Compressive and Flexural Strengths of Concrete Containing Ground Palm Kernel Shells as Partial Replacement of Cement

Abstract

The possibility of using ground palm kernel (GPK) shells for partial replacement of cement in concrete using mechanical destructive method has been studied. In this work, the compressive and flexural strengths of concrete in which from 20% to 60% of its cement was replaced by GPK shells were studied for both cubic and cylindrical test specimens. Generally, this study shows that, the compressive and flexural strengths of concrete containing GPK shells decrease as the replacement percentage increases. However, the values of these properties increase as the period of curing increases. Optimum values are realized after 28 days of curing in agreement with accepted practice. Also, fineness, porosity and permeability tests were performed on the  cementitious materials (cement and GPK shells). Our results suggest that GPK “fuel” shells (i.e. shells subjected to incomplete combustion) have acceptable cementitious properties while GPK ordinary shells do not.