THE EFFECT OF PALM KERNEL SHELL AS A PARTIAL REPLACEMENT FOR COARSE AGGREGATE ON MECHANICAL PERFORMANCE OF HIGH STRENGTH CONCRETE

THE EFFECT OF PALM KERNEL SHELL AS A PARTIAL REPLACEMENT FOR COARSE AGGREGATE ON MECHANICAL PERFORMANCE OF HIGH STRENGTH CONCRETE

ABSTRACT

This paper gives an account of the study conducted on the effects of Palm Kernel Shells (PKS) sizes and percentages in lightweight concrete. It is aimed at determining the properties of PKS that make it suitable for light weight concrete works and the effects of proportion of sizes and percentages on the strength characteristics of palm kernel shell concrete. A number of tests were conducted on the PKS and concrete produced with it. Tests conducted on PKS were sieve analysis, specific gravity, water absorption capacity and moisture content, while tests conducted on palm kernel shell concrete (PKSC) included slump test, compressive strength test, flexural strength test and splitting tensile strength test. Concrete mixes of 1:1½:2.8 was used to produce cubes, beams and cylinders which were cured for 7, 14, 21, 28 and 90 days before testing. Concrete with PKS replacement has a lower density compare with normal concrete. The results showed that concrete mix of 1:1½:3 with 0%, 5% and 10% have an appreciable strength while concrete mix of 15% have lower strength compare to what it required and compressive strength at 28 days hydration period met the British Standard recommended. Results of tests on flexural and splitting tensile strength exhibited similar trend to that of compressive strength test. The nominal mix with 0%, 5% and 10% gave the highest values of flexural and splitting tensile strength.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Concrete is the world’s most consumed man made-material (Naik, 2008). Its great versatility and relative economy in filling wide range of needs has made it a competitive building material (Sashidar and Rao, 2010). Concrete production is not only a valuable source of societal development, but it is also a significant source of employment (Naik, 2008).

Production of concrete relies to a large extent on the availability of cement, sand and coarse aggregates such as granite, the costs of which have risen astronomically over the past few years. Despite the rising cost of production, the demand for concrete is increasing. The negative consequences of the increasing demand for concrete include depletion of aggregate deposits; environmental degradation and ecological imbalance. (Johnson Alengaram U. etal; Short & Kinniburg, 1978).

Palm kernel shells are not common materials in the construction industry. This is either because they are not available in very large quantities as sand or gravel, or because their use for such has not been encouraged. For some time now, the Nigerian government has been clamoring for the use of local materials in the construction industry to limit costs of construction.

There has therefore been a greater call for the sourcing and development of alternative, non conventional local construction materials. Palm kernel shells are derived from the oil palm tree (elaeis guineensis), an economically valuable tree, and native to western Africa and widespread throughout the tropics.

In Nigeria, the oil palm tree generally grows in the rain forest region close to the coastal areas and adjacent to some inland waterways. Wrote that palm kernel shells are used mostly as a source of fuel for domestic cooking in most areas where they occur. He stated further that the shells are often dumped as waste products of the oil palm industry.

The palm oil industry produces wastes such as palm kernel shells, palm oil fibers which are usually dumped in the open thereby impacting the environment negatively without any economic benefits. Palm kernel shells (PKS) are hard, carbonaceous, and organic by products of the processing of the palm oil fruit.

PKS consists of small size particles, medium size particles and large size particles in the range 0-5mm, 5-10mm and 10-15mm (Alengaram, Mahmud, Jumaat and Shiraz, 2010). Between 70 to 80 per cent out of the total volume of concrete is occupied by aggregate. With this large proportion of the concrete occupied by aggregate, it is expected for aggregate to have a profound influence on the concrete properties and its general performance. Aggregates are essential in making concrete into an engineering material.

They tend to give concrete its volumetric stability; they also have a unanimous influence on reducing moistures related to deformation like shrinkage of concrete (Alexander M.G. and Sydney Mindness, 2005).In many developing and underdeveloped countries in Asia and Africa, the researches on the use of industrial waste materials such as oil palm shell (OPS) or oil palm kernel shell (OPKS) as LWA have shown that OPKS can be used as potential LWA. Especially, in the agro-based developing countries such as Malaysia and Nigeria, there has been awareness on the utilization of agricultural and industrial wastes into potential construction materials.

1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT
One of the major problems facing delivery of large number of development projects is the incessant increases in price of building materials including cement and aggregates (Acheunu, 1991). The cost of all concretes depends primarily on two factors; namely cost of material and labour. Labour cost, can be, by way of formwork, batching, mixing, transporting and curing is nearly same for good concrete and bad concrete, therefore, attention should be mainly be directed to the cost of material particularly the cost of aggregates (Shetty, 1999). The issue of local content is therefore an important aspect of concrete production. Concrete is a material with different compositions, depending on available local materials and most importantly on building traditions (ECO-SERVE, 2006).

1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES.
1.3.1 AIM
The aim of this work is to compare the performance of Oil Palm Kernel Shell when its partially replace in concrete and Crushed Rock aggregates concrete with a view to determining the suitability of PKS as Aggregates for Concrete Production.

1.3.2 OBJECTIVES
i. To identify Palm Kernel Shell as an aggregate substitute.

ii. To determine the physical properties of both the Palm Kernel Shell and crushed rock aggregates.

iii. To determine the mechanical performance of both the aggregates (PKS and Granite) used.

iv. To produce concrete cubes, beams and cylinders with PKS replacing Coarse at 0%-15% cured by wet method.

v. To evaluate the strength of concrete cubes, cylinder produced in step (iii) above and compare with normal concrete cured by same method.

1.4 JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY
It is necessary to carry out this research work in order to produce detailed technical information which can be used in the proportioning or percentage of Palm Kernel Shell to give an appreciable result in concrete. This will also be used in designing the mixes for specified compressive strengths and subsequent estimation of optimal quantity of aggregates material to reduced the overall concrete production cost.

1.5 SCOPE AND LIMITATION
This research work is in line with the series of efforts made on an oil palm shell (OPS) or oil palm kernel shell (OPKS) as a potential building material. It is in this light that the score will be narrowed to accommodate the reconnaissance of the deposits area to procure representative sample for use in mix design. Basic properties of the materials, which are directly utilized in the mix design process, will be determined. This research work will be limited to determination of physical properties of agricultural deposits (OPKS), crushed rock aggregates of nominal size of 20mm and mechanical performance when it partially replace in a concrete in terms of its compressive, tensile and flexural strength.

1.6 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The methodology that was employed for this research work includes the review of related relevant literature that covers published materials especially journals and past thesis for historical data based information and Internet for new discoveries that might have impact on this study. Four different designs were calculated (0%, 5%, 10% and 15% replacement of palm kernel shell). The concrete specimens to be tested are 25 cubes, 9 cylinders and 9 beams for each mix in accordance to specifications (BS 1881: Part 108: 1983). The moulds used for the specimens are available in the department of building technology laboratory, Federal university of technology Minna, Niger State. The use of the moulds will be employed in the tests to be conducted. The quantity of the material is batch by weight using weighing balance available in the laboratory. The Palm kernel shell (PKS) and fine aggregates (FA) used in this research work was collected from Bida, Niger State while the crushed rock granite (CRA) aggregates used was obtained from Minna. Portland cement (PC) from Dangotte Company was used throughout this study with an admixture (Fosroc Conplast SP432MS) of High performance superplasticising admixture from Fosroc chemical industry. Laboratory tests were carried out on samples of Palm Kernel Shell (PKS) and crushed rock aggregates (CRA) to determine their respective Physical properties (Specific Gravity, Sieve analysis, Bulk Density, Moisture Content, Aggregates Impact Value, Aggregates Crushing Value and Silt Test) using various field and laboratory tests in accordance with ASTM and BS standards.British mix design method (DOE) which involves the estimation of the proportioning of concrete materials and those properties which are directly used in the mix design process are also investigated; concrete grades of 25 were considered, 36 numbers 100mmx100mmx100mm concrete cubes, 9 beams and 9 cylinders were casted for each mix s and were hydrated for 7 days, 14 days, 21 days, 28 days and 90 days respectively for cubes and 7 days, 28 days and 90 days for cylinder and beams. Compressive strength tests were recorded for 7, 14, 21, 28 and 90 day’s hydration periods and Split tensile and flexural test and the results were recorded and analyzed.

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