Comparative study of hazelnut-shell biomass ash and metakaolin to improve the performance of alkali-activated concrete: A sustainable greener alternative

Abstract

Recently, the studies on the use of environmentally harmful wastes along with the building materials in the construction sector have come to the fore with its environmentalist aspect. In particular, the use of waste materials in cement contributes to the evaluation of waste and reduces the amount of cement usage. On the other hand, the production of sustainable environmentally friendly composite materials offers economic and ecological benefits. Moreover, cementless composite building materials give a promising solution to carbon footprints by allowing the re-evaluation of different waste materials. Accordingly, the potential of using hazelnut shell ash (HA), which is agricultural waste, as a mineral additive in the production of cementless concrete has been handled in the present research. The usability of HA in the mixture has been investigated by comparing it with metakaolin and blast furnace slag (BFS), which are frequently used in the production of concrete and alkali-activated composites. Alkali activated concrete (AAC) samples are cured for 3, 7, and 28 days in this study. In addition, the effect of curing type on AAC samples is deeply discussed in three different curing conditions. Physical and mechanical tests are performed on hardened AAC samples. As a result, it is noticed that the cure types have a remarkable effect on the physical and mechanical properties of AACs. In the conclusion, the present paper reports that HA materials can be effectively used in AAC mixtures and have a respectable potential to improve the abrasion resistance of the cementless concretes.