CHAPTER I

INRODUCTION

Background of the Study

In developing countries like the Philippines,

population growth has created an urgent need for faster

housing and infrastructure development. However, rising

construction material costs, dwindling material sources,

and environmental concerns have hampered both public and

private organizations' ability to meet this challenge.

The use of wastes like palm kernel shells, coconut

shells, and sawdust in construction will assist to

minimize dependency on traditional resources like cement,

sand, and crushed rock aggregates, which have had

significant environmental implications due to their

exploitation.

According to Turgut and Algin (2007), the

accumulation of unmanaged waste, particularly in

developing countries, has increased environmental

concerns, whereas recycling such waste as building

materials appears to be a viable solution not only to the

pollution problem but also to the cost of building

design.

1
 The utilization of waste materials in building helps

to conserve natural resources and safeguard the

environment (Ramezanianpour et al, 2009). The main

advantages of waste materials are the preservation of

virgin raw materials, waste and energy re-use, as well as

the development of sustainable concrete and the

construction of environmentally friendly structures

(Bechio et. al., 2009).

Timber production generates a lot of waste, such as

sawdust, wood shavings, and other materials, the majority

of which are not recycled and instead dumped or burned in

the open, harming the environment without providing any

economic benefit.

According to Cambridge dictionary, sawdust is the

dust and small pieces of wood that are produced when

cutting wood with a saw. Sawdust has a wide range of

particle sizes, chemical compositions, densities, and

colors (Ravidrajajah et al, 2001). Cellulose,

hemicelluloses, lignin, and extractives make up the

majority of it. Sawdust is used to make particle boards,

charcoal briquettes, and cooking fuel.

A. A. Raheem et al (2012) discovered in his study on

Saw Dust Ash as Partial Replacement for Cement in

Concrete, that the results showed that Saw dust ash or

SDA is a good pozzolan with combined SiO2, Al2O3 and

2
Fe2O3 of 73.07%. The slump and compacting factor

decreased as the SDA content increased indicating that

concrete becomes less workable as the SDA content

increased. The compressive strength decreased with

increasing SDA replacement. The compressive strength of

concrete with SDA was lower at early stages but improves

significantly up to 90 days. An optimum value of

23.26N/mm2 at 90 days was obtained for concrete with 5%

SDA replacement. It was concluded that 5% SDA

substitution is adequate to enjoy maximum benefit of

strength gain.

In this study, sawdust was utilized to partially

substitute cement. Sawdust as an unmanaged waste made a

beneficial cause, making it more environmentally friendly

and cost-effective than traditional concrete.

This study investigated properties of concrete with

sawdust as replacement to cement with a view to assess

the possibility of sawdust as a partial substitution to

cement for concrete floor slab.

3
Importance and Significance of the Study

Sawdust as a partial substitution to cement for

concrete floor slab is not widely introduced in the

province of Northern Samar, especially in the selective

municipality of the 2nd district where the study was

conducted.

Investigating the properties of concrete with

sawdust as replacement to cement is a way to find out the

possibility of using sawdust as replacement to cement for

concrete floor slab.

This study is beneficial especially to the following:

Environment. Sawdust usage provides a feasible

source of raw materials for the construction

industry, an environmentally responsible option for

sawdust disposal, and will aid in the conservation

of natural aggregate reservoirs. The utilization of

waste materials in building helps to conserve

natural resources and safeguard the environment

Construction Company. Sawdust is considered as one

of the unmanaged wastes and is very cheap. Using

this will lessen the construction material costs.

Researchers. This study will help future researchers

in obtaining an overview of the current knowledge on

4
 the topic. This would serve as a guide to make a new

research study for the development and improvement

related to the topic.

Objectives of the Study

Specifically, this study has the following specific

objectives:

1. To identify the chemical and physical property of

sawdust.

2. To determine optimum sawdust content as partial

replacement to cement.

3. To determine the compressive strength of concrete

with sawdust as partial substitution to cement.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

This study will focus on utilization of sawdust as

partial substitution to cement. The paper focuses on

finding the optimum sawdust content (partial replacement

to cement) incorporating both structural and economical

aspects. The study will gather essential data on the

physical and chemical properties of sawdust, adequate

quantity or ratio of sawdust, pozzolan cement, sand,

crushed rocks, and water, and the optimum sawdust content

as partial replacement to cement. This study is expected

to be complete approximately in 90 days.

5
Definition of Terms

To understand the meaning of the terms in this

study, they are defined conceptually and operationally.

Sawdust. Conceptually, it is the powdery particles

of wood produced by sawing.

Operationally, it is the partial

substitute to cement in a concrete mix for floor

slab.

Compressive Strength. Conceptually, is the Strength

of hardened concrete measured by the compression

test.

Operationally, it is the strength of

hardened concrete with sawdust as partial substitute

to cement.

6
 CHAPTER II

RELATED LITERATURE

A. Properties of concrete mix materials

A.1. Sawdust

Sawdust is an organic waste resulting from the

mechanical milling or processing of timber (wood) into

various shapes and sizes. The dust is usually used as

domestic fuel. The resulting ash known as saw-dust ash

(SDA) is a form of pozzolan. Dry sawdust concrete

weighs only 30% as much as normal weight concrete and

its insulating properties approximate those of wood.

With proper cement to sawdust ratios, it is not

flammable. As a basic construction material, sawdust

concrete does indeed have its functions. Sawdust is in

abundance in North Eastern India (Meghalaya) and other

parts of the world. Experimental study to evaluate the

behaviour of concrete properties both in plastic and

hardened states with the inclusion of various waste

products such as fly ash [Naik and Ramme (1990),

Gopalakrishna et al. (2001)], coconut ash [Oyelade and

Akintoye (2011)], Rice hush ash [Nargale et al., 2012]

are available in the technical literature. Sawdust has

been used in concrete for at least 30 years, but not

widely. Although seriously limited by its low

7
compressive strength, sawdust concrete can be made to

perform well in certain floor and wall applications.

Experimental investigation to evaluate the

possibility of using Sawdust Ash (SDA) as a

construction material has been reported by Sumaila and

Job [1999], Udoeyo and Dashibil [2002]. Different

grades of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) are available

depending on the respective country codal

classification. Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS)

normally classify three grades of OPC namely: 33, 43

and 53, which are commonly used in construction

industry. The possibility of using SDA as part

replacement of OPC need to be investigate for

confident used of these materials. The review of

literature however, could not find any comparative

study on the effect of concrete properties when cement

of varying grades were partially replace by SDA are

addressed together. Thus, in the present work a

holistic approach was adopted to investigate the

possibility of using SDA as a construction material.

The contributions to strength gain, improvement in

durability, water absorption and shrinkage are the

main parameter of study.

8
A.2. Ordinary Portland Cement

OPC-based binders have been widely used for S/S due to

their availability and cost efficiency. In the

consideration of strict environmental requirements and

global carbon emission control, a priority target of

the OPC manufacturing and construction industry is to

find novel cement binders and increase the

environmental sustainability (energy saving and low

greenhouse gas emissions) (Duxson et al., 2007).

Geopolymer is such a kind of material, which is a

synthetic alkali aluminosilicate formed by combining

solid aluminosilicate with a high-concentration alkali

hydroxide or silicate aqueous solution. Geopolymers

typically use aluminosilicate-based (i.e., pozzolanic)

wastes that provide high mechanical properties, low

drying shrinkage, thermal conductivity, high fire

resistance and acid resistance. In addition, the

production cost of geopolymer is lower than that of

OPC (Duxson et al., 2007).

Furthermore, OPC is slightly ineffective in

immobilizing some metals such as Hg, As, Cu, Pb, Cr,

etc. One of the substitute materials to OPC is AAC,

which shows the advantages in environmental and cost

aspects over the traditional OPC (Rasaki et al.,

2019). It has been studied that toxic element

interfere much less with the hydration of AAC than

9
OPC. The results published by Shi et al. (2011)

confirm that AAC can be effectively used for S/S of

various polluting materials due to the abundant

alumina, ferric oxide, monosulfate (AFm) phases for

element fixation. During the OPC hydration, C–S–H gel

exhibits a satisfactory effect for heavy metal

immobilization. AAC has a lower capillary porosity and

higher gel pore volume than those of OPC matrix.

Therefore, AAC is predicted to be a suitable curing

medium of metals (Rasaki et al., 2019).

Two main compositions are required in alkaline

activation, a solid precursor rich in alumina and

silica (with the highest possible degree of

amorphization) and an activator solution based on an

alkali metal (i.e., sodium or potassium) or alkaline

earth metal (i.e., calcium). Compared with OPC caused

by mixing with water, alkali activation requires

adding alkaline components to water. Thus, it is

necessary to introduce the properties of alkaline

solutions. The solutions discussed are hydroxides and

concentrated alkali metal silicates (Provis and

Bernal, 2014). The hydroxide solution most commonly

used as an alkali activator is sodium hydroxide;

potassium hydroxide sees some use in specialized

applications, whereas lithium, rubidium, and cesium

hydroxides are of limited large-scale application.

10
Silicate-activated counterparts tend to show lower

permeability than hydroxide-activated binders, whether

based on fly ash or on blast furnace slag (BFS).

Nevertheless, hydroxide-activated mixes can show more

favorable workability than silicate-activated binders

because the viscosity of concentrated alkali hydroxide

solutions is much lower than that of alkali silicate

solutions of comparable concentration (Provis et al.,

2014). The main precursors used to produce AAC are

PFA, BFS, and metakaolin (MK). When dissolved in

alkaline solutions, these precursors condense and

polymerize to form AAC or geopolymers depending on the

chemical composition of the starting material used

(rich or poor in CaO or Al2O3) and the final component

of the main reaction product. These materials are

regarded as a new type of inorganic polymers with

properties of cement and ideal materials for

refractory panels and the encapsulation of toxic

elements (Shi et al., 2011).

A.3. Aggregates

Aggregates influence the properties of

concrete/mortar such as water requirement,

cohesiveness and workability of the concrete in

plastic stage, while they influence strength, density,

11
durability, permeability, surface finish and color in

hardened stage.

Aggregates are generally classified into two

categories viz. natural and manufactured/processed.

Geologically aggregates may be obtained from basalt,

granite, limestone, quartzite, gabbro or schist rock

etc. Main resources are igneous (granite or basalt) or

sedimentary (limestone) rock. Generally, all are

suitable for concrete depending on their degree of

weathering density and shape.

Surface texture of aggregate influences the bond

between the aggregate and cement. Smooth surface such

as that found on gravels will have a poor bond.

Crushed aggregates have a rough texture and give a

good mechanical bond with cement. However, gravel or

rounded aggregates have been used for high strength

concrete without any serious problems of poor bond. If

the gravel is clean, and well washed the changes of

the poor bond is considerably reduced.

Shape of aggregate can be broadly classified as

follows in order of desirability like Rounded,

Irregular rounded, Cubical, Flaky angular, Elongated,

Flaky elongated.

Rounded shape has minimum surface area for the same

mass than other shapes therefore it requires minimum

cement paste for bonding as compared to other shapes.

12
Hence, for a given aggregate-cement ratio in a

concrete mix, workability will be higher, if rounded

aggregates are used as compared to others.

Flaky aggregate are the aggregates whose least

dimension is less than 3/5th of its mean dimension

i.e. the mean dimension of an aggregate passing

through 40 mm sieve and retained on 20 mm sieve is

40+20/2 = 30 mm. Now, if the least dimension is less

than 18 mm (3/5 x 30 = 18 mm) then the aggregate is

flaky.

Elongated aggregates are the aggregates whose length

is 1.8 times of its mean dimension. If the mean

dimension as shown above is say 30 mm then for a

length above 54 mm (1.8x30mm) the aggregates will be

classified as elongated.

Concrete produced using flaky and elongated

aggregates will be prone to segregation, poor surface

finish, high cement and sand demand. Generally

rounded, irregular rounded and cubical shapes are

preferred in concrete mixes.

The nominal maximum size of coarse aggregate should

be as large as possible within the limits specified,

but in no case greater than 1/4th of the min.

thickness of the member.

For most works, 20 mm aggregate is suitable.

13
 40 mm and 10 mm size should be used for work

specified. Plums above 160 mm should be used, when

specifically permitted in plain concrete with a max

limit of 20% by volume and should not be closer than

150 mm from the surface. For heavily RCC members like

ribs of main beams, the nominal maximum size of the

aggregate should usually be restricted to 5 mm less

than the minimum clear distance between the main bars

or 5 mm less than the minimum cover to the

reinforcement whichever is smaller.

B. Workability of Sawdust as a partial to Cement

The results of BOD are chosen to be analyze instead

of COD, pH and DO because it is the vital parameter in

determining whether the sample is safe to be used in

the environmental conditions [23]. Figure 9 shows the

analysis of results of compressive strength and BOD

for all sawdust concrete replacement at 28 days.

From the analysis, it is found that value of BOD

increased when the amount of sawdust replacement was

increased. While, the compressive strength decreased

when the amount of sawdust replacement increased. From

this analysis, the most performed sawdust concrete is

the replacement with 5% which the experimental results

prove that the strength is higher compared to other

14
two sawdust concrete mix. A positive result also found

in BOD value for 5% sawdust replacement concrete which

the value is lower compared to other two sawdust

concrete mixes.

Therefore, the sawdust concrete mix with 5%

replacement is the optimum design that can be adopted

and followed for further investigation.

Analysis showed a difference in each specimen

tested. Since the curing of specimens were altered in

a way to be able to explore other aspects of the

research. The curing processes were as follows:

sevenday specimen received no curing, fourteen-day

specimen was soaked in water, and the twenty-eight-day

specimen was splashed with water every morning. Of all

the three specimens the sample that showed the highest

early compressive strength was the seven-day specimen

which was not even cured. Initial conclusions

described the curing process of the seven-day specimen

as if the sawdust particles within the concrete that

pre-absorbed water during mixing helped hydrate the

center part causing it to reach early high compressive

strength at such early time period. Unit weights also

varied since after weighing two control samples, the

sawdust-cement-gravel mix showed an almost 10%

reduction of weight and since floor slabs composed

15
almost 40% of a structure’s weight, it can help in

reducing the weight of succeeding floors thus

eliminating the need to design extremely thick columns

on previous floors. With regards to costs, the price

of sawdust per sack in comparison with sand was also

lesser than usual since sawdust already is waste.

Another observation made is during failure of

specimens due to compressive flexural stresses.

Specimens that were made using a standard concrete mix

immediately cracked if not fell apart once their yield

limits were reached. In contrast, the sawdust-cement-

gravel specimens were being held together by tiny wood

particles. This might present a bonus feature with

regards to sawdust; it might help keep components in

place during collapses giving people more time to

escape. With regards to workability, consistency, and

surface texture, integrating sawdust to the mix has

increased workability because it becomes softer and

compressed when wet, although might a bit toughened

the consistency making it a bit harder to flatten

since bits of sawdust tend to protrude out during

smoothing. When it comes to surface texture, sawdust

produces a light brown surface color that slightly

resembles recycled paper. You can say that sawdust

adds to the ambience of the room by giving the

illusion of old wallpaper. In addition to the

16
conclusions based upon experimentation, some

conclusions pre -released by previous researches were

added in consideration. Its acoustic insulation and

buffering property can reduce sound penetration by 14

dB. If applied to floor panels, sound resonance and

floor vibrations can be reduced for the occupants

below the floor with sawdust-cement-gravel flooring,

soundproofing using natural buffering so to speak. Its

thermal disposition can retain heat or cold longer

than its standard concrete counterpart. Air

circulation and climate control device usage can be

lowered as well as electric bills since floor panels

have a higher absorption to changing temperatures. Of

course, in any project, cost is always an issue. The

more you reduce the cost, the more enticing the

project is to occupants. With 1 sack of sawdust

amounting only to roughly 6.00 php, it can be quite a

sufficient cost reducing aggregate substitute. The

only downside to using sawdust as fine aggregate in

concrete mixes is its weakness which is water.

Experimentation and data analysis shows that the

higher the saturation of water deposits in the sawdust

particles during curing tend to weaken the sample,

making it softer than it was designed for, thus

explaining why the soaked and splashed sample appeared

weak. It was because of over exposure to solvents,

17
suggesting that sawdust-cement-gravel mixes should

only be used on interior parts of the structure where

natural elements cannot reach it. Although it can take

in water in bursts, soaking it would be extremely

unadvisable.

From the tests conducted on SDA replaced in fine

aggregate for concrete as presented in various

sections, the following conclusions are made:

The SDA produced from burning of sawdust is suitable

for use in concrete making. The fineness modulus,

specific gravity, moisture content, uncompacted bulk

density and compacted bulk density of 10%

Sawdust ash were found to be 2.2,

2.67, 3.7%, 1435kg/m3 and 1436kg/m3For a given mix,

the water requirement increases as the SDA content

increases. The compressive strength of cubes and

cylinders of the concrete for all mix increases with

age of curing and decreases as the SDA content

increases. The Tensile strength of cubes and cylinders

of the concrete for all mix increases with age of

curing and decreases as the SDA content increases. The

Flexural strength of the beam of the concrete for all

mix increases with age of curing and decreases as the

SDA content increases. SDA is available in significant

quantities as a waste and can be utilized for making

18
concrete. This will go a long way to reduce the

quantity of waste in our environment. The optimum

replacement level in fine aggregate with SDA is 10%.

19
 Chapter III

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Locale of the Study

This study was conducted at some selected

municipalities of Northern Samar, mainly Catarman,

Catubig, Las Navas and Palapag. In which most are located

at the 2nd District of Northern Samar.

Research Design

The study employs the descriptive approach. The goal

of the study was to create an acceptable concrete mixture

with sawdust particles as a fine aggregate substitute

that could be used in building construction, particularly

in residential concrete slabs, as well as to investigate

the impact of sawdust concrete mixture on aggregate

adhesion, thermal insulation, workability, and surface

quality. The study's specific goals are to assist the

building industry in protecting the environment, to

provide new knowledge to contractors and developers on

how to improve construction industry techniques and

services by employing sawdust concrete mixtures, and to

maintain good product performance.

20
Materials/Equipment

Cement is the primary component in sawdust concrete.

Water, sand, and sawdust to improve workability, certain

admixtures are possible. Then, finished the concrete

work. Investigate the compressive and split tensile

strengths of construction using sawdust.

•Sawdust: Wood dust is another term for sawdust.

It's a by-product of cutting or drilling wood using a saw

or other tool; it's made up of fine wood particles. Saw

dust is also produced by animals, birds, and insects that

live in wood, such as the carpenter ant.

•Cement: Ordinary Portland cement (OPC 43 grade)

confirming to PNS 7:2005 was used. The properties are

determined as per relevant PNS standards and the test

results obtained are satisfying the code requirements.

•Sand: The sand used in present work is normal sand.

•Water: Water used in work is clean Portable water.

Data Gathering Procedure

I. Physical and Chemical Properties of Saw Dust.

21
 II. Efficiency of the use of Saw Dust in construction.

The efficiency can be determined based on

studying the properties of the saw dust as well

as the results of the experiments conducted

from previous studies.

III. Cement Demand

Concrete is the inspiration of virtually

everything. It`s used to assemble buildings, highways,

bridges, roads and more.

In the first quarter of 2022, local cement demand

increased by about 2.9% compared to the same period in

2021, despite increased costs of major inputs, especially

energy factors. And fuel, which accounts for about 60% of

the variable cost of cement production.

Concrete was affected by the same issues that affected

other key materials and goods during the Covid-19

pandemic: clogged supply chains and labor shortages.

22
“In the short-term, we continue to have the supply chain

difficulties, particularly in certain markets, and so

prices are rising,” Anirban Basu, chief economist for the

national construction industry trade association

Associated Builders and Contractors, told CNBC. “So right

now, apparently, supply is not rising up to meet demand.”

Skilled workers and truck drivers are also in limited

supply in the business. Furthermore, the recent housing

boom has increased demand for concrete and cement,

putting additional pressure on the industry to expand

capacity.

Additionally, there is a push to limit the quantity

of carbon emissions produced by the industry. According

to a report published by the National Academy of Sciences

in 2019, global cement manufacturing accounts for 8% of

global carbon emissions, making it the single highest

source of carbon dioxide emissions.

REFERENCE:

Sawdust Ash (SDA) as Partial Replacement of Cement

C.Marthong

http://www.ijera.com/papers/Vol2_issue4/
LW2419801985.pdf

23
Saw Dust Ash Substitution for Cement Pastes-Part I

H. H. M. Darweesh1, *, M. R. Abo El-Suoud2

file:///D:/10.11648.j.ajasr.20170305.13.pdf

https://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/journal/
paperinfo?journalid=395&paperId=10018381

Saw Dust Ash as Partial Replacement for Cement in

A. Raheem, B. S. Olasunkanmi, C. S. Folorunso

https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/138758

Use of Saw Dust Ash as Partial Replacement for Cement

Obilade, I. O.

http://ijesi.org/papers/Vol(3)8/Version-3/
G0383036040.pdf

The Use of Sawdust and Palm kernel Shell as Substitute

Usman, N. D., Idusuyi, F. I.

http://icidr.org/doc/ICIDR%20PDF%20contents/journal
%20of%20research%20in%20education%20and%20society/
JCMEP_VOL2_NO3/The%20Use%20of%20Sawdust%20and%20Palm
%20kernel%20Shell%20as%20Substitute%20for%20Fine%20and
%20Coarse%20Aggregates.pdf

A Study on Strength of Concrete with Partial

Ambika Nahak, Mrs. Sabita Dash

24
 https://www.ijert.org/research/a-study-on-strength-of-
concrete-with-partial-replacement-of-cement-with-saw-
dust-ash-and-steel-fibre-IJERTV4IS030285.pdf

Concrete using sawdust as partial replacement of sand: Is

Nurul Huda Suliman, Amir Atif Abdul Razak, Hazrina

www.researchgate.net

Effect of Sawdust as Fine Aggregate in Concrete Mixture

https://www.academia.edu/11108881/
Effect_of_Sawdust_as_Fine_Aggregate_in_Concert_Mixture_fo
r_Building_Construction

THE USE OF SAWDUST ASH AS FINE AGGREGATE REPLACEMENT IN

Structural performance of sawdust ash blended steel

S. O. Ehikhuenmen1, ∗, E. E. Ikponmwosa1 and F. A.

https://pisrt.org/psrpress/j/easl/2021/1/structural-
performance-of-sawdust-ash-blended-steel-slag-
aggregate-concrete.pdf

Low Cost Construction Material for Concrete as Sawdust

Dilip KumarȦ*, Smita SinghȦ, Neetesh KumarȦ and Ashish

https://inpressco.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/
Paper633428-3430.pdf

25
Chemical and Physical Characteristics of SawDust

https://scholars.direct/Articles/botany/jbr-1-003-
table2.html

Green remediation by using low-carbon cement-based

Dr Lei Wang, ... Dr Daniel C.W. Tsang, in Sustainable

HOW AGGREGATE PROPERTIES AFFECTS CONCRETE PROPERTIES?

Suryakanta | February 15, 2019 | Concrete Technology |

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