Ash from Oil‐Palm Waste as a Concrete Material

Abstract

The palm‐oil industry produces large amounts of solid wastes. Shell and fiber wastes are used extensively as fuel for steam production in palm‐oil mills. After combustion, a large quantity of ash is produced and creates problems of disposal. The feasibility of using the shell and fiber ash as a construction material is studied. The material differs from PFA from coal‐fired power plants in that it has a higher content of residual organic, a higher alkali content, is coarser. The experimental results indicate that no significant effects of ash addition on the segregation, shrinkage, water absorption, density, and soundness of cement. The workability of concrete blended with the shell and fiber ash is good, and setting times are well within the requirements of both American and British standards. The shell and fiber ash is only weakly pozzolanic, the decrease in compressive strength of concrete is almost proportional to the amount of ash in the blended cement, except when only 10% ash is used. The results show that shell and fiber ash can be blended in small amounts (up to 10%) with cement for concrete making.