The improvement of concrete strength through the addition of sustainable materials (agro-waste loaded with copper ions)

Abstract

The country’s rapid industrialization and urbanization stimulated extensive infrastructure development. This technique results in a shortage of construction materials, increased trash generation, and other side effects. The production of long-lasting and environmentally friendly plain concrete slabs is a critical requirement for this task. It is intriguing to observe that the ions of copper in wastewater added to agro-waste (waste tea leaves) can be used to boost the compressive strength and plain concrete slabs’ workability (or walls) as sustainable materials. Waste tea leaves+Cu were incrementally added in 0%, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, 0.4%, 0.5%, 0.6%, 0.7%, 0.8%, 1.3%, and 1.75% by weight. Casting and testing 36 specimens (12 sets x 3 specimens) for seven- and twenty-eight- days strength. The results indicate that the strength of the sample with 0.7% waste tea+Cu is 55% and 15% more than the reference and that having only tea leaves pieces after seven days, respectively. In contrast, the 0.7% group had 46 percent and 20 percent greater strength after 28 days. These findings propose an innovative approach to dealing with toxic trash and give an accessible, practical, cost-effective, sustainable, and ecologically acceptable way of removing numerous forms of garbage.