International Journal of All Research Education and Scientific Methods (IJARESM), ISSN: 2455-6211

Volume 10, Issue 8, August-2022, Impact Factor: 7.429, Available online at: www.ijaresm.com

Concrete using by-products of carrots (A review)

Purba Saha1, Arunangshu Pradhan2, Debattam Dey3, Dr. Biman Mukherjee4
1,2,3
Students of M. Tech in Structural Engineering, Narula Institute of Technology, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
4
Professor of the Department of Civil Engineering, Narula Institute of Technology, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

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ABSTRACT
This study was carried out to invent and construct new technologies in a variety of fields by using the
basic elements found on our planet for the benefit of humanity. Concrete is currently produced at a
rate of 20 billion tonnes per year and contributes 5–10% of mankind’s CO2 production. If the
materials of concrete could be replaced by some biomaterials (Like cellulose fibre) which improved its
strength and other properties its environmental impact would be decreased. In this study, several
types of studies involving by-products of carrots added to the concrete in order to make it stronger,
economical and eco-friendly by reducing the CO2 emission percentage to the environment.

Keywords: Concrete, Carrot seed powder, Carrot cellulose nanostructures, Compressive strength,
Flexural strength, Admixture, Cement replacement.
INTRODUCTION
Concrete is the most widely used man-made material on earth and the concrete industry had continuously increased the
innovation and uses of concrete technology in various sectors since the day, concrete was invented. But still, concrete
technology has a lot of room for growth in terms of strength and sustainability. Researchers look up to a new approach
called “bottom-up” where they use biomaterials to redesign the concrete by taking inspiration from nature. Many
biomaterials like rice husk, beet root, carrot, coconut shell, deep sea sponges, wood pulp were used in concrete mix for
different purposes. The molecular structure and properties of the biomaterials were contrasted with cement paste to
develop the properties of concrete in an eco-friendly approach.
In this paper, the biomaterialfocused on is basically carrot fibre and study about it’s effect on concrete. Carrot fibres are
rich dietary fibre which provides high strength, stiffness, toughness and a very smooth finish. The composite made
from carrot fibres has a lower density than carbon fibre. It can also be moulded which makes it valuable for many
applications [4]. The carrot fibres have a stiffness of 130 GPa, strength of up to 5 GPa and density of 1.5 g/cm3 [10,11].
Here wasthe discussion about two types of biomaterials which were extracted from carrot fibres and their effect on
concrete. These by-products of carrots are carrot seed powder and carrot-based nanocellulose structure (carrot-based
cellulose nanocrystals and carrot-based cellulose nanosheets) which were used as cement replacement and admixture in
the concrete mix.
MATERIAL AND METHODOLOGIES
Materials: The main material about to discuss here is carrot-based by-products. The materials that were used in the
experiments were discussed below.
A. Carrot based by-products:
1) Carrot seed powder:Carrot powder is very rich in vitamins A, B12, and the powder is also providing several
minerals including calcium (33 mg) Sodium (69 mg) potassium (32 mg), and Magnesium (12 mg). Carrots are rich in
cellulose and other biologically active materials which leads to greater stickiness properties, Higher heat resistance and
higher toughness and also improves the bond strength of the material [5].
Carrot seeds were purchased from a nearby vegetable market. They were cleaned to remove all foreign matter such as
dust, dirt, and stones. By using a machine,the juice was removed from the carrot seeds. The solid waste from carrot
juice is rich in fibre. The percentage limit of fibre content is 30%, fibres which are regarded as a functional fibre
source. The carrot fibre was milled for 15 minutes. The carrot powder was only tested for particle size analysis and
surface area to show the effect of milling time on the average particle size and specific surface area [3,4,5]. This is used
as cement replacement in the tests.

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 International Journal of All Research Education and Scientific Methods (IJARESM), ISSN: 2455-6211
Volume 10, Issue 8, August-2022, Impact Factor: 7.429, Available online at: www.ijaresm.com

Fig. 1. Carrot powder after being processed by ball milling

2) Carrot-based cellulose nanosheets (CNS) [2]:The carrot-based cellulose nanosheets were fabricated from
industrial waste biomass. The fabrication process is shown in Fig. 2. The hemicellulose and pectin were extracted from
the plant cells at first by treating the carrot samples with sodium hydroxide (0.5 mol). Then the solution was heated at
90 ◦C for 5h and followed by 1 h homogenization using a rotating mixer with the rate set varying between 11 and 30
m/s. By doing that the cells were separated along the line of the middle lamella and resulting inthe formation of cell
sheets. The carrot sheets were separated from the dissolved materials using a filtration process [6]. The final product is
a stable CNS suspension solution with 4% CNS solid and 96% water. A commercial non-ionic surfactant was also
added to the solution to reduce cellulose aggregation thereby allowing CNSs to be readily dispersed in the aqueous
solutions for a long period of time. This CNS suspension was then used as the admixture to prepare the cementitious
nanocomposites.

Fig. 2. Schematic diagram of CNSs fabrication process

3) Carrot-based Cellulose Nanocrystals (CCNC) [1]:The carrot cellulose was obtained by carrot pomace, a by-
product of the carrot juice industry. Carrot pomace was treated by a thermochemical process to remove the non-
cellulose polymers [7]. The cellulose nanocrystals were prepared through high-intensity ultrasonication, the technique
described by Szyma´nska-Chargot et al [8,9]. The ultrasonication system has a Sonics Vibracell ultrasonic homogenizer
(VCX-130FSJ; Sonics & Materials, Inc., Newtown, CT, USA), a temperature probe and an ice bath to avoid heating the
samples. The operation amplitude of the ultrasonic homogenizer was maintained at 90% of the nominal amplitude. In
this process cellulose dispersion in the concentration of 0.1 wt. % was treated with an ultrasound treatment for 60 min.
Studies proved that this treatment enables the preparation of cellulose nanocrystals from carrots in the form of whiskers
(CCNC) [8]. After that, the obtained CCNC has concentrated to approx. 5 wt. % by means of vacuum filtration. The
CCNC was characterized by molecular structure (FT-IR), crystallinity degree evaluated (XRD) method, and AFM
images. This is used as an admixture in the concrete.
B. Cement:
Ordinary Portland cement was used for all the experiments, mainly 53 grades of OPC have been used for the
experiments.

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 International Journal of All Research Education and Scientific Methods (IJARESM), ISSN: 2455-6211
Volume 10, Issue 8, August-2022, Impact Factor: 7.429, Available online at: www.ijaresm.com

Methodologies:
In the experiments regarding the same topic, mainly two types of by-products have been taken that are extracted from
carrots. These by-products were carrot seed powder and nanocellulose extracted from carrots. Two types of
nanocellulose structures were used that are extracted from carrots, these werecellulose-based nanocrystals and
cellulose-based nanosheets.
In the experiments where the nanocellulose structure of carrots has been used, it is used as chemical admixture and, in
the experiments, where carrot seed powder was used, it is used as cement replacement up to a certain percentage (0%,
5%, 10%,15%, 20%).
Table 1: Mortar Cement Mixture Proportioning of carrot powder;

Carrot Seed Replacement Of

No. Sand (g) Cement (g) Water (ml) Ref
Power (g) Cement%
1 0 0% 30 10 10
2 2 5% 28 10 10
[3], [4]
3 4 10% 26 10 10
4 6 15% 24 10 10
5 8 20% 22 10 10 [5]

In all of the experiments,ordinary Portland cement has been used. Different mix proportions of the concrete were used
for different experiments. Concrete cubes and prisms were cast to measure the compressive strength and flexural
strengthof different by-products of carrot. The dimensions of cubes and prisms are different for different experiments.
A standard specimen was made without adding the by-products to compare the results in every experiment.
Different tests are done which included compressive strength tests for 7 days, 14 days, 28 days, flexural tests, and water
absorption tests. For nanocellulose structure, SEM analysis, X-Ray analysis, and frost resistance tests were done. For
the experiments where carrot seed powder was used, the particle size distribution of the powder has been done and the
average size is 95.580 µm.
Advantages:
a) From the experimental studies, it was seen that the nanocellulose structure extracted from the carrots
enhanced the compressive strength and the other physical properties of concrete when it was used as an
admixture. Carrot-based cellulose nanocrystals not only enhance the compressive strength it also increases
the flexural strength of concrete, not only it also enhances the physical properties like bulk density, specific
density, porosity, water absorption etc, but it also provides good resistance to the weathering effect on
concrete. Carrot-based cellulose nanosheets provide a good amount of tensile strength along with
compressive strength, it also affects the properties of concrete on the nanoscale.
b) On the other hand, where carrot seed powder was used as cement replacement it enhances the compressive
strength when it was used in cement mortar mix.
Disadvantages:
a) From the observations of the studies, carrot-based cellulose nanostructures might give some positive results
but the extraction procedure of the nanostructure from the carrot fibres are bit complicated.
b) Carrot seed powder reduces the compressive strength when it was used in the concrete mix as a cement
replacement.
Experimental assessments on concrete made with carrot by-products:
I. Material used: CEM I 32.5R Portland cement, carrot cellulose nanocrystals (CCNC), Quartz sand (0–2
mm):Danuta Barnat-Hunek, Małgorzata Grzegorczyk-Frańczak, Monika Szymańska-Chargot and Grzegorz
Łagód (13 dec 2019) [1]
The experiment was based on carrot cellulose nanocrystals (CCNC), it was used as an admixture to the concrete in the
percentage of 0.5, 1 and 1.5 by weight of cement. The authors believe that lightweight mortars with the addition of
these nano-polymers obtain better strength and hydrophobizing properties than standard cement mortars with their
addition.
Tests on concrete:
1) Specific density

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 International Journal of All Research Education and Scientific Methods (IJARESM), ISSN: 2455-6211
Volume 10, Issue 8, August-2022, Impact Factor: 7.429, Available online at: www.ijaresm.com

2) Bulk density
3) Porosity
4) Flexural strength
5) Compressive strength
6) Absorptivity
7) Vapour permeability
8) Water absorption coefficient
9) Weathering effects including frost resistance test
10) Scanning electron microscope analysis (SEM)

From these tests the conclusions are drawn given below:

1) The bulk density and specific density were increased by 3.9% and 0.4% respectively for the concrete mix
where 1.5% of CCNC was added in comparison with the standard mortar mix.
2) In the case of the mortars with 1.5% CCNC admixture, the porosity was reduced by 19.8% in comparison with
the reference mortars, which means CCNC seals cement mortar.
3) In the case of a higher CCNC percentage, the compressive and flexural strength improved by 27.6% and
10.9%.
4) Along with the increase in CCNC percentage the absorptivity was reduced by 51.3%, the vapour permeability
reduced by 34.1% and the water absorption coefficient was reduced by 32% in comparison with the standard
mortar mix.
5) The increasing amount of CCNC in the cement mortar gives a 98% improvement in the frost resistance test in
comparison with the reference mortar specimens.
6) In the SEM analysis, it was shown that 1.5% of CCNC cubes havea much lower number of pores and
microcracks in the structure than the other reference mortar cubes.
In future, the authors planned to conduct further studies on lightweight mortars with NFC from apples and
microcrystalline cellulose from wood pulp.
II. Material used: Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) type CEM I 52.5 N, carrot-based cellulose nanosheets
(CNS), superplasticizer:Yin Chi, Bo Huang, Mohamed Saafi, Jianqiao Ye, Colin Lambert (12 thJune 2020) [2]
This experiment was conducted by adding carrot-based cellulose nanosheets (CNS) into the cement paste to check the
changes in the physical and mechanical properties of concrete. Not only the compressive and flexural strength tests
were done, but the SEM analysis was also done to check the changes in microstructural properties.
The experiment concludes that the CNS shows remarkable affinity to C–S–H (the main hydration product of cement)
due to the interfacial Ca–O coordination and H-bond interaction. CNS produced better structural stability and stronger
interfacial properties, not only that it improves the anisotropic constitutive behaviour of C–S–H in terms of strength,
stiffness and post-peak ductility at the nano-scale. The tensile strength of the nanocomposite is increased by up to 75%
by adding the CNS into the cement. CNSs increase the compressive strength of C–S–H up to 40% compared to a
standard concrete mix. It also improves the micro and macroscale properties of cementitious composites.
III. Material used: Ordinary Portland cement of 53 grade, carrot seed powder, sand:Dr. Aseel Basim Al-Zubaidi
Vol.33, Part (A), No.6 (7th May 2015) [3].
In this experiment carrot, seed powder was used in 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15% as a cement replacement. This experiment
concludes that the increasing percentage of carrot powder in the concrete mix increases its compressive strength,
hardness, impact and fracture toughness. Not only that it decreases water absorption and provides resistance to the
bending stress.
IV. Material used: Ordinary Portland cement of 53 grade, carrot seed powder, sand:Dr. Aseel Basim Al-Zubaidi,
Volume 6; ISSN 2229-5518 (5th May 2015) [4].
This experiment was done using carrot seed powder. Carrot seed powder was used as cement replacement in the
percentage of 0, 5, 10, and 15.
Tests done:
1) Compressive strength test
2) Bending and impact test
3) Water absorption test
4) Chemical analysis

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 International Journal of All Research Education and Scientific Methods (IJARESM), ISSN: 2455-6211
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This experiment concludes that:

1) The increasing percentage of carrot powder improves the compressive strength. The concrete mix which has
1.5% of carrot powder has a compressive strength of 22 MPa in 28 days while the concrete mix having 0%
carrot seed powder gains compressive strength of 7.5 MPa in 28 days.
2) Adding the carrot seed powder to the concrete mix can increase the impact strength and reduces the bending
stress.
3) Carrot seed powder reduces water absorption and helps to fill the microcracks in the concrete.
4) The chemical analysis determines the chemical composition of carrot powder.

V. Material used: OPC of 53 grade, carrot seed powder, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate:Jayachandra, Sanjith
J, B M Kiran, Chethan G; Adichunchanagiri (12 th Dec 2019) [5].

Carrot seed powder was used as a cement replacement in this experiment. Carrot seed powder was replaced by 0%, 5%,
10%, 15%, 20% of cement weight. Compression and flexural tests were done in this experiment for 7,14 and 28 days.
The experiment concludes that the 0% carrot powder concrete mix hasa higher compressive and flexural strength than
the other concrete mix with carrot seed powder.

CONCLUSION
From these studies,it was concluded that the use of carrot-based nanocellulose structures (Like carrot based
nanocellulose crystals and carrot-based cellulose nanosheets) as an admixture rather than carrot seed powder as the
replacement of cement can impart compressive strength, as well as tensile strength and it also increases the other
important factors of concrete in nanoscale. Though the application of these biomaterials in concrete technology is still
inadequate, ongoing studies and research will make huge progress in future.
Key points in the study:
a) To know that concrete can resist compressive force, the tensile strength and other factors of concrete are
enhanced by adding carrot-based by-products.
b) The cement used for these studies was OPC 53 grade.
c) The studies reveal that carrotby-products in nanostructures enhance the compressive and tensile strength of
concrete when it was used as an admixture.

REFERENCES
[1] Effect of Eco-Friendly Cellulose Nanocrystals on Physical Properties of Cement Mortars by by Danuta Barnat-
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University of Technology on 13 December 2019; MDPI; https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/11/12/2088
[2] Carrot-based covalently bonded saccharides as a new 2D material for healing defective calcium-silicate-hydrate
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Mohamed Saafi, Jianqiao Ye, Colin Lambert; Wuhan University, Wuhan on 12 June 2020; ELSEVIER;
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Volume 10, Issue 8, August-2022, Impact Factor: 7.429, Available online at: www.ijaresm.com

[7] Szyma´nska-Chargot, M.; Chyli´nska, M.; Gdula, K.; Kozioł, A.; Zdunek, A. Isolation and Characterization of
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