IJRRAS 10 (3) ● March 2012 www.arpapress.com/Volumes/Vol10Issue3/IJRRAS_10_3_08.

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ASSESSMENT OF THE SUITABILITY OF PERIWINKLE SHELL ASH

(PSA) AS PARTIAL REPLACEMENT FOR ORDINARY PORTLAND
CEMENT (OPC) IN CONCRETE
Festus A. Olutoge2, Oriyomi M. Okeyinka1 & Olatunji S. Olaniyan1
1
Department of Civil Engineering, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso. Nigeria
2
Civil Engineering Department, University of Ibadan, Ibadan Oyo State Nigeria
Email: yomakstemi@yahoo.co.uk

ABSTRACT
In developing countries where concrete is widely used, the high and steadily increasing cost of cement has made
construction very expensive. This, coupled with the deleterious effect of cement production on the environment has
led to studies on various materials termed 'pozzolans' which could be used as partial replacement for cement in
concrete.
Periwinkle shells were sourced from Warri in Delta State, Nigeria, cleaned and calcined in an electric muffle furnace
at 1000oC and thereafter ground and sieved through BS sieve (75 microns) to fine ash. Preliminary tests comprising
sieve analysis, specific gravity, consistency, setting time and soundness were conducted on the PSA and Ordinary
Portland Cement used in the study. Workability and strength tests were also carried out on fresh and hardened
concrete made from the study materials.
The results showed that the compaction factor increased with increasing PSA replacement, while the slump
decreased with increasing PSA content. The initial and final setting times increased with increasing proportion
of PSA. The specific gravity of PSA was less than that of OPC. The compressive strength of concrete specimens
decreased as the percentage of PSA increased.
Periwinkle shell ash developed good strength in concrete and could be used as a partial replacement for cement if
appropriate technology is developed for its proper utilization.

Keywords: Cement, Concrete, Periwinkle Shell Ash, Pozzolans.

1. INTRODUCTION
Periwinkle shell is a waste product generated from the consumption of a small greenish-blue marine snail
(periwinkle), housed in a V shaped spiral shell, found in many coastal communities within Nigeria and word-wide is
a very strong, hard and brittle material.
These snails called periwinkle are found in the lagoons and mudflats of the Niger Delta between Calabar in the East
and Badagry in the West of Nigeria, the people in this area consume the edible part as sea food and dispose off the
shell as a waste, though few people utilize the shell as coarse aggregate in concrete in areas where there are neither
stones not granite for purposes such as paving of water logged areas e.t.c., but a large amount of these shells are still
disposed off as waste and with disposal already constituting a problem in areas where they can not find any use for
it, and large deposits have accumulated in many places over the years.
It is with this view that this research seeks to investigate into the suitability of Periwinkle Shell Ash as Partial
Replacement for Ordinary Portland Cement in Concrete.
Also the interest into this research was generated as a result of the fact that periwinkle shell being what it is and with
all the properties it possess should be useful for something else, if well processed, especially as a partial replacement
of cement apart from being a light weight aggregate, as people have being so curious for sometime now about
finding an alternative to OPC that would be cheaper, readily available and requiring indigenous technology and
equipment.
The aim of this research is to assess the suitability of periwinkle shell ash (PSA) as partial replacement for ordinary
Portland cement.

2. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES

2.1 Materials
2.1.1 Periwinkle Shell Ash (PSA)
The periwinkle shells were obtained from Warri in Delta State, they were free of dirt and organic matters, the
periwinkle had been removed from the shells.

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IJRRAS 10 (3) ● March 2012 Olutoge & al. ● Assessment of the Suitability of Periwinkle Shell Ash

The shells were calcined in an electric muffle furnace at 1000 0 C and thereafter grinded to fine particles with the aid
of a grinding machine.
The resulting ash was then sieved through BS sieve (75microns) to obtain a fine ash.

2.1.2 Cement and Aggregates

The ordinary Portland cement most commonly used for structures, roads and all general purpose work where no
special properties are required was used; it was stored under dry condition and free of lumps.
The fine aggregate used was granite stone dust, it was of high quality and free of organic matter.
The coarse aggregate was granite and of high quality and only the ones retained on sieve 3.75 were used. Both
aggregates met the requirement of BS 882 (1982), i.e. cleanliness, dryness, proper gradation and free of salt and
impurities.

2.2 Methods
2.2.1 Preliminary Tests
Some preliminary tests carried out on PSA include sieve analyses, specific gravity determination, consistency test,
determination of setting time, and determination of soundness.

2.2.2 Specimen Preparation

For the production of test cubes, 150mmx 150mm x 150mm concrete moulds were used. The moulds were cleaned
and oiled to facilitate easy retrieval of cubes from the moulds. The mixed concrete was transferred into the oiled
moulds using a scoop in three equal layers of which 36 blows of the standard tampering rod was distributed over
the cross section of the mould. Finally, the top of the concrete was finished smooth with a trowel.

2.2.3 Mixing
For this study, a mix ratio of 1:2:4 and a water /cement ratio of 0.45 was used. A systematic replacement of OPC
with 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% of PSA was carried out.
Mixing was done manually using a shovel, it was done first with the dry constituent till the mix attained a uniform
distribution and colour. The required water was added gradually and it was thoroughly mixed to obtain a workable
mix.

2.2.4 Tests on Concrete

Tests carried out on the fresh and hardened concrete they are slump test, compaction factor test and compressive
strength test

2.2.5 Curing of Concrete cubes

The cubes were marked for identification prior to demoulding after 24 hours of casting and weighed thereafter. The
cubes were then cured in tanks provided in the laboratory.
Curing of the cubes continued until about 2hours prior to crushing.

2.2.5 Crushing of Cubes

The concrete cubes were crushed using the compression testing machine as soon as they were retrieved from the
curing tank. The cubes were crushed at ages ranging from 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28days.

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

The results obtained from the preliminary tests carried out on the fresh and hardened concrete are presented and
discussed here as follows.

3.1 Sieve Analysis of PSA.

Table 1: Sieve Analysis of PSA

Sieve Size(mm) % Passing
0.600 97.3
0.425 83.7
0.300 39.1
0.212 30.6
0.150 29.5
0.075 26.9

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IJRRAS 10 (3) ● March 2012 Olutoge & al. ● Assessment of the Suitability of Periwinkle Shell Ash

3.2 Determination of specific gravity

Table 2: Specific Gravity of PSA

Sample Weight (g) Test A Test B
W1 28.20 31.70
W2 48.50 53.50
W3 95.20 100.00
W4 83.70 86.30
GS 2.31 2.69

Average = 2.50
GS = (W2 – W1)
(W4 – W1) – (W3 – W2) (1)
Table 2, shows that the average specific gravity of PSA is 2.50 and this is less than the specific gravity of OPC
cement which is 3.15, then it can be deduced that greater volume of cementitious material will result from mass
replacement.

3.3 Determination of Consistency of OPC/PSA

Table 3: Result of Consistency test of OPC/PSA Sample (5%)

Percentage of OPC replaced with PSA % 5
Mass of sample (g) 375
Mass of water (g) 105.
Time started 10.30am
Initial reading of plunger from base(mm) 51
Final reading of plunger from base (mm) 44
Standard consistency (%) 28%

Standard consistency % = Mass of water 100 (2)

Mass of sample

Table 4: Result of Consistency Test of OPC/PSA Sample (10%)

Percentage of OPC replaced with PSA % 10
Mass of sample (g) 375
Mass of water (g) 105.
Time started 11.38am
Initial reading of plunger from base(mm) 51
Final reading of plunger from base (mm) 44
Standard consistency (%) 28%

Standard consistency % = Mass of water 100 (3)

Mass of sample
According to Table 3 and Table 4, the standard consistency of OPC/PSA is 28% and this is greater than that of OPC
cement alone which is (26-26.5% ) this means that the PSA does not have adverse effect on the consistency of the
OPC cement.

3.4 Determination of setting time of OPC/PSA Mix

Table 5: Setting Time of OPC/PSA sample

Percentage Replacement Initial Setting time Final Setting time Consistency %)
(hr:min) (hr:min)
0% 1 hr 47min 2 hr 50min 37.5
5% 3 hr 34min 3 hr 50min 28
10% 3hr 50min 4hr 03min 28

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IJRRAS 10 (3) ● March 2012 Olutoge & al. ● Assessment of the Suitability of Periwinkle Shell Ash

Table 5, shows that the initial and final setting time of the OPC/PSA mix increases with increasing replacement, this
means that PSA concrete is not susceptible to the problem of flash and false set

3.5 Determination of soundness of OPC/PSA mix

Table 6: Soundness of OPC/PSA

Percentage Initial Reading Consistency % Final Reading (mm) Soundness %
Replacement (mm)
5% 10 28 11.5 15
10% 10 28 12.0 20

3.6 Workability of Concrete with PSA Replacement Partially

Table 7: Results of Workability test.

Percentage Replacement Slump (Cm) Compacting Factor
0% 27.5 0.84
5% 26.5 0.87
10% 24.5 0.89
15% 21.0 0.90
20% 16.0 0.95

Table 7, shows that the slump decreases with increasing replacement, while the compacting factor increases with
increasing replacement and it still falls within the values for normal range of concrete which lies between 0.80 and
0.92

3.7 Chemical Analysis of PSA

Table 8: Chemical Properties of PSA

Constituents % By weight (g)
ZnO 5.31
CuO 7.45
Fe2O3 1.75
MnO2 0.57
MgO 8.98
SiO2 3.56
Al2O3 2.28
K2O 5.90
CaO 44.26
Na2O 1.41
Loss on Ignition 10.38
Others 8.45

Table 8, shows that the periwinkle shell ash contains the main chemical constituents of cement which are CaO,
SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, even though the percentage is lower compared with that present in the ordinary Portland
cement.

3.9 Compressive Strength of OPC/PSA Concrete.

Table 9 shows the compressive strength of the concrete specimen used in the study.
The results obtained showed that the compressive strength decreases as the percentage of Periwinkle Shell Ash
(PSA) increases and for each of percentage replacement the compressive strength increase as the curing age
increases which is an indication that the crushing strength increases with curing age increase.

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IJRRAS 10 (3) ● March 2012 Olutoge & al. ● Assessment of the Suitability of Periwinkle Shell Ash

Table 9a: Compressive Strength of Concrete made using 0% (PSA) Replacement.

Cube Date Cast Date Age for Weight Density Crushing Crushing Averages
No Tested Testing of Cube of Cube Load (KN) Strength Crushing
(kg) kg/cm3 (N/mm2) Strength
(N/mm2)
1 27/05/10 30/05/10 3 days 8.23. 2439 340 15.11 15.45
2 8.11 2403 355 15.78
1 27/05/10 03/06/10 7 days 9.00 2667 385 17.11 17.00
2 8.92 2643 380 16.89
1 27/05/10 10/06/10 14 days 9.34 2767 405 18.00 18.34
2 9.42 2791 420 18.67
1 27/05/10 17/06/10 21 days 9.68 2868 505 22.44 22.11
2 9.73 2883 490 21.78
1 27/05/10 24/06/10 28days 9.97 2954 550 24.44 24.11
2 10.05 2978 535 23.78

Table 9b: Compressive Strength of Concrete made using 5% PSA Replacement

Cube Date Cast Date Age for Weight Density Crushing Crushing Averages
No Tested Testing of Cube of Cube Load Strength Crushing
(kg) kg/cm3 (KN) (N/mm2) Strength
(N/mm2)
1 27/05/10 30/05/10 3 days 8.00 2370 325 14.44 14.00
2 8.18 2424 305 13.36
1 27/05/10 03/06/10 7 days 8.35 2474 360 16.00 16.00
2 8.20 2430 360 16.00
1 27/05/10 10/06/10 14days 8.87 2628 400 17.78 18.11
2 8.93 2646 415 18.44
1 27/05/10 17/06/10 21days 9.12 2702 440 19.56 20.34
2 9.22 2732 475 21.11
1 27/05/10 24/06/10 28days 9.43 2794 505 22.44 22.33
2 9.66 2862 500 22.22

Table 9c: Compressive Strength of Concrete made using 10% PSA replacement

Cube No Date Date Age Weight Density of Crushing Crushing Averages

Cast Tested for of Cube Cube Load (KN) Strength Crushing
Testing (kg) kg/cm3 (N/mm2) Strength
(N/mm2)
1 28/05/10 31/05/10 3 days 8.32 2465 300 13.33 13.00
2 8.18 2424 285 12.67
1 28/05/10 04/06/10 7 days 8.78 2601 340 15.11 15.34
2 8.50 2519 350 15.56
1 28/05/10 11/06/10 14days 8.99 2664 405 18.00 17.78
2 9.08 2690 395 17.56
1 28/05/10 18/06/10 21days 9.19 2723 435 19.33 19.56
2 9.22 2732 445 19.78
1 28/05/10 25/06/10 28days 9.45 2800 475 21.11 21.34
2 9.52 2821 485 21.56

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Table 9d: Compressive Strength of Concrete made using 15% PSA replacement
Date Date Age Weight Density of Crushing Crushing Averages
Cube Cast Tested for of Cube Cube kg/cm3 Load (KN) Strength Crushing
No Testing (kg) (N/mm2) Strength
(N/mm2)
1 28/05/10 31/05/10 3 days 8.68 2572 265 11.78 11.45
2 8.73 2587 250 11.11
1 28/05/10 04/06/10 7 days 8.97 2658 290 12.89 13.00
2 9.00 2667 295 13.11
1 28/05/10 11/06/10 14days 9.28 2750 345 15.33 15.00
2 9.17 2717 330 14.67
1 28/05/10 18/06/10 21days 9.50 2815 395 17.56 17.23
2 9.58 2839 380 16.89
1 28/05/10 25/06/10 28days 9.83 2913 420 18.67 19.00
2 10.02 2967 435 19.33

Table 9e: Compressive Strength of Concrete made using 20% PSA Replacement
Cube Date Date Age Weight Density of Crushing Crushing Averages
No Cast Tested for of Cube Load (KN) Strength Crushing
Testing Cube kg/cm3 (N/mm2) Strength
(kg) (N/mm2)
1 29/05/10 01/06/10 3 days 8.20 2430 230 10.22 10.00
2 7.99 2367 220 9.78
1 29/05/10 08/06/10 7 days 8.75 2593 270 12.00 11.67
2 8.50 2519 255 11.33
1 29/05/10 15/06/10 14days 9.02 2673 285 12.67 13.00
2 9.16 2714 300 13.33
1 29/05/10 22/06/10 21days 9.30 2756 325 14.44 14.33
2 9.14 2788 320 14.22
1 29/05/10 29/06/10 28days 9.75 2889 340 15.11 15.34
2 9.88 2979 350 15.56

Table 9f: Summary of Compressive Strength results for Mix 1.2.4

P.S.A : Cement 3days 7days 14days 21days 28days
0 : 100 15.46 17.00 18.34 22.11 24.11
5 : 95 14.00 16.00 18.11 20.34 22.33
10 : 90 13.00 15.34 17.78 19.56 21.34
15 : 85 11.45 13.00 15.00 17.23 19.00
20 : 80 10.00 11.67 13.00 14.33 15.34

Tables a, b, c, d, e and f , above shows that the crushing strength of PSA/OPC concrete decreases as the percentage
of PSA increases and the crushing strength increases as the age of curing increases for each of the percentage
replaced this means that the OPC/PSA concrete get stronger with time and that it is suitable for construction in
which much strength is not required at the initial stage.

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IJRRAS 10 (3) ● March 2012 www.arpapress.com/Volumes/Vol10Issue3/IJRRAS_10_3_08.pdf

FIGURE 1: Relationship between crushing strength and PSA replacement at 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days.

4. CONCLUSIONS
Based on the research work carried out, the following conclusions were made:
(1)The Slump and compaction factor values for the concrete shows that the slump decreases with increasing Periwinkle Shell Ash
replacement while the compacting factor increases with increasing PSA content and the values falls within the value for normal range of
concrete.
(2)The Initial and final setting time of the OPC/PSA mixes (at 5% and 10%) was found to increase with increasing replacement, this
means that PSA concrete is not susceptible to the problem of flash and false set.
(3)The OPC/PSA mix obtain had standard consistency of 28% which is greater than that of OPC alone (26-26-5%) that it replaced.
(4)The specific gravity of the PSA obtained is less than that of the OPC that it replaced which means a considerable greater volume of
cementitious materials will result from mass replacement.
(5)It was discovered that the Periwinkle Shell Ash contains all the main chemical constituents of cement though in lower percentage
compared with that of OPC which means it will serve as a suitable replacement if the right percentage is used.
(6)The compressive strength of PSA/OPC concrete specimens shows that the crushing strength decreases as the percentage of Periwinkle
Shell Ash (PSA) increases ands the crushing strength increases as the age of curing increases for each of the percentage replacement.

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