Abstract

An Experimental Investigation on Physical, Chemical and Mechanical Properties of Concrete Blocks Mixed Partially with Burnt Coconut Shell Powder

Author(s): Abhinav Wadhwa, V. Thamilarasu and J. Rajprasad

Huge amount of energy, natural stones, sand and water are being consumed to produce concrete as per the needs of construction industry. This is resulting in depletion of natural resources, making concrete production unsustainable. The need to attain sustainability in concrete production and use is ever existing demand. One of these approaches is replacement of the basic ingredients of concrete with nonconventional materials which include reused/recycled/renewable/locally available/biodegradable materials, making the end product sustainable. In line with this requirement, abundant agricultural and industrial wastes are being generated every year all over the world. These wastes have the potential to be used in making of concrete. The present study deals with one such potential agricultural waste, coconut husk. The study aims at finding out the sustainability of burnt coconut shell powder as a construction material and the reduction in density produced by using it as a replacement of fine aggregate and coarse aggregate. Trial mixes were conducted for the conventional concrete and replaced concrete (10%, 20% and 30% of sand with burnt coconut shell powder) for M30 and M40 grade. The compressive strength of M30 and M40 concrete cubes containing 10%, 20% and 30% burnt coconut shell powder is recorded.