Influence of groundnut shell ash on the properties of cement pastes

Abstract

This paper presents the effect of groundnut shell ash (GHA) on the properties of cement paste. Cement pastes containing GHA as cement replacement in different proportions up to 50% by weight were prepared. At fresh state, the consistency and setting times of the pastes were checked, while at hardened state, soundness and compressive strength of the pastes were determined. In addition, the microstructure of the hardened paste was investigated using the Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR) technique. The results show that GHA increased water demand and delayed setting times, but improved soundness of cement paste. Moreover, compressive strength enhancement of hardened cement paste due pozzolanic reaction as evidenced by the microstructure analysis (FTIR) was observed with up to 10% GHA replacing cement. Thus, GHA is a good potential material for cement replacement in cement paste.