Behaviour of cenosphere and pumice powder as partial cement substitute material in the sustainable production of concrete

Scientific researchers and engineers have been looking into alternative materials that could be used in concrete as a partial cement substitute, to reduce carbon emissions. One such substance that has attention as a potential cement alternative is industrial pozzolanic waste. The present research explores the possibility of using industrial pozzolanic waste products such as cenosphere and pumice powder to partially substitute cement in concrete. By chemical analysis, Cenosphere and Pumice Powder could be utilized as pozzolans conforming to ASTM C 618:2019. The compressive strength, tensile splitting, and flexural strength of concrete mixtures are among the attributes of fresh and hardened concrete that will be evaluated in the study. Additionally, tests for water absorption and durability performance were performed on the specimens in an acidic environment. Cement in the concrete mix was replaced with cenosphere and pumice powder in weight by various amounts of 0, 20% and 30% with a water-to-binder ratio of 0.4. The results demonstrated a rise in compressive strength of up to 12.5% replacement over the age of concrete. In the blended concrete sample with 20% cement replaced with 10% cenosphere and 10% pumice powder compared to the control sample, the splitting strength increased by 6% while the flexural strength increased by 6.1%. Additionally, the concrete ability to absorb water dropped to the 20% replacement level. Based on the results of the present investigation, pozzolanic waste materials such as cenosphere and pumice powder can be utilized to replace cement during the manufacturing of durable concrete under conventional conditions.