Experimental Investigation on Concrete by Partial Replacement of Fine Aggregate with Olivine Sand

In the field of construction, the employment of easily obtainable by-products in the form of concrete appears to be a highly encouraging pursuit towards creating eco-friendly building materials for a sustainable future. Several waste products have already been utilized as substitutes for various concrete constituent elements. In this project, the behaviour of concrete with different proportions of M-Sand and olivine sand (100:0, 90:10, 80:20, 70:30, 60:40, 50:50, 40:60) as a substitute to fine aggregate is studied. Olivine sand is a type of sand obtained by crushing dunite rocks. Olivine sand is notable for its high thermal resistance capacity and is cable of absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide. Carbon sequestration is the act of absorbing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide. This approach will not only aid in mitigating the atmospheric CO2 levels but also enhance the strength of concrete. This is because higher carbon content results in stronger concrete. In this project, OPC 53 grade of cement and 12.5 mm coarse aggregate were utilized to manufacture concrete with a grade of M30. Concrete specimens of various proportions of fine aggregate replacement were prepared, and the hardened specimens were examined to determine their individual strength characteristics, including compressive strength, split tensile strength, and flexural strength. The strength properties of the concrete samples were evaluated at intervals of 7, 14, and 28 days after being subjected to curing, and then compared to those of conventional concrete. Consequently, it was observed that the concrete with 30% olivine sand as a substitute for fine aggregate displayed exceptional performance compared to other proportions.