Characterization of lightweight cement concrete with partial replacement of coconut shell fine aggregate

Nowadays, the natural material as agriculture waste in concrete has been long discussed. Coconut shell is a major agricultural waste that is readily available and can be easily assessed in many countries that are tropical. Coconut shell properties and properties of coconut shell concrete were thoroughly examined and the application as a construction material was evaluated. The linchpin of this study was on the mechanical and physical performance of concrete properties incorporated with coconut shell as a partial replacement for fine aggregate. Concrete incorporated with 10%, 20% and 30% volume fraction replacements for fine aggregate was designed for target strength of 35 MPa to note percentage replacement effects on the structural properties and behavior of the concrete. In total, the compressive and flexural strengths for 72 cubes samples were evaluated in addition to the rate at which cube samples absorbed water. The data obtained were analyzed and discussed. The replacement of coconut shell in volume fractions as fine aggregate in concrete lead to decrease in density, compressive strength and flexural strength with corresponding increase in the absorption properties of concrete as the coconut shell replacement increased. The financial requirement for concrete production decreased as the replacement of coconut shell increased.