Utilization of quarry dust and periwinkle shell ash in concrete production.

Abstract

The usage of plentiful raw discarded resources in the manufacturing of concrete has proven to be a sustainable and environmentally beneficial method of making concrete for a variety of purposes. In this study, the physical and mechanical properties of concrete made by partially and fully substituting fine aggregates and ordinary Portland cement with periwinkle shell ash and quarry dust (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 100%), respectively, were examined. The ratio of water to cement utilized for the concrete mixture, 1:2:4, was 0.60. Fresh concrete underwent a slump test, and then 150-mm cubes of cured concrete were subjected to density, compressive strength tests, and morphological and structural property characterizations. The concrete without the waste materials gave an optimum compressive strength of 22.9 N/mm2 as opposed to those that were partially replaced, having 18.8-15.1 N/mm2. The concrete samples with full replacements of periwinkle shell ash and quarry dust have compressive strengths lower than 13.8 N/mm2. All the concrete samples produced with partial and full replacements are in the class of normal concrete, but only those with partial replacements of up to 20% can be utilized for load-bearing and non-load-bearing applications. Opting for these alternative waste materials implies taking steps towards creating a cleaner and healthier planet for now and the future.