Eichhornia crassipes (Water Hyacinth) Stalks and Ravenala madagascariensis (Traveler's Tree) Stem as Potential Reinforcement for Concrete Bricks

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Eichhornia crassipes is known for its invasiveness in different bodies of water, with rivers as the most common. This may lead to the alteration and depletion of the biodiversity as a result of the dissolved oxygen in the bodies of water (United Nations Environment Programme [UNEP], 2013). on the other hand, Ravenala madagascariensis has leaf bases that serve as breeding areas for mosquitoes (National Parks, n.d.). With regard to these matters, this study aimed to use dried E. crassipes stalks and R. madagascariensis stem fibers to reinforce concrete bricks. There were ten (10) mix proportions with varying amounts of cement, sand, E. crassipes, and R. madagascariensis. for each proportion, three (3) samples were prepared. A total of ninety (90) concrete bricks were produced.

METHODS

The concrete bricks were cured every twelve (12) hours for twenty-eight (28) days. After the curing, capping was done to smoothen the surfaces of the bricks. Three (3) tests were conducted -Compressive Strength Test, Tensile Strength Test, and Water Absorption Test. The first two respective tests were done using a Universal Testing Machine (UTM), while the last test was done using an oven. Three (3) trials were done for each test. The data were gathered.

RESULTS

After testing the bricks, it showed that the best proportion for the Compressive Strength Test and Tensile Strength Test was the one with the greatest amount of R. madagascariensis stem fibers, i.e., the tenth proportion. While, the ninth proportion, having second to greatest amount of R. madagascariensis stems fibers, was the best in the Water Absorption Test.

DISCUSSIONS

The results indicate that the inclusion of R. madagascariensis stem fibers further improves the strength and flexibility of concrete bricks as compared to E. crassipes stalks. Moreover, using One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), it was known that the F value (1.24211) is less than the F critical value (2.39281). This means that there is no significant difference between the compressive strength of British standards and the average compressive strength of the produced concrete bricks. It also shows that the produced bricks can be a substantial product in the engineering field. Additionally, the use of the two aforementioned plants can help alleviate the environmental problems they cause.