Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Cellulose, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
This study addresses the challenge of improving the mechanical and durability properties of lightweight concrete made with waste plant-based aggregates, specifically oil palm shell (OPS) species dura and tenera, which inherently exhibit low strength and durability due to absorption and weak aggregate-matrix bonding. The objective is to explore surface modification techniques—grout-treated soaking (TS) and treated spray coating (TSC)—applied with different water-to-cementitious (w/c) ratios (0.7, 0.9, and 1.1) in a wet grout binder to enhance these properties. Experimental investigations compare raw and surface-modified LWPA concretes by evaluating compressive strength, splitting tensile resistance, flexural durability, elastic modulus, porosity, and rapid chloride penetration test (RCPT) results. The surface treatments lead to a modest increase in specimen density, while significant enhancements in slump values are observed, with treated spray coating and soaking aggregates showing nearly 40% and 43% improvements at 8 min, respectively, for TSCDS/0.7 and TSDS/0.7 mixes compared to untreated aggregates. The TSDS/0.7 mixture exhibits the highest improvement in mechanical properties, with compressive strength and elastic modulus increasing by approximately 25% and 34%, respectively. These results demonstrate that surface modification techniques effectively improve interfacial bonding between aggregate and cement paste, reducing porosity and chloride diffusion with the improvement up to 15.6% and 8% compared to control mix, thereby significantly enhancing concrete durability. This novel approach promotes the sustainable use of agricultural waste by producing higher quality, eco-friendly lightweight concrete, aligning with modern green construction goals while satisfying structural performance requirements. In conclusion, surface treatments combined with optimized w/c ratios present a promising solution to overcome the limitations of waste plant-based aggregates in concrete production. Recommendations for future research include exploring long-term durability under various environmental exposures, investigating the effects of different pre-treatment materials, and extending the study to other types of agricultural waste aggregates for broader sustainable construction applications.