Effects of Adding Silica Fume and Empty Fruit Bunch to the Mix of Cement Brick

Abstract

Silica fume (SF) and palm oil empty fruit bunch (EFB) are the by-products of the ferroalloy smelting industry and oil palm plantation, which require proper disposal to minimize the environmental impacts. To consume the by-products, the feasibility of utilizing SF and EFB to fabricate bricks was studied. Limited studies were adopting EFB as the natural fibres in bricks and its pro-portion barely exceeded 5%. With the enhancement of SF, EFB content in the mix could be increased. In this study, 336 specimens were produced in the cement-to-sand (c/s) ratios of 1:2.5 and 1:3, where SF replaced 10% to 15% cement in the mix by weight while EFB substituted 20% to 25% sand by volume. The specimens were tested for the compressive strength, density, and water absorption properties. SF was found to strengthen the mix, while EFB reduced the compressive strength and increased the water absorption capacity of the brick. Based on the evaluation results, the mix containing less than 10% SF and 20% EFB content was applicable for non-load-bearing brick.

Behaviour of Reinforced Concrete Slabs with Embedded Polystyrene Spheres

“…Specimens SP3, SP4, and SP5 demonstrated increased ultimate load and secant stiffness as the spacing increased from 10 mm to 50 mm (Table 10). This was consistent with the findings of [33], and [34], confirming better specimen performance with larger ribs. localised high-stress points, which were vulnerable to cracking and failure.…”

“…There was no explicit guide to evaluate the feasibility of the slabs. Seven evaluation criteria were established using the methodologies of earlier researchers [17,29,32,[34][35][36]. However, some constraints have been identified: • The scope, number, and requirements of the criteria had a significant impact on the evaluation outcome.…”

Circular Economy Approaches in the Palm Oil Industry: Enhancing Profitability through Waste Reduction and Product Diversification

“…The comprehensive value chain of the palm oil industry entails a sequence of intricate and interrelated procedures that convert gathered oil palm fruit into a diverse range of consumer and industrial goods [32,33].…”

An Application of Blended Palm Oil Waste in Brick Production

“…The large portion of clinker in cement could be replaced with supplementary pozzolanic material to produce blended cement, and this indirectly helps to reduce CO2 emission by reducing the amount of cement used. Utilizing the waste from the agroindustrial processes in concrete and cement brick helps to consume the waste, and this can reduce the negative impacts on the environment (Ling et. al 2021).…”