MUSSEL SHELLS AGGREGATE AS AN ADDITIVE IN STRENGTHENING

CONCRETE HOLLOW BLOCK

A Research Paper
Presented to the
Faculty of the College of Computer Studies, Engineering, and Architecture
La Salle University
Ozamiz City, Philippines

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering

By

ANGEL MAE A. BUENBRAZO

March 2023
 Chapter 1

Introduction

One of the significant units in the field of structures is the Concrete Hollow

Blocks (CHB). They are the fundamental element that gives a structure its primary

foundation and strength and thus contribute to the building's overall quality. CHB are

manufactured from mixing sand, cement, and water. However, cement is made of

calcium carbonate (CaCO3).

In the Philippines,
foundation and walls of
residential structures are
made up of wood, bamboo,
some bricks, and more
common in
subdivisions are concrete
hollow blocks. Concrete
hollow blocks are the most
preferred
construction material
because of its relatively low
cost and availability in most
places in the
country. It is also proven to
have a high fire rating, non-
combustibility, and fit for
tropical settings
like the Philippines. It is
therefore viable to say that
designing and
manufacturing hollow
blocks
using other cheaper
materials would be
advantageous for most
households in the
Philippines,
especially that housing and
construction here are getting
expensive year after year
In the Philippines,
foundation and walls of
residential structures are
made up of wood,
bamboo, some bricks, and
more common in
subdivisions are concrete
hollow blocks. Concrete
hollow blocks are the
most preferred
construction material
because of its relatively
low cost and availability
in most places in the
country. It is also proven to
have a high fire rating, non-
combustibility, and fit for
tropical settings
like the Philippines. It is
therefore viable to say that
designing and
manufacturing hollow
blocks
using other cheaper
materials would be
advantageous for most
households in the
Philippines,
especially that housing and
construction here are getting
expensive year after year
In the Philippines,
foundation and walls of
residential structures are
made up of wood,
bamboo, some bricks, and
more common in
subdivisions are concrete
hollow blocks. Concrete
hollow blocks are the
most preferred
construction material
because of its relatively
low cost and availability
in most places in the
country. It is also proven to
have a high fire rating, non-
combustibility, and fit for
tropical settings
like the Philippines. It is
therefore viable to say that
designing and
manufacturing hollow
blocks
using other cheaper
materials would be
advantageous for most
households in the
Philippines,
especially that housing and
construction here are getting
expensive year after year
In the Philippines, the foundations and walls of residential structures are

composed of wood, bamboo, bricks, and hollow concrete blocks. Due to their

comparatively low price and widespread availability, concrete hollow blocks are the

most popular construction material in the United States. It is also proved to have a

high fire rating and to be suitable for tropical environments such as the Philippines.

So, it is feasible to suggest that creating and producing hollow blocks using other less

expensive materials would be favorable for the majority of households in the

Philippines, given that housing and building costs are rising yearly (Canono, 2020).

Furthermore, solid wastes are one of the problems that society is currently

experiencing. Solid wastes are the useless, unwanted or discarded materials, normally

in the solid state, that arise from human activities. In that case, engineers and

scientists are exploring with mixing cement with everyday waste in an attempt at

discovering useful additives that will allow everyone to preserve the natural resources

in the years to come. Through this, researcher have been intrigued by seashells

because of the value they can provide to cement and the high potential they have as an

additive for concrete, specifically mussel shells. Therefore, the researcher takes on

this research in order to find a solution to our solid waste problem and also to discover
an innovative hollow block producing method that is cheaper and uses a better

composite material to increase labor efficiency and build long-lasting infrastructure.

Mussel shells are a kind of waste that contain high levels of calcium carbonate

(CaCO3) (more than 95 percent). It has the potential to be used as a concrete filler,

which would allow for the reduction of porosity in the properties of concrete

(compacted concrete) as well as the indirect reduction of the quantity of water

required to keep concrete workable (Muhammad Shabery Sainudin, et. al., 2019).

According to Sun & Chen, (2018) calcium carbonate possesses filler properties which

consists of small particle sizes compared to Portland cement. It also potentially to

increased concrete workability and reduce quantity of water used. Since mussel shell

consist of filler properties due to its higher CaCO3 content, it was expected to reduce

porosity and permeability of concrete due to its incorporated between cementitious

product into concretes.

From the idea mentioned above, this led the researcher to conduct a study

about using mussel shells as an additive in strengthening hollow blocks in

construction in order to reduce the increasing seashell waste production in the

Philippines. The process of making these hollow blocks with mussel shells as an

alternative for some of the aggregates portion consists of segregation of seashells. It

will then be mixed with the cement and aggregates with controlled proportions given

before being molded unto its shape.

Reference
Canono, F. K. (2020, April 20). Compressive Strengths of the Hollow Blocks with an

Additive of Dog’s Manure and Polystyrene. Retrieved from Research Gate:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340865566_Compressive_Strengths

_of_the_Hollow_Blocks_with_an_Additive_of_Dog's_Manure_and_Polystyre

ne

Sainudin, M. S. (2019). Performance of concrete containing mussel shell. Retrieved

from IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering:

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1757-899X/601/1/012033/pdf

Z, S. J. (2018). Influences of limestne powder on the resistance of concrete to the

chloride ion penetration and sulfate attack. Retrieved from Scribd:

https://www.scribd.com/document/393300363/sun2018-pdf

Reference

Canono, F. K. (2020, April 20). Compressive Strengths of the Hollow Blocks with

an Additive of Dog’s Manure and Polystyrene. Retrieved from

Research Gate:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340865566_Compressive_St

rengths

_of_the_Hollow_Blocks_with_an_Additive_of_Dog's_Manure_and_Polystyre ne
Sainudin, M. S. (2019). Performance of concrete containing mussel shell.

Retrieved from IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and

Engineering:

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1757-899X/601/1/012033

/pdf

Z, S. J. (2018). Influences of limestne powder on the resistance of concrete

to the chloride ion penetration and sulfate attack. Retrieved from

Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/document/393300363/sun2018-

pdf