Strength, Water Porosity and Sulfuric Acid Performance of Coconut Fiber Reinforced High-Strength Concrete

Coconut Fiber Reinforced High-Strength Concrete Workability Strength Water Porosity Sulfuric Acid.

Authors

  • Gervany Hurlich Mboungou Londe
    londe.mboungou@students.jkuat.ac.ke
    Department of Civil Engineering, Institute for Basic Sciences Technology and Innovation Hosted at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Pan-African University, Nairobi,, Kenya https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4292-843X
  • John Nyiro Mwero Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, Technical University of Kenya (TUK), Nairobi,, Kenya
  • Christopher Kanali Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Nairobi,, Kenya
  • Sylvester Ochieng Abuodha Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, University of Nairobi (UoN), Nairobi,, Kenya

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This study investigates the use of coconut fibers (CFs) derived from coconut husks to enhance the performance of high-strength concrete (HSC), aligning with sustainability goals through the reuse of agricultural waste. The objective was to assess the strength properties, water porosity, and sulfuric acid resistance of coconut fiber-reinforced high-strength concrete (CFR-HSC), targeting a mean compressive strength of 60 MPa. CFs underwent an alkali treatment involving boiling for one hour followed by immersion in a 1% sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution, which improved their surface morphology as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Concrete specimens with CFs contents of 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0% were evaluated. Increased CF contents content reduced workability and dry density, while compressive strength at 7 and 14 days improved by 2.31 and 13.02%, respectively, at 0.5% CF content but showed no significant improvement at 28 days. However, tensile and flexural strengths improved significantly, achieving the highest gains of 34.71 and 7.03% at 1% CF content, respectively. CFR-HSC exhibited increased water porosity but enhanced resistance to sulfuric acid, indicating improved durability under aggressive environments. These findings demonstrate the potential of NaOH-treated (NT) CFs to enhance tensile and flexural properties while improving chemical durability, offering a sustainable approach to advancing HSC performance.

 

Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2025-011-04-023

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