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Mortars containing different types of class F fly ash (Romania and Canada), furnace slag, silica fume and sand, activated with 5.1\u00a0M potassium hydroxide solution and 40% sodium silicate solution. Three mixes were tested (Mix 1 \u2013 fly ash Romania, Mix 2 - fly ash Canada and Mix 3 \u2013 fly ash Canada and slag). The activators were chosen to develop materials with high mechanical strength. The activation process occurred at controlled laboratory conditions (20\u2009\u00b1\u20092\u2103 and 65% relative humidity). Mix 3 showed the highest strength values of 43.8\u00a0MPa and a flexural strength of 7.4\u00a0MPa after 28 days. Mix 2 had a compressive strength of 26.0\u00a0MPa, in contrast to 8.3\u00a0MPa for Mix 1. The addition of blast furnace slag (Mix 3 vs. Mix 2) nearly doubled the compressive strength values. Proposed mixes are an effective alternative to cement mortar that reduce waste, through valorization of industrial by-products and diminish carbon dioxide emissions by 30%. Microstructural analyses (SEM and XRD) confirmed the formation of reaction products consistent with the observed mechanical strength. The developed mixes show promising mechanical performance and contribute to reducing CO\u2082 emissions in construction materials.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-026-41743-5","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,4]],"date-time":"2026-03-04T17:46:44Z","timestamp":1772646404000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Design and characterization of sustainable mortars incorporating industrial waste\u2013derived materials"],"prefix":"10.1038","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Mihaela","family":"Caftanachi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mihai","family":"Vrabie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Maria","family":"Harja","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Roxana Dana","family":"Bucur","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Daniel","family":"Bucur","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"41743_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s44242-024-00045-7","volume":"2","author":"IO Erunkulu","year":"2024","unstructured":"Erunkulu, I. 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