized organo-Si NSs for the rapid and selective removal/enrichment of Ag(I) ions in complex water systems,but also provides new insights for designing cost-effective Si NSs-based adsorbents.

Core-shell-embedded Mesoporous Silica Capsules for Atmospheric Water Harvesting

A one-step ultrasonic mechanical method was used to synthesize a kind of atmospheric water harvesting material with high water harvesting performance in a wide relative humidity(RH)range,especially at low RH(RH<40%),namely,mesoporous silica capsule(MSC)with core-shell structure.Transmission electron microscopy(TEM),nitrogen adsorption and other characterization techniques were used to study the formation process of nano-microspheres.A new mechanism of self-adaptive concentration gradient regulation of silicon migration and recombination core-shell structure was proposed to explain the formation of a cavity in the MSC system.The core-shell design can enhance the specific surface area and pore volume while maintaining the monodispersity and mesoporous size.To study the water harvesting performance of MSC,solid silica nanoparticles(SSN)and mesoporous silica nanoparticles(MSN)were prepared.In a small atmospheric water collection test(25℃,40%RH),the water vapour adsorption and desorption kinetics of MSC,SSN,MSN and a commercial silica gel(CSG)were compared and analyzed.The results show that the MSC with mesoporous channels and core-shell structure can provide about 0.324 gwater/gadsorbent,79%higher than the CSG(0.181 gwater/gadsorbent).It is 25.1%higher than that of 0.259 gwater/gadsorbentof un-hollowed MSN and 980%higher than that of0.03 gwater/gadsorbentof un-hollowed SSN.The material has a large specific surface area and pore volume,simple preparation method and low cost,which provides a feasible idea for realising atmospheric water collection in arid and semi-arid regions.

On the Combination of Silica Fume and Ceramic Waste for the Sustainable Production of Mortar

The combined use of silica fume(SF)and ceramic waste(CW)for the production of mortar is studied.Sand is replaced by 5%,10%,15%and 20%of CW while a fixed 5%percentage(%wt of cement)of SF is used.The results show that the best results are obtained by using silica fume and ceramic waste sand with 15%weight of sand and 5%wt of cement.With the addition of sand ceramic waste(SCW),the mortar compressive strength and density increase,while the porosity displays an opposite trend.The experimental analysis is complemented with theoretical considerations on the matrix strength and related improvements in mechanical behavior.It is shown that the agreement between the experimental values and the estimated values is good.