University of Education,Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION USING GRANULAR PALM KERNEL SHELLS TO PARTIALLY REPLACE SAND IN SANDCRETE BRICKS FRANK MICHAEL ANYANE JULY, 2017 University of Education,Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA USING GRANULAR PALM KERNEL SHELLS TO PARTIALLY REPLACE SAND IN SANDCRETE BRICKS FRANK MICHAEL ANYANE (8111760052) A Dissertation in the Department of CONSTRUCTION AND WOOD TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION, Faculty of TECHNICAL EDUCATION, submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, University of Education, Winneba, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for award of Master of Philosophy (Construction Technology) degree. JULY, 2017 i University of Education,Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh DECLARATION STUDENT’S DECLARATION I, Frank Michael Anyane, declare that this project report, with the exception of quotations and references contained in published works which have all been identified and duly acknowledged, is entirely my own original work, and it has not been submitted, either in part or whole, for another degree elsewhere. SIGNATURE:…………………………………………… DATE:………………………………………… SUPERVISOR’S DECLARATION I hereby declare that the preparation and presentation of this project report was supervised in accordance with the guidelines for supervision of research project as laid down by the University of Education, Winneba. NAME OF SUPERVISOR: PETER PAA-KOFI YALLEY (PhD) SIGNATURE:………………………………………………….. DATE:…………………………………………… ii University of Education,Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh ACKNOWLEDGEMENT My special thanks go to my supervisor, Dr. Peter Paa-Kofi Yalley who supervised me successfully to come out with this project report. Also, I am sincerely grateful to Mr. Augustine Sam for his support and pieces of advice rendered to me in the cause of writing this project. I also appreciate my wife, Susana Blankson for her support and encouragement to come out with this piece. I am also grateful to the lecturers at the Building Technology Department of the Sunyani Technical University for their support and the opportunity they gave me to conduct my experiments in their laboratory. Special thanks also go to Mr. David Obour Gyau, the laboratory assistant for his support and assistance in the cause of conducting my experiments. To God be the glory. iii University of Education,Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh DEDICATION I dedicate this project to my children, Kwadwo Adu Boateng Anyane, David Ohene Anyane and Adwoa Nsoroma Anyane. iv University of Education,Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh CONTENTS DECLARATION ................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ................................................................................................. iii DEDICATION ................................................................................................................... iv CONTENTS…………………………………………………………………………….…v LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. ix LIST OF PLATES .............................................................................................................. x LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................ x ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... xi CHAPTER ONE ................................................................................................................. 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background to the study ............................................................................................ 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem .......................................................................................... 6 1.3 Objectives of the Study ............................................................................................. 7 1.4 Research questions .................................................................................................... 7 1.5 Scope of the Study..................................................................................................... 8 1.6 Significance of the Study .......................................................................................... 8 1.7 Organisation of the Study .......................................................................................... 8 CHAPTER TWO .............................................................................................................. 10 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ........................................................................ 10 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 10 2.2 The Need for Seeking Alternative for Sand ............................................................ 10 2.3 Description of Sandcrete ......................................................................................... 11 2.4 Materials for Making Sandcrete Blocks .................................................................. 12 v University of Education,Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh 2.4.1 Binders .............................................................................................................. 13 2.4.2 Aggregates in Sandcrete ................................................................................... 14 2.5 PKS as a Sustainable Building Material in Ghana .................................................. 15 2.6 Admixtures in Sandcrete ......................................................................................... 20 2.7 Lightweight Aggregates .......................................................................................... 21 2.8 Description of Palm Kernel Shells .......................................................................... 23 2.8.1 Types of palm kernel shells .............................................................................. 23 2.8.2 Preparation of palm kernel shell as coarse aggregate ....................................... 24 2.8.3 Physical properties of palm kernel shells ......................................................... 25 2.8.4 Size of palm kernel shells needed to obtain standard brick strength ................ 28 2.8.5 Volume of PKS replacement for optimum strength ......................................... 32 2.8.6 Water absorption and abrasion properties of PKS bricks ................................. 35 CHAPTER THREE .......................................................................................................... 37 METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................... 37 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 37 3.2 Materials .................................................................................................................. 37 3.2.1 Cement .............................................................................................................. 37 3.2.2 Palm Kernel Shell-PKS .................................................................................... 37 3.2.3 Sand .................................................................................................................. 37 3.3 Methods ................................................................................................................... 38 3.3.1 Silt Test ............................................................................................................. 38 vi University of Education,Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh 3.3.2 Preparation of the palm kernel shell ................................................................. 39 3.3.3 Milling process ................................................................................................. 39 3.3.4 Sieving .............................................................................................................. 40 3.3.5 Sample size ....................................................................................................... 41 3.3.6 Batching ............................................................................................................ 42 3.3.7 The mixing procedure ....................................................................................... 43 3.3.8 Moulding of the bricks ..................................................................................... 44 3.3.9 Curing of specimens ......................................................................................... 44 3.3.10: Testing of specimens ..................................................................................... 46 3.3.11 Data analysis ................................................................................................... 49 CHAPTER FOUR ............................................................................................................. 50 ANALYSIS OF RESULT................................................................................................. 50 4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 50 4.2 Validity of Test Analysis of Study Result ..............................................................