Investigation of the engineering properties of class 25 concrete when cement is partially replaced with waste ceramic powder and sugarcane bagasse ash.

Investigation of the engineering properties of class 25 concrete when cement is partially replaced with waste ceramic powder and sugarcane bagasse ash.

Introduction

It is a belief that sustainability takes a break at the time of construction. In recent years, there have been initiatives that were investigated on both a global and national level to ensure that waste management is controlled and regulated. In the design of the concrete mix, the cement, fine aggregates, and coarse aggregates are used, and they play a crucial role in the design of a particular grade of concrete. There are different grades of concrete, and this research will base on class 25, which includes a mix of 1:1.5:3 of cement, sand, and ballast. The use of locally available materials like ceramic wastes ash and sugarcane bagasse ash as partial cement replacement can be used to reduce the high cost of cement.

In the rapidly growing world population and to meet the needs of consumers, solid waste landfills tend to continue receiving a considerable amount of wastes. As a result, waste management is becoming increasingly mandatory for the promotion of environmental sustainability. There are so many regulations that have been imposed worldwide by various organizations to ensure that there is a little negative environmental impact that results from the large numbers of solid waste landfills. The transformation of a large number of solid wastes into an alternative resource will preserve the reducing nonrenewable resources of materials, maintain the required strategy, and give solutions to environmental and exhaustible landfill problems. Research is currently ongoing to identify new solid waste materials and the potentials of recycling either in other industries or new products.

Problem statement

Being the world’s most consumed human-made material, concrete attracted considerable interest as a possible way of recycling solid waste products, especially those that can replace cement, which is a great contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. An equal amount of CO2 is generated when Portland cement is generated. The cement industry produces around 5-8% of the annual global greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere.

The sugarcane bagasse ash is a byproduct of the sugar factories that are found after burning sugarcane bagasse that is itself is found after the extraction of all the economic sugar from sugarcane. The disposal of this material is already causing environmental problems around the sugar industries. On the other hand, the boost in the construction activities in the country created a shortage in most concrete making materials, especially cement, which led to an increase in price.

Justification

This project aims at investigating the engineering properties of class 25 concrete when cement is partially replaced with waste ceramic powder and sugarcane bagasse ash. This research is vital because it will assist in utilizing the locally available materials that are usually wasted in nature, like the ceramic wastes and sugarcane bagasse ash. This research relates to the daily problem of sugarcane bagasse wastes accumulation and ceramic wastes buildup that pose environmental hazards. Also, it will lower the price of cement and reduce environmental degradation as a result of cement manufacturing. The research is trying to achieve the optimum percentage by weight of cement that can be replaced by a mixture of ceramic waste ash and bagasse ash in concrete to reduce the costs of construction. If this problem is not solved, the possible negative repercussion that will be experienced is environmental pollution as a result of too many wastes being dumped, and environmental degradation because of the mining of cement. In terms of costs, the construction cost is likely to shoot because there are so many construction practices that are yet to take place in Kenya. The research thus promises to give an optimum amount of ceramic waste powder together with bagasse ash powder that can be used as a partial replacement for cement in making concrete.

Main objective

To investigate the engineering properties of class 25 concrete when cement is partially replaced with waste ceramic powder and sugarcane bagasse ash.

Specific objectives

To determine the workability of concrete by use of slump test when ceramic wastes and sugarcane bagasse ash is added to the concrete mix in 0%, 5%, 10%, and 20% in partial replacement of cement.

To determine the compressive strength of the concrete when cement is partially replaced at 0%, 5%, 10%, and 20% by weight of a mixture of ceramic waste powder and sugarcane bagasse ash.

To determine the split tensile strength of the concrete mix when the cement is partially replaced in the above proportions.