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. 2024 Feb 2;17(3):720.
doi: 10.3390/ma17030720.

Assessing the Influence of Banana Leaf Ash as Pozzolanic Material for the Production of Green Concrete: A Mechanical and Microstructural Evaluation

Md Hamidul Islam  1 , David William Law  1 , Chamila Gunasekara  1 , Md Habibur Rahman Sobuz  2 , Md Nafiur Rahman  2 , Md Ahsan Habib  2 , Ashanul Kabir Sabbir  2
Affiliations

Assessing the Influence of Banana Leaf Ash as Pozzolanic Material for the Production of Green Concrete: A Mechanical and Microstructural Evaluation

Md Hamidul Islam et al. Materials (Basel). .

Abstract

This paper reports an investigation of the mechanical and microscopic properties of partially replaced banana leaf ash (BLA) concrete. In this research, the cement was partially replaced by BLA in two phases: Phase A (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% and 30%) and Phase B (0%, 10%, 20% and 30%). The consequence of partially replacing cement with BLA in concrete was investigated by the application of a range of tests, namely X-ray fluorescence (XRF), compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexure strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. The properties were then correlated with the properties of a standard 100% Portland cement concrete of similar strength. The XRF result of the BLA identified a composition with 48.93% SiO2 and 3.48% Al2O3, which indicates that the material potentially possesses pozzolanic properties. The mechanical properties of the partially replaced BLA concrete noted minor strength loss, approximately 5% with 20% partial replacement. The nondestructive testing data showed enhanced performance up to 20% partial replacement, with ultrasonic pulse values above 3500 m/s. The scanning electron microscopy analysis illustrated that the morphology of BLA specimens contained increased microcracks compared with the control. The decrease in strength observed is attributed to the fibrous composition of the BLA. The mechanical, nondestructive testing and microscopic results highlight the potential to utilize BLA as a partial replacement for cement as a pozzolanic material in concrete at up to 20% by weight of cement.

Keywords: banana leaf ash; green concrete; mechanical properties; microscopic properties; non-destructive testing (NDT); pozzolanic material.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chemical composition cement and BLA.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flexural strength test of concrete beam.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Variation in compressive strength of mortars at 7 and 28 days as compared with the control (BLA0).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Variation in compressive strength of concretes at 7 and 28 days as compared with the control (BLA0).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Variation in tensile strength of mortars at 7 and 28 days as compared with the control (BLA0).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Correlation between compressive strength and splitting tensile strength.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Modulus of elasticity compared with the control (BLA0).
Figure 8
Figure 8
Pulse velocity and transmission time.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Variation in flexural strength of concrete mixes at 7 and 28 days compared with the control (BLA0).
Figure 10
Figure 10
Correlation between compressive strength and flexural strength.
Figure 11
Figure 11
SEM analysis of control (BLA0) and 20% BLA (BLA20).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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