Microstructure And Durability Performance Of Concrete Containing Empty Palm Oil Fruit Bunch Ash As Partial Replacement Of Ordinary Portland Cement

ABSTRACT

The production of concrete as a civil engineering material is highly dependent on the availability of its constituent materials. However, most of these materials are no more readily available. In order to solve this problem, many researches has been carried out on the use of agricultural waste as construction material, one of this material is Empty Palm Oil Fruit Bunch Ash (EPO - FBA). (EPO - FBA) is an agricultural waste material which is gotten after burning empty palm oil fruit bunch. They are generally disposed to open fields causing environmental pollution problems. Due to its abundance and pozzolanic properties, many researchers have evaluated its potential as a construction material. This research work reports the investigation carried out to determine the microstructure and durability performance of concrete containing Empty Palm Oil Fruit Bunch Ash (EPO - FBA) as partial replacement of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC). The study employed different mix proportions which resulted in casting and testing of concrete cubes at 7, 14, 28, 60, and 90-days of curing inside which replacement of Portland cement with EPO-FBA were carried out up to 15% by weight at interval of 5%. Preliminary tests like chemical analysis, Fineness, consistency and Setting time were carried out to compare OPC and EPO - FBA. The structural parameters investigated were: workability, density and compressive strength. Slump test was used to assess the workability, while 150 x 150 x 150mm concrete cube specimens were used to assess the density and compressive strength characteristics. The microstructure of 28days crushed samples was also analysed using scanning electron microscope and in addition to this, durability performance was also checked by testing the sorptivity and water absorption of I 00 x I 00 x I 00mm concrete cube specimen. At the end of the study, result showed that the workability of concrete specimen with EPO-FBA as partial replacement of OPC reduces with increasing quantity of EPOFBA. The density of concrete samples with EPO-FBA falls to the class of normal weight concrete with values ranging between 2459kg /m3 - 2406 kg /m3 which tallies with the standard density of concrete ( 2400kg /m3 ). The morphology of concrete specimen showed that EPO-FBA produces little effect on the microstructure of concrete samples at later ages (28 days). However, the compressive strength developed by the concrete specimen at 5% replacement of OPC with EPO-FBA showed a minute and negligible difference from that of control samples. The sorptivity and water absorption properties which was used to quantify the durability of concrete containing EPO-FBA increases with increasing quantity of EPO-FBA.