UTILIZATION OF BANANA TRUNK ASH AND COCONUT SHELL ASH AS A PARTIAL REPLACEMENT OF CEMENT IN MORTAR ASSIGNMENT SOLUTION

INTRODUCTION

1.1 GENERAL
In this research, banana trunk ash & coconut shell ash is used as replacement for cement. It is used as cementitious material to produce high strength of mortar. The composition of the banana trunk & coconut shell ash have good characteristic to be used as binder in the mortar. Nowadays, mortar is the important component in construction industry and it is composed of cement, fine aggregate and water. Mortar is used as a binder that help to increase the strength to hold brick with different size. The mortar also used to patch holes in wall buildings. Mortar will become hard when it exposed to water and cause in a firm aggregate structure. The ingredients in cement mortar differ somewhat, depending on the manufacturer specifications. A typical mortar will include both sand and cement, with lime added to the mix. Other types of aggregates may be added, depending on the texture that is desired for the mortar. Cement as main component in construction material is used to fasten coarse and fine aggregate.

The demand of cement for construction is very high and cause maximum production of the material in India. Cement is a material with adhesive and cohesive properties and its function is to bind fine and coarse aggregate together. Cement also act as filler to any void in between the aggregates and also form a compact mass. Development in construction material is being increased by time. There are many researches about utilization of agriculture waste to substitute the material in construction. The waste product such sugarcane, eggshell and others waste product can be used as replacement for construction material. These waste products are high probability to replace the cement, fine aggregate and coarse aggregate. Banana fibre ash is one of example of agriculture waste. Banana trunk ash (BTA) can be used as pozzolanic material in civil structures with advantages such as lower costs and the equivalent reduction of environmental impacts resulting from the accumulations of this type of residue in the field.

1.2 ALTERNATIVE METHOD
The use of alternative material in the construction is increasing day by day. The project deals with the comparative study of properties of mortar by using Banana Leaves Ash as a cementitious material in the mortar mix. The ash produced from various types of agricultural waste can be used effectively as a partial replacement of cement. Some researchers evaluated the presence of pozzolanic activity in the deriving ash of Banana Leaves. The overall production of banana In India is approximately 16.91 Million Tonnes from 490.70 Thousand Hectares, with national average of 33.5 T/Ha. Maharashtra ranks first in production with 60 T/Ha.

India is the third largest in Asia, having cultivation on an area of about 1.78 million hectares. Annual production is about 7562 million nuts with an average of 5295 nuts per hectare. The coconut industry in India accounts for over a quarter of the world's total coconut oil output and is set to grow further with the global increase in demand. However, it is also the main contributor to the nation's pollution problem as a solid waste in the form of shells, which involves an annual production of approximately 3.18 million tonnes. Coconut shell represents more than 60% of the domestic waste volume. Coconut shell, which presents serious disposal problems for local environment, is an abundantly available agricultural waste from local coconut industries. In developing countries where abundant agricultural and industrial wastes are discharged, these wastes can be used as potential material or replacement material in the construction industry. This will have the double advantage of reduction in the cost of construction material and also as a means of disposal of wastes.

In this experimental study the ratio of mortar to be used is 1:3. The BTA will be used in cement to replace about 0%, 5%,10% & 15% respectively. The mortar obtained after this replacement will be analysed with the normal mortar by conducting various tests like Compressive Strength and water absorption test. This might achieve economy, strength requirement and durability of mortar. After the testing of BTA specimens the optimum value is to be taken. Based on the test and analysis with the banana trunk ash the percentage is fixed and then it is added with the coconut shell ash and the procedure is repeated. The final result gives the usable percentage of agricultural ash to be replaced in the cement.

1.3 OBJECTIVES

 To use an agricultural waste as a partial replacement of cement in mortar.
 To reduce the emission of carbon dioxide during manufacturing of cement.
 To study the strength properties of conventional cement mortar.
 To study the influence of partial replacement of cement with coconut shell ash and banana trunk ash and compare it with the mechanical properties of conventional cement mortar.

1.4 SCOPE
Based on the objective, this research focused on how to overcome the problem that occurred in construction industry regarding the strength of banana trunks ash and coconut shell ash as partial replacement of cement in mortar. The result will be compare with mortar done using Ordinary Portland Cement. If the required strength is achieved, the waste product can be used as alternative product to replace cement.