UTILIZATION OF PULVERIZED DEAD STAGHORN

CORALS (Acropora muricata) AS CEMENT

REPLACEMENT
 INTRODUCTION

As the world continue to advance, population rises

thus requiring more housing. This opens up several
opportunities for advancement and achievement in a
variety of areas, most notably in a country's economy.
By constructing infrastructure and productive facilities,
construction contributes significantly to national
socioeconomic growth [18] thus, making the cement
business a part of it.
Since concrete is the most commonly used building
medium, the quality and cost of construction are
influenced by its raw materials: cement, fine and
course aggregates, and water.
Staghorn corals contain aragonite which is the
metastable form or calcium carbonate which a key
component in making of cement because of its
binding ability [7]. This type of coral can be found in
shallow tropical beaches, slopes, and lagoons from
Israel and Jordan to the eastern coast of Africa and
all the way out to islands in the Pacific [9].
Construction firms focus heavily on costly
traditional building materials while naturally
occurring waste could save costs while maintaining
concrete quality. Low-cost sustainable construction
materials have been emphasized as a solution to
this issue.
 Statement of the Problem
1. What is the kilogram equivalent of cement, fine aggregate and course
aggregate among treatments?

2. What is the compressive strength of the control set-up, set-up with 10%,
20%, and 30% cement replacement?

3. What is the tensile strength of the control set-up, set-up with 10%, 20%,
and 30% cement replacement?

4. Is there a significant difference among the compressive strengths of the

control set-up, set-up with 10%, 20%, and 30% cement replacement?

5. Is there a significant difference among the tensile strengths of the control

set-up, set-up with 10%, 20%, and 30% cement replacement?
 Research Objectives
1. Determine the kilogram equivalent of cement, fine aggregate and course
aggregate among treatments.

2. Determine the compressive strength of the control set-up, set-up with

10%, 20%, and 30% cement replacement.

3. Determine the tensile strength of the control set-up, set-up with 10%,
20%, and 30% cement replacement.

4. Determine the significant difference among the compressive strengths of

the control set-up, set-up with 10%, 20%, and 30% cement replacement.

5. Determine the significant difference among the tensile strengths of the

control set-up, set-up with 10%, 20%, and 30% cement replacement.
 Significance of the Study

This study will provide information which can be

utilized and is significant for the following:
 Construction Firms/Manufacturers

This study is significant in this field since the number of

structures in the country is growing. It will aid in the
discovery of an alternative source of binding agent in the
production of concrete rather than utilizing non-waste
materials, which would be more expensive. Furthermore,
because waste material was used as the primary
component in the product, they were able to save money
on the investment. They will also make more money while
also benefiting the community and the environment.
 The Environment

Since it uses dead corals, it helps to reduce the amount of

naturally produced trash that is washed up on the coast.
We can save money and enhance our naturally produced
waste disposal by using an experimental product made of
dead corals instead of buying the commercialized version.
 Community

This study will benefit the community near the shoreline

because it would help them know how to maximize the
potentials of naturally-produced waste which is the dead
corals. Instead of letting the dead corals accumulate in the
seashore, they may sell them to cement manufacturers. They
would most likely make more money as a result of the
naturally occurring waste items.
 Consumer

The consumer will be benefited with this research for there

will be an availability of cement with cheaper price compared
to the other commercialized cement. Since the raw material
in making this concrete come from naturally-produced
wastes, manufacturers can save money thus making the price
of the cement made from dead corals cheaper than any other
cement.
 Future Researchers

This research may be used as a basis for future research on

similar or related topics. Researchers may obtain a better
understanding of the effects of staghorn corals as a concrete
raw material.
 Materials

The cement, gravel and sand that will be used for this study
will be obtained from the local market. The dead staghorn
corals will be gathered from the shoreline of Cantilan,
Surigao del Sur. Cylindrical Concrete Mold with 150mm in
diameter by 300mm in length or 6in in diameter by 12in in
length will be used.
 Sources of Data

The researcher gathered information from online articles

that would provide him or her with prior knowledge about
the study. The gathered information was then sifted and
classified to see whether it could support or not the
progress of this research.

Aside from reading materials, all of the data for this

research will be coming from the testing that will be
conducted at the Civil Engineering Laboratory in the
University of Southeastern Philippines, Obrero Campus,
Davao City.
Research Procedure
 Collection and Preparation of Staghorn Corals

The dead Staghorn Corals will be gathered from the

seashore of Cantilan, Surigao del Sur. Gloves will be used to
gather samples, which will be then placed in a bag and will
be labeled. Then, it will be washed under running water to
remove any soil or residuals. After that, the samples will be
dried in the sun for one day to eliminate excess moisture.
 Burning and Pulverizing of Staghorn Corals

The researcher will burn the corals for an hour. The corals will be
burned using wood and both will be piled alternately – lying one top
of another. Such method will be used to ensure that both sides of the
corals receive enough heat which is required for the endothermic
reaction. After burning, the corals will be submerged into the water
and will be removed after 5 minutes with the use of tong and will be
air dried.

The samples will be wrapped with cloth and crushed using hammer. It
will be sun dried again to entirely eliminate moisture. Then, it will
undergo sifting process to separate the powdered samples. The
process will be repeated until all the samples were pulverized.
 Preparation of Concrete Mixture

The goal of concrete mix design is to determine the most cost-

effective and optimum ratios of the concrete's elements. The
concrete mix will be designed using the Class-A (1:2:3) concrete ratio
[2].

The molds will be cleaned and oiled before each casting. The mold
sizes are in compliance with the specified standard size for each test
(150-mm x 300-mm or 6-in x 12-in). For each mixture, three concrete
molds will be made. The binding agent for this research is a mixture
of pulverized dead staghorn corals and commercialized holcim
cement in specific proportions of 0%:100%, 10%:90%, 20%:80%, and
30%:70% of PDSCC to Holcim cement.
 Testing of the Specimen and Data Gathering

After 28 days of curing, the specimens will be tested for

both its compressive strength and splitting tensile strength
using the Universal Testing Machine in the University of
Southeastern Philippines, Civil Engineering Laboratoy .
 Record Sheet

The researcher will keep records of all the

information acquired on a record sheet. Two
separate record sheets were prepared: one for the
compressive strength of the concrete and another
for the splitting tensile strength of the concrete.
 Statistical Treatment

One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) will be used to analyze

the data obtained by comparing the compressive strengths
and splitting tensile strength of concrete specimens with
various percentages of cement replacements. The researcher
will be able to obtain the optimal mix ratio among those that
have been tested and evaluated using this statistical method.
Jeanelle Shan N. Anacio
BS Civil Engineering