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I. INTRODUCTION
Over the last decades the various raw materials, when it is used in cases wherein the concrete is exposed
or fibres were developed in the biased substitute for or subjected to water. It absorbs a high quantity of water,
cement and used in the construction industries. The locally so by burning water hyacinth, it can used in concrete mix
available materials from industrial, agricultural or to reduce the permeability of concrete.
domestic waste such as fly ash, silica fume, blast furnace
slag, coconut shell, egg shell, etc [1]. In the world, 40 % The concrete structures built in marine
of investment are spent for maintenance of building. A conditions are always exposed to seawater either directly
good deal of research undergoes for an innovative material or indirectly. The coastal and offshore structures are
for the replacement of cement which should not affect the always in contact with seawater and there are number of
environment. Water hyacinth ash is new alternative physical and chemical deterioration processes takes place.
material for cement. It can be easily visible on lakes and So, concrete structures effected by seawater requires
ponds [2]. special attention [10]. Concrete exposed to seawater is
wetted by a solution of salts - principally sodium chloride
Water hyacinths are the worst aquatic weed ever and magnesium sulfate. Damage to concrete, if it occurs,
known, and the aqua life killers. These water plants are usually results from failure to use good practices in
notorious for their fast growth. Hyacinths are considered concrete construction, and often is the result of freezing
as one of the most productive aquatic plant. A plant which and thawing or wetting and drying, as much as or more
can spread over the whole river in a small amount of time than the results of the effects of seawater as such.
[3]. It causes problems such as fish reduction, navigation Magnesium sulfate may attack most, if not all, of the
hindrance, breeding for mosquitoes and affects quality of constituents of hardened Portland cement paste, especially
water [4]. the aluminate constituent; chlorides may promote
corrosion of steel; alkalis may participate in alkali-
Many important characteristics of concrete are aggregate reaction. Thus, concrete exposed to seawater
influenced by the ratio (by weight) of water to should be made with cement of controlled aluminate
cementitious materials used in the mixture. By reducing content and with nonreactive aggregate, embedded steel
the amount of water, the cement paste will have higher should be well covered by concrete of low permeability,
density which results in higher paste quality. An increase and good construction practices should be followed [11].
in paste quality will produce a concrete with higher
compressive and flexural strength, lower permeability, Aggregates are essential materials in civil
increased resistance to weathering, improved bond to engineering construction processes; their inclusion in
reinforcement, reduced volume change from drying and concrete and asphalt mixes has always made their
wetting, and reduced shrinkage cracking tendencies [5]. production to be more economical [12]. There is
significant influence of different aggregate types on
Previous studies used water hyacinth extract [6] concrete compressive strength, with stronger aggregate
as a superplasticizer to reduce the water requirement in types increasing the overall strength of the concrete [13].
fresh concrete, while other studies used water hyacinth ash
[7]-[8] as a pozzolanic material to increase the strength of Aggregate characteristics comprise of shape,
the concrete. Bio-concrete accelerating admixture is texture, and grading. They together influence workability,
developed as an alternative to calcium chloride finish ability, pump ability, segregation, physical,
component in cement. On the other hand, research on bio- mechanical properties of fresh and hardened concrete
based retarding admixture of concrete for tropical [14]. As the aggregate properties depend on the properties
environments is underway [9]. With these characteristics, of the parent rock (e.g., chemical and mineralogical
water hyacinth is considered as a good addition to concrete composition, petrographic classification, specific gravity,
hardness, strength, physical and chemical stability and C. Methodology
pore structure). All these characteristics have an important
influence on the properties of both fresh and hardened
concrete [15],[16]. It is therefore not surprising that the
quality of these materials is of considerable importance
and hence it is useful to establish the quality of aggregate
from time to time to ensure quality control and be able to
specify materials correctly and ensure materials will
perform accordingly [17]. The variation on the aggregate
properties (either mechanical or physical) also affects the
property of concrete strength, workability and durability
[18].
The objective of this study is to conduct a
comparative research on the effect of Water Hyacinth Ash
on the durability of concrete made of aggregates from
different sources against sea water exposure. The
aggregates will be taken from the Davao River quarry site
located in Davao City, Tuganay River quarry site located
in Panabo City, Sumlog River quarry site located in Lupon
Davao Oriental.