Structural Performance of Sustainable Waste Palm Oil Fuel Ash- Fly Ash Geo-polymer Concrete Beams

Abstract

This study is an attempt to highlight the use of Pa lm Oil Fuel Ash (POFA) with Fly Ash, instead of cement, in reinforced concrete beams. POFA, a waste from Palm oil mill and Fly Ash, a waste from coal-burning power stations which are cheap and available. It is expected that millions tonnes of p alm oil waste will be produced annually and a lot o f money will be spent to transport and maintenance the waste. Environment is also being destroyed by the emission of CO 2 in Portland cement industries (global warming).Hence, it has become necessary that the study efforts in using of Geo-polymer concret e gain greater attention. In this study, laboratory tests were carried out to determine flexural strength, deflection and crack pattern for three kinds of materials that were used in reinforced concrete bea ms [ POFA-Fly Ash Geo-polymer concrete, Fly Ash Geo-polymer concrete and OPC (Ordinary Portland Cement ) concrete ]. The experimental result showed that the behaviour of reinforced POFA- Fly Ash concrete beams was similar to reinforced OPC concrete beams since the cracking and ultimate moments of them were close together in 90 th day. Regarding to durability study, POFA-Fly Ash concrete had a better resistance and performance agai nst acidic conditions in comparison with OPC concrete due to more density and uniformity which was proved by ultr asonic pulse velocity (UPV) test.