Republic of the Philippines

ZAMBOANGA PENINSULA POLYTECHNIC STATE UNIVERSITY

CONCEPT PAPER #3
STUDY OF THE VIABILITY OF COCONUT COIR AS ADDITIONAL
FIBER FOR CONCRETE HOLLOW BLOCKS’ DURABILITY

I. RATIONALE OF THE STUDY.

Sustainability is one of the motivations that the construction industry is focusing on to deliver affordable
constructive building materials to meet the latest requirements for housing projects, working environment, and
infrastructure without risking the ability of future generations to meet their needs in both urban and rural communities.
As of now, there are a lot of interests in fostering the innovation for utilizing sustainable materials which include
recycled steel, timber or plastics, bamboo, cork, and normal natural fibers in concrete composites. For instance,
innovators and construction companies have taken the transition of creating Earth Friendly Concrete (EFC) to improve
its qualifications from traditional to green concrete.

Concrete is the most widely used synthetic material in the world but also one of the most environmentally
unfriendly. It’s a simple material, usually made from 10% cement, 3% admixtures for example fly ash, 80% aggregates
such as gravel and sand, and 7% water (The Guardian, 2016). Concrete Hollow Blocks (CHB), are one of the most
widely used walling materials and infrastructure in the Philippines. It is formed from a mixture of Portland cement,
aggregate, and water which undergoes hydration where it hardens to form rectangular solid blocks. But concrete
production alone is tied for 5% up to 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions and as the earth’s population continues to
grow, the demand for concrete also continues to rise. The use of concrete constitutes about 65% of all the building
materials in the world, thus, making it green would yield to recreating the world’s most used manufactured construction
building material.

Fibers are thread like materials which can be utilized for various purposes. Fibers produced by plants (vegetable,
leaves and wood), animals and geological processes are known as natural fibers. In recent years, several types of
research studies and experiments have been delineated on the strength and behavior of concrete reinforced with
naturally occurring fibers. Researchers have used plant fibers as an alternative source of steel and/or artificial fibers to
be used in composites (such as cement paste, mortar and/or concrete) for increasing its strength properties.
(Ramakrishna and Sundararajan, 2005). For example, the fracture toughness, tensile strength, flexural strength,
fatigue, and impact resistance are all seen to be improved (Mehta and Monteiro, 2006). Moreover, adding fibers to a
concrete matrix has been long recognized as a way to enhance the energy absorption capacity and crack resistance of
regular concrete (Merta and Tschegg, 2013).

Natural fibers have also been reported to improve concrete insulation properties by a reduction in its thermal
conductivity by 25–35% (Awwad et al., 2012), enabling for a potential reduction in a building’s heat consumption. The
proper use of natural fibers in making concrete is proposed since various types of these fibers are available locally and
are abundant. The intention of using such fibers to improve the strength and workability of rigid materials is not new.
Bamboo, coconut, vegetables, sugarcane, and skin of wood trunks are some of the natural materials that are being
used. Natural fibers that are suitable for reinforcing concrete are easily available since they’re in large quantities in
many developing countries like the Philippines and more detailed research should be conducted on the use of these
fibers.

Coconut fibers obtained from coconut husk, belonging to the family of palm fibers, are accessible in huge amounts
in the tropical areas of the world, most especially in Asia, Africa and Southern America. The fiber obtained from the dry
external covering of the coconut fiber is named “coir”. This fiber has the best toughness among all-natural fibers. Ali
(2011) listed several advantages of utilizing coconut fibers. They are resistant to fungi, rot, moth, moisture and
dampness; give a magnificent insulation against temperature and sound; non-flammable, tough and versatile, fire-
resistant, totally static-free and easy to clean. According to Waifielate and Abiola (2008), the primary constituents of
coconut fiber are cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. They added that coconut fiber has the highest percentage, by
volume of lignin, which makes the fiber very tough and stiffer compared to other natural fiber. The lignin content
impacts the structure, properties, flexibility, and with high lignin content, it appears to be finer and also more flexible.

The Philippines has the biggest number of coconut trees worldwide, and produces most of coconut oil and copra
meal globally. Indeed, one of the major agricultural wastes from the Philippines comes from the coconut: the coconut
shell and the coconut coir fiber. According to statistics, an increase of 8% of coconut production grew from April to June
2021 as Davao Region makes it the top producer followed by Northern Mindanao and the Zamboanga Peninsula.
Consequently, agricultural wastes are also increasing thus, the potential to utilize coconut coir as an additive in
Concrete Hollow Block production would be of significant help to diminish the country’s agricultural waste. It is also
proven that using wastes will minimize concrete expenses aside from the need to use natural aggregates.

The primary goal of this study is to investigate the effect of using natural fibers, specifically the coconut coir fiber in
the production of Concrete Hollow Blocks. Using such fibers provides generally a low-cost construction since it is
cheaper than conventional materials. This study promotes the use of agricultural waste as well as develops an
alternative construction material that will lessen the social and environmental issues. The utilization of these fibers in
concrete leads to an effective solid waste management technique for the reason that it would eliminate the waste
disposal in landfills. Most importantly, its fundamental concern is the environment and the construction and building
technology to enhance the natural world as well as building materials.

II. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM:

This study aims to determine the viability of reinforcing coconut coir fiber in Concrete Hollow Blocks. Specifically,
it intends to answer the following questions:

1. Do the concrete hollow blocks with coconut coir fibers’ compressive strength pass the requirements provided
by the standard specifications for non-load bearing and load-bearing concrete hollow blocks?
 2. What is the significant difference between concrete hollow blocks mixed with coconut coir fiber and
conventionally manufactured hollow blocks?

3. How much quantity of coconut coir fiber is needed to meet the standard specification for concrete hollow
blocks?

III. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY.

General Objective: The fundamental goal of this study is to evaluate the performance of concrete hollow blocks (CHB)
by reinforcing them with coconut coir fiber.

Specific Objectives:

1. To conduct an ASTM C140 testing to concrete hollow blocks with the mixture.

2. To perform a slump test to the concrete mixture.

3. To determine the effectiveness of coconut coir fiber in the concrete hollow blocks.

IV. EXPECTED OUTPUT.

The researchers will be making a sample concrete hollow blocks mixed with the coconut fiber and those samples
will be tested accordingly. The researchers will be expecting that the outcome of this project will give a great deal of
utilizing waste products such as coconut coir to good use as additional fiber for load-bearing Concrete Hollow Blocks.
Coconut coir tends to be thrown around because people don’t know or find ways in reusing them as workable material.
Through this study, the researchers also hope that other CHB manufacturers that use synthetic fibers will shift to a
more natural approach.

V. RESEARCH LOCALE AND TARGET BENEFICIARIES.

The proper use of natural fiber in the manufacturing and construction industry as reinforcement for concrete
hollow blocks and other composites will surely continue the demand for economic use and be environmentally friendly.

The study will be performed here in Zamboanga City with our partnered construction manufacturer. The target
beneficiaries will be concrete hollow blocks manufacturers.
VI. PROPOSED METHODS/PROCEDURES.

Procedures in conducting the materials and testing:

1. Collect the Coconut coir fiber with enough amount to cover this research.

2. Pre- treating of Coconut coir fiber.

3. Design the Concrete Hollow Block conforming to the standard dimensions and requirements.

4. Prepare the parameters of the sample mixtures.

5. Proportioning of Concrete Hollow Blocks concrete mixture.

6. Production of Concrete Hollow Blocks mixed with the Coconut coir Fiber.

7. Slump Test for Concrete Hollow blocks.

8. Casting the Concrete.

9. Allow the Curing of the Concrete Hollow Block samples.

10. Testing the Compressive Strength and Tensile Strength of the Concrete Hollow Block samples.

11. Conduct Water Absorption test of Concrete Hollow Block samples.

12. The data gathered and results will be analyzed and discussed.

13. Conclusions are made whether the use of Coconut coir fiber has a significant difference in the overall
production and use of load -bearing Concrete hollow blocks.