Abstract
Large quantities of coarse solid wastes are generated during mining and quarrying both marble and granite rocks in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. These large quantities are major environmental concern in the surrounding area of quarry site. However, due to the similarity of these wastes to conventional aggregates, they could be potential source of environmentally friendly material for various applications. An experimental study to evaluate marble and granite solid waste materials as coarse particulate aggregates in road pavement and as replacement layers for the problematic soil in foundation is presented in this paper. An experimental investigation was carried out on these two materials to assess their physical, mechanical, and chemical properties according to the Egyptian standard. The modified proctor, Los Angeles abrasion, and California bearing ratio (CBR) are the most important tests to evaluate the suitability of any waste materials to road construction and soil compaction. The CBR of marble and granite coarse aggregates particulate are 95% and 97%, respectively. This means that these two wastes can be used safely in road pavement and soil compaction under foundations. The positive uses of these two wastes are considered beneficial from the economic and environmental point of view and saving the natural resources of natural gravel.