Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Elaeis guineensis Mesocarp Fiber on Physical, Mechanical and other Selected Properties of Natural-Fiber Reinforced-Concrete.

In this research study, oil palm mesocarp fiber (OPMF) from the fruit Elaeis guineensis was used to produce a natural fiber-incorporated green concrete as a means to reduce the adverse environmental impact of waste disposal and improve the engineering attributes of green concrete. The fiber used was added as a partial replacement for fine aggregate, with percentage variations replaced by volume content. The experiments conducted on the produced OPMF-concrete include physical, durability, morphological, and mechanical properties tests. The OPMF effect in concrete resulted in a slight decrease in density with a range of 2349 kg/m³ to 2257 kg/m³, a reduction in workability, and compressive strength range of 45 MPa to 23.17 MPa, a reduction compared to control for all fiber load and fiber size at the 28-day cured specimen for a designed strength of M30. OPMF exerts a reduction in the flexural and splitting tensile strengths, an increase in the porosity of the concrete, and, likewise, a high chloride penetrability with charge values greater than 4000 coulombs. Due to the randomly dispersed fiber particles, hydration of the binder was restricted, and the fiber made more pore spaces available, creating a less dense structure. Moreover, the presence of OPMF in the microstructures of fiber-concrete decreases the bond between the binder and the aggregates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]