Fly Ash and Natural Pozzolana Impacts on Sustainable Concrete Permeability and Mechanical Properties

This paper studied the effect of fly ash (FA) and natural pozzolana (NP) as partial cement substitutes on sustainable concrete permeability and mechanical and microstructural properties. Batches with 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50% FA and NP replacements for cement were prepared and tested for compressive strength after 7, 28, and 56 curing days and for flexural strength after 28 curing days. Permeability testing was conducted on all samples. A qualitative microstructural analysis was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX). The mechanical properties results showed slight strength improvements when replacing the cement with low percentages of the pozzolanic materials. The compressive strengths of the batches with 10% FA and NP replacements of cement showed compressive strength increases of 11.63 and 8.75%, respectively, compared to that of plain concrete. On the other hand, the flexural strength for the batches with FA replacement of cement achieved at least a 15.6% increase compared to that of the control. Moreover, FA and NP replacement of cement had a positive impact on batch permeability, with decreased permeability values reaching 78.3 and 56.5%, respectively, compared to that of the control. Furthermore, the microstructural analysis indicated that adding FA and NP would enhance cement hydration by the formation of dense hydration products such as calcium-silicate-hydrate (C-S-H) crystals, which increased hardened concrete strength. Finally, the cost analysis showed that the batch with a 10% FA replacement of cement is the ideal one in this study.

Automated summary

This study investigated the impact of using fly ash (FA) and natural pozzolana (NP) as partial cement replacements on the permeability, mechanical, and microstructural properties of sustainable concrete. Various concrete mixes with different percentages of FA and NP replacements were prepared, and their compressive and flexural strengths were tested at different curing days. The results showed that the partial replacement of cement with low percentages of FA and NP resulted in slight strength improvements. Permeability testing also indicated that FA and NP replacements had a positive impact on reducing the permeability of concrete.