Sustainable Use of Waste Polypropylene Fibers and Palm Oil Fuel Ash in the Production of Novel Prepacked Aggregate Fiber-Reinforced Concrete

Abstract

This study proposed the prepacked aggregates fiber-reinforced concrete (PAFRC), which is a newly developed concrete, with a unique combination of coarse aggregate and short polypropylene (PP) fiber that is premixed and placed in the formworks. This study aims to investigate the potential use of waste polypropylene fibers and palm oil fuel ash (POFA) in the production of PAFRC to enhance the strength and deformation properties. The compressive strength, impact-resistant, drying shrinkage, and microstructural analysis of PAFRC were investigated experimentally. Six mixes comprising fiber volume fractions from 0–1.25% with a length of 30 mm were cast by gravity technique. Another six mixtures with the same fiber volume fractions were cast using a pump to inject the grout into the formwork. The experimental outcomes exposed that with the addition of PP carpet fiber, the compressive strength of PAFRC decreased. Nevertheless, PAFRC mixes shown a remarkable improvement in the tensile strength. The combination of POFA and PP fibers in PAFRC specimens led to higher impact strength and increasing the ductility of concrete. In addition, the drying shrinkage of PAFRC reduced significantly with the addition of waste PP fibers. It can be concluded that due to the adequate strength and deformation properties, PAFRC is the potential to be used as innovative fiber reinforced concrete in several applications.