Engineering properties of mortar with untreated agricultural waste ashes as cement replacement materials

摘要

Rapid urbanization and industrialization result in increased demand for infrastructures and housing worldwide. Therefore, theconsumption of construction materials continues to rise. Cement is a common component used in the manufacture of concreteand mortar. However, the cement manufacturing process severely influences the environment, which causes the release oflarge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. In addition, the agriculture and plantation industries are primary economicpillars in many countries, particularly developing countries, including Indonesia, India, and China. However, it cannotbe denied that this industry severely impacts the environment, as it generates biomass waste that cannot be efficiently managed.This study investigates and examines alternative materials for cement replacement in mortar production. This researchevaluated the fresh and hardened properties of mortar on the laboratory scale. In addition to destructive tests, ultrasonic pulsevelocity (UPV) and rebound hammer tests were also conducted. The fresh properties test consisted of a slump flow, whilethe hardened properties test included compressive strength, porosity, water absorption, and mass loss. It can be concludedthat each waste has characteristics that make it a suitable replacement for cement in mortar production. The results indicatethat 10 of agricultural waste can be substituted for cement to generate a mortar with comparable compressive strength tonormal concrete, thereby reducing cement consumption by 10. In terms of hardened properties, the increasing amount ofwaste results in a lower mass density hardened mortar compared to normal mortar, so the use of this waste has the potentialto produce a lightweight material. Thus, employing sufficient amounts of agricultural waste as a cement substitute producesmortar with beneficial characteristics and reduces the use of cement to produce sustainable construction materials.