Investigating the Influence of Banana Leaf Ash on the Compressive Strength and Chloride Resistance of Concrete
Keywords:
Agricultural Waste, Banana Leaf Ash, Chloride Resistance, Compressive Strength, Concrete, Pozzolan, Supplementary Cementitious Material, Sustainable ConstructionAbstract
The high compressive strength, durability, fire resistance, and formability of concrete have made its use widespread in the construction industry. However, the production challenges and limitations (e.g., emission of large quantities of CO₂, labour intensity, etc.) of Portland cement, a major aggregate of concrete, have raised the need for a sustainable and viable alternative. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of partial replacement of OPC with Banana Leaf Ash (BLA) on compressive strength and chloride resistance of concrete. BLA has properties known as pozzolanic properties. This property is potentially beneficial for cement replacement. To carry out the investigation, concrete mixes were prepared with 0%, 10%, and 20% BLA replacement by weight of cement, maintaining a water-cement ratio of 0.5. Cube specimens were cast and cured in water (control) and solutions containing 1% and 2.5% calcium chloride (CaCl₂) for 28, 42, and 60 days. Compressive strength tests were conducted, which revealed that while strength generally increased with curing age in water, the 10% BLA replacement yielded the highest compressive strength compared to the control and 20% replacement across all curing media and ages. Concrete with 10% BLA demonstrated superior resistance to chloride attack, showing less strength degradation compared to the control and 20% BLA specimens in the 1% and 2.5% CaCl₂ solutions, and the optimal replacement level appears to be around 10%, at which point concrete’s durability in chloride-rich environments was effectively enhanced.
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