Replacing Cement with POFA to Improve the Thermal Properties of Lightweight Foamed Concrete

Abstract

The construction industry highly relies on the utilization of cement as the main binder material in concrete production. It is inevitable even though the cement manufacturing process responsible for the high energy consumption and the worldwide carbon dioxide (CO2) emission. One of the promising solutions is the application of lightweight foamed concrete in building construction that might be able to reduce the dead load of building, hence, shrink the foundation size and leads to minimize the cement demand and construction cost. Moreover, the long-term application of lightweight foamed concrete also contributes to the reduction of energy consumed by air conditioning system in order to achieve thermal comfort for occupants due to its excellent thermal insulation. To produce a decreased density for acceptable strength level, this study investigated the potential of palm oil fuel ash (POFA) to partially replace cement content at the levels of up to 60% in foamed concrete having a density of 900 kg/m3. At the 28-days curing age, foamed concrete with 20% POFA reveals a much higher compressive strength than the control specimen but still having an acceptable thermal conductivity value. The pozzolanic characteristic of POFA is believed in improving the applicable lightweight foamed concrete properties.