Engineering experimental study on mechanical and durability properties of banana leaves ash as partial cement replacement in hollow concrete blocks

This engineering study investigates the mechanical properties and durability of Hollow Concrete Blocks (HCBs) made with banana leave-ash-replaced cement. This study focused on analyzing the physiochemical composition of banana leaf ashes (BLAs) and their impact on the mechanical and durability properties of these blocks. HCB production requires binding materials such as cement, and BLAs, a byproduct of agricultural waste containing Pozzolana, serve as an alternative. This study experimented with alternative mixtures to evaluate the influence of BLAs on the strength and durability of blocks, particularly their resistance to acid and sulfate attacks. The test was conducted by partial replacement of Dangote Ordinary Portland cement 42.5R with 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% BLAs for Class "A," "B" and "C" HCBs. The test results indicated that HCBs produced by BLAs can replace cement HCBs to achieve better strength and durability properties with respect to standards. Statistical results show that BLAs have a significant effect on the compressive strength of HCBs. Chemically acidic and sulfate-attack-resistant HCBs were examined, and the results showed that HCBs with BLAs had good resistance. The results of an experimental study on the mechanical and durability properties of BLAs blended with cement HCBs showed that replacing BLAs by up to 20% improves the durability and strength of blocks, resulting in better performance than the standards. The optimum percentage of partial replacement of BLAs with cement to produce HCBs is 20%.