Investigation of Sugarcane Bagasse Ash (SBA)-Based Engineered Geopolymer Mortar Reinforced with Coconut Fibre for Engineered Geopolymer Composites

Abstract

In recent years, there have been growing demand for fibre-reinforced cementitious composites using materials wastes to reduce cost and cement usage in concrete production. Therefore, this study aims to prepare sugarcane bagasse ash (SBA)-based geopolymer reinforced with coconut fibre as a material suitability evaluation for engineered geopolymer composites. The sugarcane baggase ash was characterised for its physical and chemical properties using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). The coconut fibres was added at 0%, 1%, 2%, and 3%, while the plain cement mortar was used as the control mix. Both destructive (compressive and tensile strength) and non- destructive test (water absorption, and ultrasonic pulse velocity test) were conducted on the resulting geopolymer mortar. The result of the SBA characterisation showed that the SBA met the ASTM C618 requirement for a pozzolanic material. The addition of 1% fibre to the geopolymer composite resulted in enhanced durability property than the plain cement mortar. The ultrasonic pulse velocity test demonstrated that bagasse ash-based geopolymer composites can be classified as a excellent cementitious material. The study also found the engineered cementitious composite showed better compressive and tensile strength than the plain concrete mortar, while the addition of fibre provided a denser microstructure for additional strength. The optimum fibre content was found at 1% for improved water absorption performance, UPV, and compressive strength. The study concludes that SBA composite reinforced with coconut fibre can provide better alternatives to achieve sustainability in engineered geopolymer concrete applications.