Abstract
Arabic gum biopolymer (AGB) has recently been demonstrated to improve mechanical and physical properties of fresh and hardened concrete which makes it a promising sustainable and environmentally friendly water‐reducing admixture. The present work focuses on the effect of added AGB on the workability, setting time, and durability of concrete. Furthermore, a microstructure analysis is conducted to provide objective evidence and support for previous findings and hypothetic interpretations. Flow table experiments are conducted on Portland cement mortar mixed with different percentages of AGB to evaluate the workability. The initial setting time of cement paste is measured for different AGB contents. X‐ray fluorescence tests are performed on cement‐AGB mix powder to determine its chemical composition. Carbonation depth in AGB concrete samples is estimated to assess durability. AGB‐added cement powder was subjected to X‐ray diffraction and SEM tests to determine the rate of hydration and to expose the microstructure properties of AGB cement mix and help explain its macroscopic behavior, respectively.
Highlights
Arabic gum biopolymer (AGB) is a sustainable material extracted from wild plants
E aims of the present study are to, first, complement the investigation by studying more properties of concrete that are positively affected by the addition of AGB, namely, workability, density, initial setting time, and durability and, second, to analyze the chemical composition and microstructure of AGB concrete mixes (X-ray fluorescence) through X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to support and confirm the interpretation of their observed macroscopic behavior
Flow test of AGB cement mortar at different dosage ranging from 0.1% to 1.1% has been determined as a horizontal spread measurement of AGB mortar mixes
Summary
Arabic gum biopolymer (AGB) is a sustainable material extracted from wild plants It is found mainly in Sudan [1] and in its neighborhood. AGB consists of a lower molecular weight polysaccharide with a Mw of 0.25 × 106 g·mol−1 [6, 7] Both types of gums (AGB and GAK) contain percentages of natural sugars. In a subsequent work [4] the water to cement ratio (w/c) could be reduced from 0.61 to 0.48 and the compressive strength increased by 37% at 180 days of curing with the addition of Gum Arabic Karroo. E compressive strength was increased when the water to cement ratio could be reduced from 0.5 to 0.4 owing to a dosage of Gum Acacia Karroo between 0.7% and 0.9% [11]. E aims of the present study are to, first, complement the investigation by studying more properties of concrete that are positively affected by the addition of AGB, namely, workability, density, initial setting time, and durability (carbonation) and, second, to analyze the chemical composition and microstructure of AGB concrete mixes (X-ray fluorescence) through X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to support and confirm the interpretation of their observed macroscopic behavior
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