Blended cement binders containing bamboo leaf ash and ground clay brick waste for sustainable concrete

The global quest for sustainable cementitious binders and composites has been on the increase. Bamboo leaves and clay brick wastes were evaluated for their potential to serve as a sustainable pathway for cementitious composites. This was based on the premise that the combined chemical compositions of bamboo leaf ash (BLA) and ground clay brick (GCB) can potentially yield cementitious composites with adequate strength and durability. The BLA and GCB were blended with Portland cement (PC) in ten different proportions, and the obtained binders extensively characterised to certify their use in cementitious composites. The binders were incorporated in concrete, and their performance evaluated. Furthermore, their potentials to improve the sustainability of concrete were evaluated. The results show that though GCB outperforms the BLA, they can both be combined at 10% each to achieve acceptable strength and resistance to chemical attack. It was concluded that BLA and GCB could potentially improve the sustainability of concrete production by reducing the CO2 emission by 19%, embodied energy by 15% and cost by 10% without increasing the energy demand to achieve concrete strength similar to that of the Portland cement.