Author : Brindhalakshmi M.L and Gunasekar S

Coconut shells are a type of agricultural waste which can be converted into useful material. A large amount of waste coconut shell is generated in Indian temples and industry of coconut product and its disposal need to be addressed. This experimental work will discuss about the effects of replacing coconut shell as coarse aggregate in concrete with 0%, 10%, 20% and 30% to produce Eco friendly concrete. Various properties like compressive strength, split tensile strength, water absorption and flexural test will be investigated with reference of Control concrete by adding normal coarse aggregate as well as coconut shell in concrete mixes. The age for testing were 7, 14 and 21 days respectively. Results revealed that with 20% replacement of conventional coarse aggregate as coconut shell. The results confirm that although there is utilization of waste coconut shell, reduction in natural source depletion etc., the use of coconut shell in concrete seems to be a feasible option.

Keywords: Concrete, Coconut shell, Aggregate Replacement, Waste Management, Strength Study.