Physical and mechanical properties by utilizing empty fruit bunch into fired clay brick

Journal of the Civil Engineering Forum

et al. 2019

Oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) and silica fume (SF) are the by-products of the oil palm plantation and the ferroalloy smelting industries, respectively. Improper disposal of these materials leads to negative implication to the environment. This study was carried out to investigate the potential application of EFB and SF in cement bricks. EFB fibre and SF replaced up to 25% of sand and cement in the mix, respectively, in several groups of specimens that distinguished the normal, EFB-, SF- and EFB-SF-cement bricks. The specimens were tested for the compressive strength, density and water absorption property. The results reveal that SF, at an optimum amount of 10% cement replacement, increased 10% of the strength of the cement brick. EFB fibre reduced the strength and density but increased water absorption property of the cement brick. For application in the construction industry, SF and EFB fibre contents should be kept within 10% and 20% respectively.

Section: Effects Of Efb Fibrementioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Properties of Cement Brick with Partial Replacement of Sand and Cement with Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches and Silica Fume

Journal of the Civil Engineering Forum

et al. 2019

“…7). 7) where WA = water absorption of the specimen (%) 1 The measurements were computed from the measurement limits for 24 bricks 2 Volume of brick, = × × ℎ 3 the ratios of volume against the standard size, Vmax/V and Vmin/V, were 1.06 and 0.94, respectively.…”

Section: Fig 6 Effects Of Efb On Water Absorption Of the Specimenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Utilization of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch in Cement Bricks

et al. 2021

JACEE

Oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) is a biomass waste abundantly produced by the oil palm industry in Malaysia. To minimize the environmental impacts, it needs to be properly disposed of or being rapidly consumed as a raw material of another industry. This study investigated the feasibility of substituting EFB in cement bricks, which is in high demand by the construction industry. A total of 120 specimens having the cement-to-sand (c/s) ratios of 1:2.5 and 1:3 were produced in the laboratory. EFB fibre was used to replace 10% to 25% of sand in the mix by volume. The specimens were tested for the compressive strength, density and water absorption after 28 days of casting. For the mix of 1:2.5 c/s ratio, 25% EFB content reduced 22% of density, decreased 59% of compressive strength and increased 43% of water absorption capacity of normal cement brick. This was mainly attributed to the porous cellular structure of EFB fibre that created a large volume of voids in the mix. Based on the feasibility evaluation, EFB fibre can only replace up to 15% and 10% of sand in the mixes of 1:2.5 and 1:3 c/s ratios respectively.

“…However, excessive EFB would affect the strength of brick (Ling et al, 2019). Its content in laterite and fired clay bricks was recommended as 3% and 5% respectively (Ismail & Yaacob, 2011;Kadir et al, 2017a;Kadir et al, 2017b). EFB content in cement brick exceeding 15% was not applicable for construction (Ling et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2021

IJoCED

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.