Investigation of potential use of coconut shells and fibres as bio-cement composite binder

Abstract

For sustainable and eco-friendly construction, more attention is being paid to the concept of 'green buildings'. The search for environmentally friendly materials in the concrete construction involves inquisition of natural material which could effectively substitute cement and aggregates. Moreover, disposal of agricultural waste materials such as rice husk, groundnut husk and coconut shell have constituted an environmental challenge, hence, there is a need to convert these naturally available waste materials into useful materials. The paper investigates about coconut shell and coconut fibre as an aggregate is a potential construction material. This paper experimentally investigates to replace fine aggregates with coconut fibres and coarse aggregates with coconut shell to improve the mechanical strength and bonding properties of the concrete mixture. Further, the compressive strength split tensile strength, of the concrete mixture, has been determined for mix concrete. The results shows the replaced natural material has significant potential for lightweight aggregates.