Clam Shell Powder as Cement Substitution in Concrete Production

Abstract In this era of rapid development, cement is used extensively in the building sector, resulting in a growing need for cement. This also causes the cost of cement to rise over time, and as a result, the cost of building construction also rises. In addition, the cement production industry is one of the most significant contributors to greenhouse gases. Clamshells are a kind of food waste whose breakdown requires a lengthy time. As a result, one of the methods to limit the disposal of this food waste is by substituting this material for cement in the production of concrete, due to the silica concentration of this clamshell being identical to that of cement. The research objective is to evaluate the compressive strength of concrete mixed with different percentages (5%, 10%, and 15%) of Clam Shell Powder as cement replacement. In addition, OPC and CSP’s chemical composition and microstructure are determined using X-ray fluorescence and Scanning Electronic Microscopy. This research aims to determine if clam shell powder is a suitable substitute for cement. It can be concluded that substituting 5% of cement with CSP gave concrete with similar design strength at 28 days due to CaO content found in CSP is comparable to that found in cement. It was observed that concrete with CSP increases the durability of concrete.