Palm oil fuel ash as partial substitute to cement in concrete: performance at elevated temperatures

Abstract

In this paper, the palm oil fuel ash (POFA) concrete is produced using POFA as partial replacement to ordinary Portland cement (OPC 53 grade) (0%-P0, 20%-P20, 40%-P40 and 60%-P60) by weight. The POFA concrete specimens are subjected to elevated temperatures of 200°C, 400°C and 800°C for duration of 2 hours. The compressive strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) and mass loss (%) of POFA concrete are evaluated. The results indicate that the compressive strength is enhanced by the use of POFA in concrete. At elevated temperatures, POFA concrete showed higher resistance than P0 concrete (control concrete) and P20 concrete showed best performance in POFA concrete, when subjected to elevated temperatures. From the experimental results, it can be observed that 20% POFA can be used as partial replacement to cement in producing sustainable concrete.