Experimental Investigation Of Pumice Powder And Bamboo Leaf Ash As A Partial Replacement Of Cement In Concrete

Abstract

Concrete has been used in construction industry for centuries with flexibility, making it the most used substance globally. Cement is the basic ingredient of concrete, which is costly and environmentally unfriendly. Its production result in high carbon emissions, require large capital costs and production energy, and consumes a lot of raw materials. However, this could be decreased by utilizing local and inexpensive supplementary cementitious materials. Therefore, this research objective is to investigate the potential of blending Pumice Powder and Bamboo Leaf Ash as partially replacing cementitious material on mechanical and durability properties of concrete. In this study, the capability of Ethiopian rift valley Pumice Powder and highland Bamboo Leaf Ash as a partial substitute for cement in C-25 concrete production with 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% replacement of OPC with Mix-1(100, 0, 0): Mix-2 (90, 5, 5): Mix-3(85, 10, 5): Mix-4 (85, 5, 10): Mix-5 (80, 10, 10) of (OPC: PP: BLA) % respectively investigated. The chemical composition of VPP and BLA was examined and the summation of major oxide (SiO2, Al2O3, and Fe2O3) is 84.59 %, 74.4% and classified as class N, F pozzolan respectively. C-25 Concrete mix design is designed according to the ACI standards. The result also exposed that workability of concrete decreases as the Pumice Powder and Bamboo Leaf Ash replacement increases. On the 28th day, Mix-2 and Mix-3 attains the target mean compressive strength (33.5Mpa) of C-25 concrete according to the ACI standards. The flexural strength of concrete made with partial replacement of mix-2 satisfied the required strengths 3.5Mpa for C25 IS standards. The water absorption of the Pumice Powder and Bamboo Leaf Ash blended concrete was lower than the control at mix-2 and the blended concrete improved its resistance to sulphuric acid attack and Mix-3 had the least strength reduction of 9.59%. In contrast, the control mix has a 33.34% strength reduction. The cost-effectiveness advantages of incorporating Pumice Powder and Bamboo Leaf Ash into concrete are more prominent when compared to conventional concrete.