The utilization of oil palm shell (OPS) in concrete dates back since four decades ago. While most research has only been done on the Dura-OPS as coarse aggregate in concrete, few research has been done on Tenera-OPS. The Tenera-OPS is obtained by a hybrid crossbreeding between Dura and Pisifera type fruits to obtain a thinner shell in the palm oil fruit to produce 30% more palm oil. Tenera-OPS has different physical properties compared to Dura-OPS, which could alter the mechanical behaviour of concrete. Therefore, this paper has studied mix designs of Tenera-OPS concrete (Tenera-OPSC) to investigate its physical characteristics, and compressive strength and has compared to those of Dura-OPSC from literature. It has been found that compressive strength of 20.24 MPa could only be produced with very high cement content of 1050 kg/m3. This study has shown that the compressive strength of Tenera-OPSC is reduced by 55 – 72% by using the most common acceptable mix design used for Dura-OPSC. It has been found that Tenera-OPS in concrete swells and shrinks during the hardening process which causes de-bonding between the Tenera-OPS and the cement matrix, which is believed to be the main reason for the lower compressive strength. A cost analysis was also done to compare the costs between Tenera-OPSC and normal weight concrete (NWC) of similar grade. The cost of Tenera-OPSC has been found to be 2% lower than that of NWC.

The utilization of organic waste materials in concrete is an important beneficial factor for the environment. One of those organic wastes in the KRG Iraq are almond shells. Few studies have been conducted on the use of almond shells in concrete and have shown good potential. This study has investigated the properties and the mechanical behavior of almond shells partially replacing the conventional aggregates in concrete. The replacements were 5, 10, 25 and 75%. The almond shells show a uniform grading in its natural state when obtained from local farmers. Since the organic material is highly porous, it tends to absorb much of the water content in the mix which reduces the slump. Furthermore, with a 5% almond shells replacement, the specimens have shown a compressive strength of 17.03 MPa with a density of 1850 kg/m3 which is within the limits of the ACI and BS standards and identified as a structural lightweight concrete. Further recommendations for future studies have been identified based on the results of this study.

This paper presents test results of thirty-two OPSC (Oil Palm Shell Concrete) cubes cast with OPS (Oil Palm Shell) under different treatment condition and with different cement content. The study concludes that OPSC cast using fully treated (Wash-Dry-Sieve) OPS yields the highest compressive strength, an increase of 65% in comparison with using untreated OPS. The increase in strength can be attributed to 1) Removal of residual oil on OPS surface via washing with detergent, mass 2% of the dry OPS mass, and 2) Removal of sub-2mm particles in OPS via sieving comprising of soil and OPS fibres. OPSC can develop compressive strength at a higher rate with washing, drying and sieving treatment performed on OPS compared with concrete cast with untreated OPS.

Defects in masonry are difficult to detect with the naked eye. Non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques are one such ways to detect defects. One way to detect moisture is by using lock-in Infrared (IR) thermography technology. The main objective of this research is to detect a defect in masonry brick walls using infrared thermography camera. Infrared thermography tests were conducted in the laboratory on several experiments to understand time and temperature relationships. Tests were conducted on a masonry water tank with a known defect spot and were successfully detected from the thermography images. Two active approach methods were conducted: halogen lights and a heat gun. It has been shown that when using the heat-gun it is a quicker method according to the results. All procedures and methods performed in this report could be useful for field studies.