Effect of Date Seeds Ash Incorporation with Micro Silica on the Cement Mortar Behavior and Mix Integrity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29194/NJES.29020282Keywords:
Date Seeds, Micro Silica, Flowability, Compressive Strength, Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV)Abstract
This study evaluates the performance of cement mortar incorporating micro silica (MS) and thermally treated date seed ash (DS) as sustainable partial cement replacements, in line with the demand for improved construction materials that utilize available resources. In the absence of an understanding of the behavior resulting from combining MS and DS within a hybrid replacement system particularly regarding how different blending ratios influence mortar performance and mix integrity. To achieve this, five mixtures were prepared with a total replacement level of 20% including three hybrid blends and were assessed through flowability, compressive strength, sorptivity, dry density, water absorption, and Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV) tests. Predictive models have also been developed to estimate chloride and sulfate penetration based on physical and non-destructive indicators. The results showed that the hybrid mixture MS15–DS5 demonstrated the most notable enhancement compared to the control mix, achieving a 6% increase in compressive strength a 42% reduction in sorptivity and clear increases in dry density and pulse velocity indicating a more compact internal structure. The MS10–DS10 mixture also exhibited improved behavior, though to a lesser degree. In contrast, increasing the DS content led to performance deterioration, where MS5–DS15 showed reduced strength and higher sorptivity and DS20 presented the weakest response, with an 8% reduction in compressive strength and a 32% increase in sorptivity. The predictive models also demonstrated high accuracy achieving R2 of 0.989 and 0.983 for chloride and sulfate penetration, respectively, supporting their ability to estimate future behavior based on physical properties. These results provide a clearer understanding of how combining MS and DS influences mortar behavior and mix integrity, and they contribute to the development of sustainable cementitious mixtures with improved performance when appropriate replacement levels are selected.
Downloads
References
Y. Habibi, W. K. El‑Zawawy, M. M. Ibrahim, and A. Dufresne, "Processing and characterization of reinforced polyethylene composites made with lignocellulosic fibers from Egyptian agro‑industrial residues," Compos. Sci. Technol., vol. 68, no. 7-8, pp. 1877-1885, 2008. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compscitech.2008.01.008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compscitech.2008.01.008
M. Almograbi, "Durability study of lightweight concrete material made from date palm seeds (DPS)," WIT Trans. Built Environ., vol. 112, pp. 69-75, 2010. https://doi.org/10.2495/HPSM100071 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2495/HPSM100071
A. Adefemi, M. H. Nensok, E. T. Ka'ase, and I. A. Wuna, "Exploratory study of date seed as coarse aggregate in concrete production," Civil Environ. Res., vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 85-92, 2013.
S. M. Akib, D. Bhuva, and D. Pindoriya, "Exploratory study on partial replacement of coarse aggregate by date seed," Int. Res. J. Eng. Technol., vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 730-734, 2018.
A. Ahmed, S. A. Mangi, A. W. Muhammad, and N. U. Din, "Strength performance of concrete containing date seeds as partial replacement of coarse aggregates under the exposure of NaCl and Na₂SO₄," Indones. J. Soc. Environ. Issues, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 205-211, Dec. 2020. https://doi.org/10.47540/ijsei.v1i3.104 DOI: https://doi.org/10.47540/ijsei.v1i3.104
A. R. Palh, S. A. Mangi, M. A. Odho, and A. A. Kalhoro, "Experimental study on concrete incorporating date seed as partial replacement of coarse aggregates," Neutron, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 113-122, 2021. https://doi.org/10.29138/neutron.v21i1.85 DOI: https://doi.org/10.29138/neutron.v21i1.85
S. J. Shah, S. Nath, A. Naeem, and E. Kakar, "Study on concrete mix with partial and full replacement of coarse aggregates with date seeds," J. Appl. Emerg. Sci., vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 219-224, 2022.
S. C. Sarathkumar, C. Karthik, A. Anitha, and S. Suresh, "Experimental investigation on concrete with partial replacement of fine aggregate by date and tamarind seed," Int. J. Adv. Res. Ideas Innov. Technol., vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 45-52, 2022.
R. Rajasekaran and T. Balamurugesan, "Experimental investigation on partial replacement of coarse aggregate by agro product waste in concrete," in AIP Conf. Proc., vol. 2861, art. 070003, Aug. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0158370 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0158370
C. Elazizi, H. Hammi, W. Marzouk, H. Majdoub, and A. M'nif, "Effect of a partial replacement of Portland cement by date seeds on the mechanical and chemical behavior of the mortar," J. Tunis. Chem. Soc., vol. 19, pp. 326-334, 2017.
G. I. Gunarani and S. P. Chakkravarthy, "Experimental studies on effect of date seed ash (DSA) on strength properties of cement sand mortar," IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci., vol. 80, no. 1, p. 012015, Jul. 2017. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/80/1/012015 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/80/1/012015
Z. H. A. Alsalami, I. K. Harith, and M. K. Dhahir, "Utilization of dates palm kernel in high performance concrete," J. Build. Eng., vol. 20, pp. 166-172, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2018.07.015 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2018.07.015
A. S. J. Smith, "Investigation of date palm seed ash (DPSA) as pozzolana in concrete," M.S. thesis, Dept. Civ. Eng., Bayero Univ., Kano, Nigeria, 2018.
M. K. Saeed, M. K. Rahman, M. Alfawzan, S. Basha, and H. A. Dahish, "Evaluation of date kernel powder (DKP) for potential use as setting and hydration retarder in concrete," J. Build. Eng., vol. 57, p. 104855, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2022.104855 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2022.104855
M. K. Saeed, M. K. Rahman, M. Alfawzan, S. Basha, and H. A. Dahish, "Recycling of date kernel powder (DKP) in mass concrete for mitigating heat generation and risk of cracking at an early age," Constr. Build. Mater., vol. 376, p. 131033, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2023.131033 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2023.131033
M. K. Saeed, M. K. Rahman, M. Alfawzan, S. Basha, and H. A. Dahish, "Investigating the potential use of date kernel ash (DKA) as a partial cement replacement in concrete," Materials, vol. 15, no. 24, p. 8866, 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15248866 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15248866
S. K. Alkhaldi, "Reducing the carbon footprint and enhancing the strength of mortar (concrete) through the incorporation of date seeds ash," M.S. thesis, Alfaisal Univ., Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 2023.
I. B. Auta, I. I. Abdulkarim, and O. O. Olu, "Effect of date palm seed pod ash and eggshell powder on the physico‑mechanical properties of cement blends," Am. J. Sci. Eng. Technol., vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 1-12, 2023.
B. H. Amanah and W. I. Khalil, "Effects of eggshells powder and date seeds on properties of sustainable concrete," AIP Conf. Proc., vol. 2864, no. 1, art. 060003, Jan. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0186936 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0186936
ASTM International, ASTM C33/C33M‑08: Standard Specification for Concrete Aggregates, West Conshohocken, PA, USA, 2008.
ASTM International, ASTM C150/C150M‑21: Standard Specification for Portland Cement, West Conshohocken, PA, USA, 2021.
ASTM International, ASTM C1240‑20: Standard Specification for Silica Fume Used in Cementitious Mixtures, West Conshohocken, PA, USA, 2020.
ASTM International, ASTM C1437‑15: Standard Test Method for Flow of Hydraulic Cement Mortar, West Conshohocken, PA, USA, 2015.
L. G. Li, N. Pui‑Lam, Z. H. Huang, Z. J. Zhu, and A. K. H. Kwan, "Effects of micro‑silica and nano‑silica on fresh properties of mortar," Mater. Sci. (Medžiagotyra), vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 362-371, 2017. https://doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.23.4.16632 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.23.4.16632
P. Vellaichamy, S. Priyadharshini, and S. Selvan, "Studies on effect of silica fume on workability and strength of concrete," Int. Res. J. Multidiscip. Technovation, vol. 1, no. 6, pp. 165-171, 2019. https://doi.org/10.34256/irjmtcon21 DOI: https://doi.org/10.34256/irjmtcon21
H. M. Hamada, F. Abed, H. Y. B. Katman, A. M. Humada, M. S. Al Jawahery, A. Majdi, S. T. Yousif, and B. S. Thomas, "Effect of silica fume on the properties of sustainable cement concrete," J. Mater. Res. Technol., vol. 24, pp. 8887-8908, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2023.05.147 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2023.05.147
M. A. Uddin, M. T. Bashir, A. M. Khan, F. Alsharari, F. Farid, and R. Alrowais, "Effect of silica fume on compressive strength and water absorption of Portland cement-silica fume blended mortar," Arab. J. Sci. Eng., vol. 49, no. 4, pp. 4803-4811, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-023-08204-x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-023-08204-x
ASTM International, ASTM C109/C109M‑20b: Standard Test Method for Compressive Strength of Hydraulic Cement Mortars, West Conshohocken, PA, USA, 2020.
B. Lothenbach, K. L. Scrivener, and R. D. Hooton, "Supplementary cementitious materials," Cement Concr. Res., vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 217-229, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2010.12.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2010.12.001
K. Mala, A. K. Mullick, K. K. Jain, et al., "Effect of relative levels of mineral admixtures on strength of concrete with ternary cement blend," Int. J. Concr. Struct. Mater., vol. 7, pp. 239-249, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40069-013-0049-9 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40069-013-0049-9
J. Wang, F. Jiang, J. Zhou, and Z. Mao, "The synergistic effect of limestone powder and rice husk ash on the mechanical properties of cement‑based materials," Materials, vol. 17, no. 20, p. 5058, 2024. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17205058 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17205058
ASTM International, ASTM C642‑13: Standard Test Method for Density, Absorption, and Voids in Hardened Concrete, West Conshohocken, PA, USA, 2013.
ASTM International, ASTM C597‑16: Standard Test Method for Pulse Velocity Through Concrete, West Conshohocken, PA, USA, 2016.
ASTM International, ASTM C1585‑04 (Reapproved 2013): Standard Test Method for Rate of Absorption of Water by Hydraulic‑Cement Concretes, West Conshohocken, PA, USA, 2013.
L. Breiman, "Random forests," Mach. Learn., vol. 45, no. 1, pp. 5-32, 2001. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010933404324 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010933404324
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Luma Ahmed Aday, Nesreen Al-Obaidy
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The authors retain the copyright of their manuscript by submitting the work to this journal, and all open access articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC-BY-NC 4.0), which permits use for any non-commercial purpose, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is properly cited.
How to Cite
