Preliminary investigation of thermal behavior of lightweight foamed concrete incorporating palm oil fuel ash and eggshell powder

Abstract

This study was performed to investigate the thermal and mechanical properties of foamed concrete when supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) are utilized. Sustainable foamed concrete of 1800 kg/m3 dry density was prepared by incorporating Palm Oil Fuel Ash (POFA) ranging from 30 % to 35 % and Eggshell Powder (ESP) from 5 % to 15 % as SCMs. It was found that the combined utilization of POFA and ESP in the foamed concrete produced favorable results by reducing the thermal conductivity up to 42.68 % compared to the control sample, thus enhanced thermal insulating property of foamed concrete. This study confirmed that recycling and reusing of POFA and ESP are possible in foamed concrete which could be used for non-structural applications where thermal insulating is required.