Utilization of Mesquite Wood Ash in Construction Industry

The construction industry is one of the bedrocks of our economy which has made impressive progress since reinforced concrete was introduced as a structural material. In today's world the main emphasis is on green and sustainable development. Cement industry is one of the major contributors to pollution by releasing carbon-di-oxide. Mesquite plant (locally known as karuvelam maram) whose binomial name is Prosopis juliflora provides approximately 75% of fuel wood needs of rural people in arid and semi-arid regions of India. It is fast growing, nitrogen-fixing and tolerant to arid conditions & saline soils. It has spread over the greater part of north-west, central, west and south India there by becoming an aggressive invader species. It replaces native vegetation and takes over several acres of land. But its major disadvantage is that with deep penetrating roots, it draws water from deeper layers which lower the ground water table. To overcome this problem, the removal of the plant has become indispensable which is done by uprooting and is then burnt. The construction industry is one of the areas where the safe use of this waste ash (mesquite ash) is possible. So, by partially replacing cement with ash of mesquite, it can serve the demands of construction industry and at the same time save the scarcity of water resources. This project involves the study of performance of concrete having mesquite ash partially replaced with cement. M25 grade of concrete is selected and IS method is used for mix design. The replacement of cement is done in various proportions such as 5%, 7.5%, 10%. The strength characteristics of concrete after 7 and 28 days of curing are studied and found to give better performance compared to conventional mix with 7.5% replacement showing optimal performance.