THE EFFECT OF PLANTAIN AND BANANA PEEL ASH ON THE PROPERTIES OF CONCRETE

Abstract

Ingredients that import certain qualities to either fresh or hardened concrete mix other than cement, aggregates (fine and coarse aggregates), and water is called an admixtures. In recent times, efforts to reduce the harmful environmental impacts as a result of agricultural and industrial activities has led to the utilization of wastes and by-products which will normally end up in landfills. Over the years, several agro-wastes and industrial by-products has been investigated by researchers and incorporated into concrete as admixtures to access their suitability in influencing specific properties of the concrete. The massive production of banana (145 million tonnes globally) and plantain (over of 2,722,000 metric tons in Nigeria) has resulted in large waste generation in the form of banana peels. Therefore, it is significant to research ways of recycling such waste for further use. This paper reviews the effect of utilizing plantain peel ash and banana peel ash/powder as admixtures in concrete. The findings revealed that banana peel ash and banana peel powder positively influence the strength properties of concrete; while plantain peel ash did not yield adequate strength qualities but can be satisfactorily employed as a retardation admixtures because it increases setting time of concrete. Research gaps were identified and recommendations outlined.