Properties of structural lightweight concrete containing treated oil palm shell as coarse aggregate

One way of attaining sustainable and environment friendly structures is to use industrial waste as construction material. Oil palm boiler clinker obtained from palm oil extraction process in palm oil industry is a promising material which can be used for replacement of coarse aggregate in concrete. In this study, development of water absorption rate in oil palm shell is modified with water-repellent admixture to maintain the mechanical properties as same as normal weight concrete (NWC). These oil palm shells are lightweight and can be used as coarse aggregate for structural application in construction structures. The physical and chemical properties of such aggregate are evaluated and improved for those parameters which are deficient to produce good quality concrete. Internal curing of concrete takes place when treated oil palm shell is used as lightweight aggregate which is an added advantage for durable concrete. Properties like sorptivity, density, compressive strength were measured and discussed. Results show that replacement of normal aggregate with industrial waste product is structurally good and environmental friendly, compression strength ranging from 25 to 30 MPa which is same in case of NWC. © 2018, Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature.