Utilization of coconut shell as a supplementary cementitious material in concrete

Abstract

Cement is often used as a construction material in building development. Coconut shell, on the other hand is a waste material that is the byproduct from the agricultural industry. Coconut is vastly found and utilized in most tropical countries due to the versatility of its usage. Albeit coconut shells can be used in lots of different ways, it has yet been used fully by the people. This research focuses on determining the proper percentage of partial replacement of coconut shell ash for cement in concrete. Since cement is a non-renewable material, a potential and cheaper alternative is needed to future replace the use of cement once it depletes in supply or increases in size. The characteristics of coconut shell ash (CSA) and its fresh and hardened behavior in cement and concrete will also be focused on. Methodology adopted for this research includes tests such as slump test, compressive strength test, consistency test, and fineness test. All tests were conducted within a period of 45 days and from the results gathered, it was found that 5 % of coconut shell ash as a partial replacement of cement produce the best results. Results show that the strength of the concrete will decrease when more percentage of coconut shell ash is added into the concrete mix. Therefore, the partial replacement of 5 % of coconut shell ash in concrete is the most suitable.