Rheological, Mechanical, and Micro-Structural Property Assessment of Eco-Friendly Concrete Reinforced with Waste Areca Nut Husk Fiber

Noor Md. Sadiqul Hasan, Nur Mohammad Nazmus Shaurdho, Md. Habibur Rahman Sobuz, Md. Montaseer Meraz, Md. Abdul Basit, Suvash Chandra Paul and Md Jihad Miah ()
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Noor Md. Sadiqul Hasan: Department of Civil Engineering, International University of Business Agriculture and Technology, Dhaka 1230, Bangladesh
Nur Mohammad Nazmus Shaurdho: Department of Civil Engineering, International University of Business Agriculture and Technology, Dhaka 1230, Bangladesh
Md. Habibur Rahman Sobuz: Department of Building Engineering and Construction Management, Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Khulna 9203, Bangladesh
Md. Montaseer Meraz: Department of Building Engineering and Construction Management, Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Khulna 9203, Bangladesh
Md. Abdul Basit: Department of Civil Engineering, International University of Business Agriculture and Technology, Dhaka 1230, Bangladesh
Suvash Chandra Paul: Department of Civil Engineering, International University of Business Agriculture and Technology, Dhaka 1230, Bangladesh
Md Jihad Miah: Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 19, 1-29

Abstract: Fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) has become one of the most promising construction techniques and repairing materials in recent times for the construction industry. Generally, plain concrete has a very low tensile strength and limited resistance to cracking prior to the ultimate load, which can be mitigated by the incorporation of fiber. Natural fibers have emerged as an appealing sustainable option in the last few decades due to their lower cost, energy savings, and minimized greenhouse effects. Areca fiber is one of the natural fibers that can be sourced from the waste-producing areca nut industry. Hence, this study aims to assess the mechanical, rheological, and micro-structural properties of areca fiber-reinforced concrete (AFRC). For this purpose, areca fiber was used in the concrete mix as a weight percentage of cement. In this regard, 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4% by weight of cement substitutions were investigated. As key findings, 2% areca fiber enhanced the compressive strength of concrete by 2.89% compared to the control specimen (fiber-free concrete). On the other hand, splitting tensile strength increased by 18.16%. In addition, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed that the cement matrix and fibers are adequately connected at the interfacial level. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) test results showed more biodegradable carbon elements in the areca fiber-mixed concrete as well as an effective pozzolanic reaction. The study also exhibited that adding natural areca fiber lowered the fabrication cost by almost 1.5% and eCO 2 emissions by 3%. Overall, the findings of this study suggest that AFRC can be used as a possible building material from the standpoint of sustainable construction purposes.

Keywords: sustainability; waste recycling; areca fiber; fiber-reinforced concrete; rheological and mechanical properties; microstructure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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