Philippine E-Journals

Crushed Coconut Shell as Concrete Mixture Additive

Marjorie Ann R. Kho | Aira May A. Landero | Taliza Shanane A. Suzara | Ruben M. Ruiz

Discipline: Engineering, Applied Sciences

 

Abstract:

 

Coconut shells are mostly used as ornaments and as sources of activated carbon in industries of plastics, glues and abrasive materials. They are produced in large quantities; thus, these are the wastes most commonly found in landfills. This situation poses a great threat to the environment because landfills contribute to global warming by emitting harmful gases like carbon dioxide and methane. The growing problem in waste prompted the researchers to use coconut shell as additives in concrete mixture, and to determine whether it significantly increases the flexural and compressive strength of concrete. This study used experimental design to determine the effectiveness of adding crushed coconut shell as additives in concrete mixture. The t-test analysis revealed that the flexural and compressive strength of concrete with crushed coconut shell was significantly higher than the flexural and compressive strength of concrete without crushed coconut shell. These findings mean that the addition of crushed coconut shell increases the flexural and compressive strength of concrete.