Use of coconut husk ash, corn cob ash and peanut shell ash as cement replacement

Abstract

An experimentalprogram is conducted to develop new kinds of pozzolana from other agricultural wastes apart from rice husk and rice straw. The study investigated the use of coconut husk, corn cob and peanut shell ash as cement replacement materials. A series of tests were performed to determine the chemical composition of coconut husk ash, corn cob ash and peanut shell ash which are referred to as CHA, CCA and PSA respectively. The mechanical properties of paste and mortar containing different percentages of ash replacement were investigated. Experimental results revealed that coconut husk ash and corn cob ash cannot be utilized as pozzolana while peanut shell ash can be classified as Class C pozzolana according to ASTM Standards. Corn cob ash mortars possessed lower compressive strength than those ofcontrol mortars while peanut shell ash mortars showed higher compressive strength. Among the four types of mortars tested for chemical attack, PSA mortars showed highest resistance against acidic attack.