ST2147: Eco-Concrete Using Waste Seashells

Hilaryna Inch Anak Hamdan UiTM Cawangan Sarawak

The global construction sector faces a crisis by a rapid reduction of natural river
sand and the rising of unprocessed seashell waste from the aquaculture industry.

Seashell Waste as fine aggregates replacement emerges as a high performance and eco-
innovative solution, known to be very hard and protective on the outer layer that fulfills

the requirement into strategic partial replacement for sand in structural construction.
The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the mechanical performance and
environmental potential of processed seashell waste as a partial fine aggregate
replacement in concrete.
For the methodology, the seashell waste was first collected then cleaned
thoroughly to remove salt content and the impurities followed by drying and crushing
then sieving the waste to achieve the suitable particle size that replicate the natural sand.
Concrete cube specimens were cast using a conventional mix design and cured for 28
days. After curing, water absorption testing was carried out to evaluate the concrete
performance and determine the suitability of seashell waste as an alternative fine
aggregate.
The results show that the incorporation of seashell waste influenced both fresh
and hardened concrete properties. Concrete with 5% seashell replacement
demonstrated performance comparable to conventional concrete, maintaining
acceptable strength and durability. However, concrete with 10% replacement showed
reduced performance, likely due to weaker bonding between particles and increased
internal voids within the concrete matrix.
In conclusion, seashell waste shows potential as an alternative fine aggregate,
with further studies recommended on long-term strength and durability performance.