Investigation of lemon as an admixture for Concrete work

Abstract

Abstract The environmental impact of chemical admixtures on cement and concrete production and carbon emissions has gained attention. Hence, a study was conducted to assess the impact of locally available lemon juice on concrete workability, setting time, and compressive strength by comparing it to concrete with a commercial water-reducing and retarding admixture to improvecement properties, eliminate pollution, and reduce carbon emissions in cement concrete production. The tests were conducted with and without a lemon juice replacement. The experimental results revealed that the workability of the concrete increased in parallel with an increase in the percentage of lemon juice, up to 5%. The setting time results confirm that lemon juice acts as a retardant. The setting time was delayed by an increase in lemon juice of up to 5%. The dosage of 1.5% lemon juice resulted in a 5.2% increase in the compressive strength of the concrete. With the addition of lemon juice, the of the concrete decreased with an increase in the percentage of juice up to 5%. The cost comparison results showed that lemon juice has a lower cost than commercial admixtures. With lemon juices as admixtures, it was confirmed for the first time that they can be used for water-reducing and retarding admixtures at a reasonable cost at lower dosages; however, further research is needed to optimize the lemon juice dose to advance this approach on a pilot scale.