Get started
Work

Utilization of Crushed “Leddeg” (Freshwater snail) Shells as a partial cement replacement in Concrete Hollow Blocks Production

Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Waste material such as crushed Leddeg (freshwater snails) shells is investigated in this study to partially replace cement in CHB mixtures. The primary objective of this research is to assess the influence of 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15% replacement levels on the compressive strength and water absorptive capacity of the CHBs after 7, 14, and 28 days of curing, as well as to establish the methods of preparation and application of the crushed Leddeg shells in CHB formulation. A quantitative-experimental research design was adopted in this study. Twelve CHB samples were tested under laboratory conditions. Descriptive statistics and trend analysis were used for analyzing the test results. The findings have shown that as the percentage of the crushed Leddeg shells increases, there is also an increase in the compressive strength of CHBs. The compressive strength was peak at 28 days, with the 15%, 10%, and 5% replacement mixes showing compressive strengths of 6.70 MPa, 4.95 MPa, and 4.88 MPa, respectively, compared to the control mix which only showed a compressive strength of 4.10 MPa. Similarly, the absorption capacity of the CHB mixtures was reduced with as the percentage of crushed Leddeg shells replacement increased. The findings indicate that the crushed Leddeg shells with high calcium carbonate content helped increase the packing efficiency of the materials used in the CHBs, which resulted in better physical and mechanical properties of CHBs. It is concluded from the experiment that crushed Leddeg shells can be used as supplementary cementitious material in non-load-bearing concrete hollow blocks. The use of 15% replacement of crushed Leddeg shells showed the best performance.
DOI: 10.47772/ijriss.2026.100700787
Language: English
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7202392336
FWCI:
Cites: 10
Cited by:
Related to: 10