E3S Web of Conferences 430, 01180 (2023) https://doi.org/10.

1051/e3sconf/202343001180
ICMPC 2023

Parametric investigation of coconut shells as

partial replacement of coarse aggregates in
sustainable concrete
Rishabh Arora1, Kaushal kumar2*,Saurav Dixit3,4, Rupesh Kumar Tipu1, Padmini Kaul5,
Swati Chauhan5, Y. Kamala Raju6, Ginni Nijhawan7 and P. Haindavi8

1 Department of Civil Engineering, K.R. Mangalam University Gurugram-122103, Haryana, India

2Department of Mechanical Engineering, K.R. Mangalam University Gurugram-122103, Haryana,
India
3 Division of Research & Innovation, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, India,
4St. Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Saint Petersburg, 195251, Russia.
5 SOHS, , K.R. Mangalam University Gurugram-122103, Haryana, India
6Department of Civil Engineering, GRIET, Bachupally, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
7Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, 144001, Punjab, India
8KG Reddy College of Engineering & Technology, Moinabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, India

Abstract. Sustainable construction materials for resource efficiency and

environmental effect have grown in popularity .Coconut shells, a waste
product of the coconut industry, are plentiful in tropical climates. They are
lightweight and permeable, making them an attractive alternative to coarse
aggregates. Coconut shells can reduce trash disposal and gravel and sand use
by adding them to concrete mixtures. Coconut shell aggregates improve
concrete's mechanical strength and durability, although at a lesser rate than
conventional aggregates. Coconut shell replacement depends on particle
size, surface properties, and curing conditions. Coconut shells with concrete
improve thermal insulation, density, and acoustics. In this investigation
compressive and flexural strengths of Grade M20 has been studied by
replacing natural coarse aggregates with coconut shells at 0%, 10%, 20%
and 30% by weight at curing intervals of 7,14 and 28 days. Cubes and beams
were casted and then tested and the tests revealed that coconut shells can be
used upto 10% in replacement of natural aggregates imparting a strength
almost equivalent to conventional concrete.

Keyword; Coconut Shells, Sustainable Concrete, Green Concrete,

Replacement, Compressive Strength

1 INTRODUCTION

* Corresponding author: ghanghaskaushal@gmail.com

© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution License 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
E3S Web of Conferences 430, 01180 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202343001180
ICMPC 2023

Today, more than ever, concrete is the composite material of choice. Coarse aggregate, fine
aggregate, binding substance and water are the four components that make up concrete. The
rapid growth in development has resulted in a severe shortage of traditional building supplies
[5]. More concrete manufacturing causes aggregate depletion and ecological imbalance [7].
Many researchers want to replace coarse aggregate to make concrete cheaper and more
sustainable [6]. Infrastructural development is concerned about this environmental factor[8].
Sugarcane bagasse, wood chips, plastic waste, fabric waste, polyethylene, rice husk ash,
rubber tires, vegetable fibers, paper and pulp industry waste, peanut shell, waste glass, and
broken bricks can replace concrete aggregates [2-4]. Thus, an appropriate natural stone
replacement material must be found. Coconut shells are tough. Coconuts are naturally
accessible and their shells are non-biodegradable, thus they can be utilized in concrete to
mimic the original shape of concrete [1-3]. Coconut is farmed worldwide and India grows
coconuts on two million hectares [2]. 4300 nuts per acre yields 8000 million nuts per year
[3]. India produces 25% of the world's coconut oil and is expected to grow as demand rises
[9]. However, as a solid waste producer of 3.18 million tonnes of shells, it is also the nation's
biggest polluter. The considerable agricultural waste from local coconut industry poses major
disposal issues for the local ecology. Coconut shell, a hard, non-degradable substance, can
replace coarse aggregates [10-15]. Coconut shell trash, which is abundant in underdeveloped
nations, can be used in building. This reduces construction material costs and disposes of
wastes. Conventional aggregates are rapidly disappearing. One alternative is waste coconut
shell. Coconut shells can be used as coarse aggregate for concrete due to their high strength
and modulus, high lignin content that makes composites more weather resistant, low cellulose
content that absorbs less moisture than other agricultural waste, and non-biodegradability.
Concrete is sustainable and eco-friendly when made with alternative ingredients instead of
natural aggregates [16-20]. Coconut shell has 33.61% cellulose, 36.51% lignin, and 0.61%
ash. Literature are available about coconut as replacement agent in concrete, but experimental
investigation as replacement of coarse aggregate are very limited in case of green concrete.
So, In this article an attempt has been made for utilization od coconut shell as the partial
replacement of coarse aggregate of basic concrete constituents.

2 EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION

As part of the experimental program, concrete cubes and beams were casted with and without
coconut shells. The ingredients for concrete include Portland cement, sand, coarse
aggregates, coconut shells, and water. Compressive strength was evaluated using the cubes,
while flexural strength was evaluated using the beams.

2.1 Materials
Cement, fine aggregates (sand), coarse aggregates (gravel), coconut shells, and water were
employed in this experiment. The materials were tested in accordance with ASTM
specifications. Cement, as a binder, may hold many substances together. It has been
determined what physical properties Ordinary Portland Cement impart and compared to the
codes. Portland cement that confirmed to the specifications of ASTM 150 was utilised. Sand
is a granular material that occurs naturally and is made up of very small particles of other
materials. The fine material that was employed was the kind that made it through sieve 4.75
mm but was primarily retained on sieve 75 𝜇m. The fineness modulus of the sand is equal to
2.6, and its specific gravity is measured at 2.67. The bulk density of the sand is measured at
1647 kg/m3. For the purpose of this research, natural crushed stone aggregate with a
maximum size of 20 mm and bulk density of 1545 kg/m3 was used. The material known as
coconut shell is a waste-product. Specific gravity, bulk density, and the shell thickness of
coconut shells are 1.25, 650kg/cm3, 2-6 mm respectively. The amounts of this waste material

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E3S Web of Conferences 430, 01180 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202343001180
ICMPC 2023

will continue to accumulate, and as a result, it will have an impact on our ecosystem. As a
result, the utilisation of this substance to enhance the qualities of concrete is absolutely
necessary. For both the mixing procedure and the curing, clean water was used. Using sieve
test equipment, the particle size distribution of the samples has been determined. The samples
are dried in an oven for 24 hours to get rid of the moisture before testing. The average particle
size of coconut shells was found to be 4.75 mm, with 20.38 percent of the particles being
smaller than 1.18mm. The largest particles measured 10 millimeters in size. Figure 1 displays
the results of a comprehensive sieve analysis.

120
Percentage Passing Coconut

100
80
60
Shell

40
20
0

Sieve Size

Fig. 1. Particle Size Curve Coconut Shells

2.2 Methods
Using coconut shells in place of coarse aggregates in concrete could increase its strength, as
was previously explained. The experimental method was determined by testing the flexural
tensile strength and compressive strength of concrete. First of all a batch of control concrete
with only cement, sand, aggregate, and water was produced. The coarse aggregates are then
replaced with different amounts of coconut shells. Compressive strength and flexural tensile
strength were each evaluated on a scale from 0% to 30%. We used 150mm cubes to measure
compressive strength and 100mm x 100mm x 500mm beam specimens to measure flexural
strength.

Table 1. Concrete mix design summary Coconut Shells

Mix Cement Coconut Fine Coarse
designation Shells Aggregate Aggregate
Mx-0 100% 0% 100% 100%
Mx-1 100% 10% 100% 90%
Mx-2 100% 200% 100% 80%
Mx-3 100% 30% 100% 70%

The mix proportions are vital to a strong and lasting concrete. The mix design should
accomplish the desired workability of concrete to prevent segregation and allow for ease of
placing. In this regard, using the conventional mix design according to IS code, the mixture

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ICMPC 2023

was developed for giving compressive strength of concrete of 20 MPa after 28 days of curing.
The mix proportion was prepared as (1:1.5:3). Table 1 indicates the percentage of mixture
components. The percentages of coconut shells (0, 10, 20, and 30 %) were utilised instead of
coarse aggregates. Mx-0 represents concrete having 0% coconut shells whereas Mx-1, Mx-
2and Mx-3 represents concrete containing 10%, 20% and 30% coconut shells respectively.

3 RESULT AND DISCUSSION

.
3.1 Morphology of Coconut Shells
The particle size of the coconut shells was respectively 2.36mm. The shells had uneven forms
and rough surface. The coconut shells have never been subjected to any kind of physical or
chemical processing. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) provides further
characterization. The SEM analysis outcomes are displayed in Figure 2.

Fig. 2. SEM of Coconut Shells

3.2 Compressive Strength Test

An evaluation of the strength development of concrete with varying coconut shells
percentages was performed using a compressive strength test at 7, 14, and 28 days of age.
Table 2 demonstrates the change in compressive strength when percentage of coconut shells
is increased. The results show that the strength almost equivalent to conventional concrete
may be achieved by raising the coconut shells to a level of 10%, and that after this point,
further increases in coconut shells result in a fall in the strength of the concrete. The
compressive strength at early stages that is after 7 days and 14 days was much lesser as
compared to normal concrete however it was much better after 28 days and achieved a
satisfactory strength when coconut shells replaced 10% coarse aggregates. The same can be
depicted through graph shown in figure 3.

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E3S Web of Conferences 430, 01180 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202343001180
ICMPC 2023

Table 2. Compressive Strength of Concrete Containing Coconut Shells

Mix Compressive Compressive Compressive
designation Strength At Strength At Strength At
7 days 14 days 28 days
Mx-0 17.3 20.4 25.4
Mx-1 13.3 17.1 24.5
Mx-2 11.2 15.8 22.8
Mx-3 10.6 13.5 16.9

30
Compressive Strength(N/mm2)

25

20

15 Curing Age 7 days

Curing Age 14 days
10
Curing Age 28 days
5

0
0% 10% 20% 30%
Varying Coconut Shell as Aggregate Replacement(%)

Fig.3. Compressive Strength for different percentage of Coconut Shells at varying stages

3.4 Flexural Strength Test

Flexural samples were tested to determine the strength of concrete mixed with different
amounts of Coconut shells. Table 3 displays the data showing that as the amount of coconut
shells increases to 10%, the flexural tensile strength also increases.The flexural strength got
increased even after 7days and 14 days of curing period when coconut shells replaced 10%
of aggregates. When coconut shells replaced 20% coarse aggregates the strength at 7 days
and 14 days curing period increased to some extent as compared to normal concrete but after
28 days it declined. As can be seen in the Figure 4 also, the flexural strength decreases when
the percentage of coconut shells increases above 10%. Hence, we may conclude that, within
certain parameters, coconut shells can effectively substitute coarse aggregates in concrete,
thereby increasing its strength. It follows that recycling has positive effects on the
environment and the durability of concrete.

Table 3. Flexural Strength of Concrete Containing Coconut Shells

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ICMPC 2023

Mix Flexural Flexural Flexural

designation Strength At Strength At Strength At
7 days 14 days 28 days
Mx-0 1.43 2.65 3.18
Mx-1 1.74 2.94 3.39
Mx-2 1.65 2.75 2.98
Mx-3 1.45 1.95 2.37

4
Flexural Strength(N/mm2

3.5
3
2.5
2 Curing Age 7 days
1.5 Curing Age 14 days
1 Curing Age 28 days
0.5
0
0% 10% 20% 30%
Varying Coconut Shell as Aggregate Replacement(%)

Fig.4. Flexural Strength for different percentage of Coconut Shells at varying stages

4 CONCLUSION

• In conclusion, adding more coconut shells reduces the concrete's workability

modestly but noticeably with time. When curing time for concrete is stretched out,
the resulting strength is enhanced.

• Small gains in flexural tensile strength were seen as the coarse aggregates were
replaced by 10% coconut shells however compressive srength did not increase but
gave satisfactory results and was almost equal to the conventional concrete.

• So, 10% replacement of coarse aggregates with coconut shells is suggested.

Therefore, the alternative is technically and commercially viable. Using recycled
coconut shells as aggregate can help create a greener world by lowering the demand
for natural resources used to produce conventional material.

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