Young Coconut Husk Ash as Partial Cement Replacement in Masonry Application

Abstract

To address the increasing amount of municipal and urban wastes brought about by tough and heavy biodegradable wastes from popular consumption of young coconut water and meat in municipal and urban centers in the country, a study is conducted to utilize these waste materials into ash to substitute cement for concrete production. Wasted young coconut husks with their shells were collected and burnt at 600 0C to produce ashes that were tested for its physical and chemical characteristics. The ash was mixed with fine aggregates and water to six design mixtures using Young coconut husk ash (YCHA) at 20%, 40%, 60% 80% and 100% as partial replacement of ordinary Portland cement. Specimens without YCHA (0%) are also prepared to serve as the control specimens of this study. The study provided an encouraging implication on the use of young coconut husk ash as partial cement replacement to up to 60% by weight in which mortar produced are acceptable for certain type of construction applications.