Rheological, Mechanical, and Micro-Structural Property Assessment of Eco-Friendly Concrete Reinforced with Waste Areca Nut Husk Fiber

Fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) has become one of the most promising construction techniques and repairing materials in recent times for the construction industry. Generally, plain concrete has a very low tensile strength and limited resistance to cracking prior to the ultimate load, which can be mitigated by the incorporation of fiber. Natural fibers have emerged as an appealing sustainable option in the last few decades due to their lower cost, energy savings, and minimized greenhouse effects. Areca fiber is one of the natural fibers that can be sourced from the waste-producing areca nut industry. Hence, this study aims to assess the mechanical, rheological, and micro-structural properties of areca fiber-reinforced concrete (AFRC). For this purpose, areca fiber was used in the concrete mix as a weight percentage of cement. In this regard, 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4% by weight of cement substitutions were investigated. As key findings, 2% areca fiber enhanced the compressive strength of concrete by 2.89% compared to the control specimen (fiber-free concrete). On the other hand, splitting tensile strength increased by 18.16%. In addition, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed that the cement matrix and fibers are adequately connected at the interfacial level. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) test results showed more biodegradable carbon elements in the areca fiber-mixed concrete as well as an effective pozzolanic reaction. The study also exhibited that adding natural areca fiber lowered the fabrication cost by almost 1.5% and eCO2 emissions by 3%. Overall, the findings of this study suggest that AFRC can be used as a possible building material from the standpoint of sustainable construction purposes.