Eco-friendly Concrete: Using Crushed Seashells and Bamboo Chips as Partial Replacement of Fine and Coarse Aggregate

Abstract

The rapidly increasing global population and urbanization have increased the demand for concrete which predominantly relies on traditional natural aggregates (70-80% of concrete volume). The exponential depletion of fine and coarse aggregate reserves is posing a dire threat to environment and ecosystems. Research was aimed to explore the feasibility of using sustainable materials (Seashell powder and bamboo chips) as partial replacement (0, 10, 20 and 30% by volume) of traditional aggregates in normal strength concrete of M30 grade. A total of 111 Cylinders (150x300 mm) and 12 Prism beams (100x100x400 mm) were casted for this experimental investigation. Experimental work was conducted in two stages: In Stage one, 17 seashell powder and bamboo chips replacement combinations were trialed for shortlisting of a best synergistic combination on the basis of Compressive Strength results at 28 days curing. It was discovered that 20% seashell powder with 10% bamboo chips gave the highest compressive strength of 23.61 MPa at 28 days when used as partial replacement for fine and coarse aggregate repectively. In Stage two, best combination (S2B1) was further tested for compressive strength, split tensile strength, flexural strength, mass loss, stress strain curve and 6 other parameters related at both ambient as well as elevated temperatures (200°C, 400°C and 600°C) at 28 and 90 days. S2B1 achieved a compressive strength of 25.37 MPa which was only 11.9% lower than Control sample at 90 days. The possibility of synergistic use of Seashell and Bamboo chips in a normal strength concrete mix opens an opportunity door way for future researches to further investigate this eco friendly concrete for improvements.