Concrete is generally known as a composite construction material produced primarily using aggregate, cement and water. The aggregate is coarse gravel or crushed rocks such as limestone or granite along with the fine aggregate such as sand. Sand mining causes adverse effects to natural environment and ground water table. Manufacture of cement also causes environmental problems such as introduction of large amount of carbon dioxide (a major contributor for greenhouse effect causes global warming) into the atmosphere and disposal of by-products. To minimize these concerns, it is great to use the by-product of fine aggregates called eco-sand as a cost effective, eco-friendly and innovative material. It is very fine particles obtained as a by-product during the manufacture of cement. It differs from natural sand in terms of certain characteristics such as gradation, particle shape and texture. These characteristics have some influence namely cement requirements, water requirements, additive requirements, workability and finishing of the concrete. This material completely passes through 4.75 mm sieve and not in 150 mm sieve. Present study includes the workability and compressive strength of M25 grade concrete for water and cement ratio of 0.45 (without admixture) and 0.43 (with admixture). This study is also well explained about the superior performance of concrete when river water is replaced by eco- sand with the ratio of 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60. The presence of fines in ecosand increases the workability and gives more strength to the concrete. The non-absorbing nature and smooth surface texture of eco-sand reduce water requirement during constructions. The cost is reduced by 22 percentages when compared to the use of conventional concrete. The best performance shows at the percentage of 40 with 0.8 liter of admixture.
Author(s): K.Vetriselvi,G.Elangovan