**2. Effect of alternative natural and industrial waste for mud concrete construction**

#### **2.1. Latex (rubber)**

Latex (rubber) got the attention due to many reasons. It is the best natural polymer in Sri Lanka. It is mass-produced and can be found in large scale if in case of a mass production of earth blocks. On the other hand, earth blocks have the compressive strength but not the tensile strength. Latex (rubber) has this capacity to bend if in case of a force and absorb tensile force. Hence, the idea of experimenting with rubber was optimized by various mix proportions as shown in **Figure 2**; it was to identify the best mix proportion for mud concrete block shown in **Table 3**. The ammonium hydroxide and sulfur were used as add mixtures to develop the workability and the strength of the mixture.

Since cement and rubber do not show any strength improvement, the study was extended to improve the quality of rubber soil mixture with altering cement with sulfur (see **Table 4***).* The experimental programme is shown in **Table 4**. In this experiment, only the rubber was used in

**Figure 2.** Mix preparation for testing.

If this technology can be used in relation to soil, the product will be a sustainable one since that avoids the cement usage and lessens the energy usage. As soil is an environmentally friendly source and it provides a sufficient forum for energy conservation, the inclusion of soil into the newest technology of polymeric stabilizing will be an attractive turning point in

The inventory has produced to develop the experimental criteria. The most suitable stabilizers experimented with soil in order to test the strength development. The whole idea of developing alternative stabilizer to stable soil and mortar.

civil engineering constructions.

**Name of stabilizer**

Rubber Latex [11]

Natural Polymers

156 Cement Based Materials

Industrial Waste

**Chemical formula Available** 

Polyisoprene Can be

Pines Gum Pinene Obtained from

H12NNaO<sup>3</sup>

Fly ash [12–14] Pulverized fuel ash Any coal

O TiO2

MgO

Lime stabilizer

SiO2 Al<sup>2</sup> O3 Fe<sup>2</sup> O3

SO<sup>3</sup> -Na2 O P2 O5 BaO

CaO K2

Therefore, the main experiment is to develop the strength development.

**Table 2.** Inventory of alternative stabilizers for cement.

Lignin Carboxymethyl lignin

Molasses C<sup>6</sup>

Hydrophilic polymer

Bottom ash [15, 16]

Rice husk ash [17–19]

**sources**

pines

S Sugarcane bagasse

Sugarcane bagasse

combustion plant

Ash that falls in the bottom of the boiler is called bottom ash. In modern coal-fired power plants

Crystalline silica Increases the

collected from rubber plants

**Uses and properties Production method**

Can be used with sulfur to stable and create longer bonds between the rubber

Pines resins are generally produced as stem secretions

Using ethanol-water as the solvent and sulfuric acid with 70c

sugar beets differ from sugarcane molasses. Only the syrup left from the final crystallization stage is called molasses

Concentrations used in the formulation were 2, 4, 6 and 8% w/w of cordial fruit

process produces tons of fly ash per day even

Stuck in the furnace and taken out more than four lorries per day in Lakvijaya power plant

in Sri Lanka

materials

for 30 min

Soil stabilization Molasses made from

gum

Land fill, dump Coal combustion

Used in many applications and products in combination with other materials

Used as stabilized in many civilizations

Stabilizing agent in aqueous ceramic suspensions

*Aegle marmelos* (a complex mixture of vitamins, polyphenols, esters, aldehydes, sugars, mineral salts, organic acids and amino

acids)

Bottom ash is part of the noncombustible residue of combustion in a furnace or an incinerator

electrochemical stability of the film


**Table 3.** Experimental compositions of rubber and soil mixes.


the same bricks produced by the rubber and soil mixture. The results are astonishing to alter

**Rubber milk(g) Water(g) Sulfur(g)**

Alternative Stabilizer for Mud Concrete http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.76065 159

The next study was conducted to understand the strength development due to an increase of rubber while maintaining the soil and sulfur ratios constant as shown in **Table 6**. This experiment was conducted to understand the optimum rubber content to be used to build rubber-stabilized earth blocks. And the previous experiments were observed where the rubber blocks may cause to shrink during the curing process. Therefore, alternatively, 100 × 100 mm blocks were used to understand the strength of the new mixture. The experimental

This study was to understand the optimum rubber content to develop the rubber-stabilized earth block. The optimum sulfur content was recognized as 2%. The sulfur is not natural materials and cannot be found in the natural form. The increase of carbon footprint may occur due to the use of sulfur. However, the sulfur itself helps to improve the compressive quality of the RSEB block. Therefore, the combination of rubber and sulfur may create a better bond

Experiments with latex-stabilized mud concrete block gave senior results with a high tensile capacity as shown in **Figure 4**. However, rubber-stabilized mud concrete blocks had many weaknesses including dry shrinkage. The dry shrinkage and the cost of latex rubber motivated

cement with 100% natural materials to use as a brick. The results are as follows.

0.5S2R4C 4675 200 100 50 25 1S2R4C 4650 200 100 50 50 1.5S2R4C 4625 200 100 50 75 2S2R4C 4600 200 100 50 100 4S2R4C 4500 200 100 50 200

**Table 5.** Extended study with 100% rubber soil mixture altering cement with small amount of sulfur.

**2.2. The effect of rubber ratio into the constant sulfur combinations**

**Figure 3.** Improving the rubber soil mixture with the addition of sulfur.

**Mix design Soil (g) Cement(g) Rubber**

Extended experiments with pure rubber-composed soil brick.

between particles of the blocks. In addition, the results are as follows.

schedule is shown in **Table 6**.

**Table 4.** Experimental composition with latex and sulfur to improve the dry strength.

order to improve the quality of rubber-stabilized earth block mixture. And the experimental criteria are as follows.

**Table 5** shows the experiments done with sulfur and rubber mix design with soil in order to gain the strength. In addition, the upper corner of **Figure 3** shows the sun-drying process of


**Table 5.** Extended study with 100% rubber soil mixture altering cement with small amount of sulfur.

**Figure 3.** Improving the rubber soil mixture with the addition of sulfur.

order to improve the quality of rubber-stabilized earth block mixture. And the experimental

**) N/mm2 Average Area (mm2**

R 4% A 8556 2.04 2.20 S 2% A1 8188 0.83 0.82 B 8556 2.43 B1 8418 0.89 C 8742 2.14 C1 8099 0.73 R 6% A 8417.5 2.33 2.29 S 4% A1 8789 0.86 0.87 B 8554 2.40 B1 9025 0.85 C 8742 2.12 C1 8554 0.89 R 8% A 8281 2.74 **2.79** S 6% A1 8648 0.83 0.80 B 8281 2.67 B1 8836 0.80 C 8326.5 2.97 C1 8930 0.77 R 10% A 8418 2.67 2.61 S 8% A1 8648 1.01 **0.99** B 8096 2.65 B1 8740 1.06 C 8280 2.49 C1 8930 0.90

**) N/mm2 Average**

**OH (%)**

**Rubber + NH4OH Rubber +Sulphur**

**Table 3.** Experimental compositions of rubber and soil mixes.

**Soil (%) Latex (%) Dry rubber (%) Cement Admixture NH4**

 6.90 4 3.36 5 10.30 6 3.36 10 13.80 8 3.36 15 17.20 10 3.36 20 6.90 4 3.36 1 10.30 6 3.36 2 13.80 8 3.36 3 17.20 10 3.36 4 6.90 4 3.36 5 10.30 6 3.36 10 13.80 8 3.36 15 17.20 10 3.36 20

**Table 4.** Experimental composition with latex and sulfur to improve the dry strength.

**Area (mm2**

158 Cement Based Materials

**Table 5** shows the experiments done with sulfur and rubber mix design with soil in order to gain the strength. In addition, the upper corner of **Figure 3** shows the sun-drying process of

criteria are as follows.

the same bricks produced by the rubber and soil mixture. The results are astonishing to alter cement with 100% natural materials to use as a brick. The results are as follows.

#### **2.2. The effect of rubber ratio into the constant sulfur combinations**

The next study was conducted to understand the strength development due to an increase of rubber while maintaining the soil and sulfur ratios constant as shown in **Table 6**. This experiment was conducted to understand the optimum rubber content to be used to build rubber-stabilized earth blocks. And the previous experiments were observed where the rubber blocks may cause to shrink during the curing process. Therefore, alternatively, 100 × 100 mm blocks were used to understand the strength of the new mixture. The experimental schedule is shown in **Table 6**.

This study was to understand the optimum rubber content to develop the rubber-stabilized earth block. The optimum sulfur content was recognized as 2%. The sulfur is not natural materials and cannot be found in the natural form. The increase of carbon footprint may occur due to the use of sulfur. However, the sulfur itself helps to improve the compressive quality of the RSEB block. Therefore, the combination of rubber and sulfur may create a better bond between particles of the blocks. In addition, the results are as follows.

Experiments with latex-stabilized mud concrete block gave senior results with a high tensile capacity as shown in **Figure 4**. However, rubber-stabilized mud concrete blocks had many weaknesses including dry shrinkage. The dry shrinkage and the cost of latex rubber motivated


The idea is not to use the raw polymers and resins, but to extrapolate the compounds that are developed into the proper mix. The results show that pines resins and cashew juice are vulnerable to make mud concrete blocks shown in **Figures 6**–**8**. The archived strength is more

Alternative Stabilizer for Mud Concrete http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.76065 161

**Figure 5.** Experiments with natural polymers as alternative for cement.

**Figure 6.** Pines.

**Figure 7.** Neolitsea cassia juice.

**Table 6.** Extended study with admixtures to develop the dry strength.

**Figure 4.** Different rubber percentages with constant soil+ sulfur mixture results.

to perform experiments with other natural polymers, assuming that there will be a better bonding to alter cement in mud concrete. The most common assumption for experimenting with natural polymers is the ability to develop a bond between two or three particles. And the own ancestors have used this for a long time in the past.

#### **2.3. Tree resins and natural polymers**

This experiment has gone too far corners of the historical methods of stabilizing earth into mortars and blocks. Ancient Sinhalese civilization in the fourth century builds the fortress Sigiriya by using tree resins and lime [27]. The study referred to the same technology and identified that natural polymers can make a bond between two materials and create a cementitious effect. Therefore, following the ancient inscription, cashew juice, Neolitsea cassia juice and pine resins were subjected to this study to alter cement in mud concrete technology (see **Figure 5***).* The objective of this study is to study the possibility of developing mineralogy of natural polymers into suitable construction materials. The use of selected natural polymers to stabilize geotechnical properties of soil into engineering property consisting of masonry unit with a load-bearing capacity has been studied. The strength development and suitable mix development for such a masonry unit made out of earth stabilized by using natural polymers has also been studied.

**Figure 5.** Experiments with natural polymers as alternative for cement.

The idea is not to use the raw polymers and resins, but to extrapolate the compounds that are developed into the proper mix. The results show that pines resins and cashew juice are vulnerable to make mud concrete blocks shown in **Figures 6**–**8**. The archived strength is more

**Figure 6.** Pines.

to perform experiments with other natural polymers, assuming that there will be a better bonding to alter cement in mud concrete. The most common assumption for experimenting with natural polymers is the ability to develop a bond between two or three particles. And the

**Rubber milk Water Sulfur**

This experiment has gone too far corners of the historical methods of stabilizing earth into mortars and blocks. Ancient Sinhalese civilization in the fourth century builds the fortress Sigiriya by using tree resins and lime [27]. The study referred to the same technology and identified that natural polymers can make a bond between two materials and create a cementitious effect. Therefore, following the ancient inscription, cashew juice, Neolitsea cassia juice and pine resins were subjected to this study to alter cement in mud concrete technology (see **Figure 5***).* The objective of this study is to study the possibility of developing mineralogy of natural polymers into suitable construction materials. The use of selected natural polymers to stabilize geotechnical properties of soil into engineering property consisting of masonry unit with a load-bearing capacity has been studied. The strength development and suitable mix development for such a masonry unit made out of earth stabilized by using

own ancestors have used this for a long time in the past.

**Figure 4.** Different rubber percentages with constant soil+ sulfur mixture results.

**Mix design Soil Cement Rubber**

160 Cement Based Materials

**Table 6.** Extended study with admixtures to develop the dry strength.

2S2R 92% 4% 2% 1% 2.00%

2S4R 90% 4% 4% 1% 2.00%

2S6R 88% 4% 6% 1% 2.00%

2S10R 84% 4% 10% 1% 2.00%

**4600 g 200 g 100 g 50 g 100 g**

**4500 g 200 g 200 g 50 g 100 g**

**4400 g 200 g 300 g 50 g 100 g**

**4200 g 200 g 500 g 50 g 100 g**

**2.3. Tree resins and natural polymers**

natural polymers has also been studied.

**Figure 7.** Neolitsea cassia juice.

#### **Figure 8.** Cashew resin.

than 2 N/mm2 . In addition to the strength, pines-stabilized mud concrete gives a courteous smell and a reddish color. This can lead to developing architectural block. Therefore, these polymers can be developed to make earth blocks. But the issue was the mass production, and there are so many other alternative uses of these polymers and resins.

**Figure 10.** Fly ash.

Alternative Stabilizer for Mud Concrete http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.76065 163

**Figure 12.** Rice husk ash.

**Figure 11.** Bottom ash.
