Investigation the effect of nano carbon tube prepared from tea waste on Microstructure and properties of cement mortar

doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-2565420/v1

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Research Article

Investigation the effect of nano carbon tube prepared from tea waste on Microstructure and properties of cement mortar

https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2565420/v1

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published 26 Dec, 2023

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Environmental contamination and the massively higher cost of disposal of wastes have been a big concern for scholars throughout the globe, prompting them to seek a way to recycle waste materials in various implementations filed. The rising expenditure of disposal and the shortage of naturally big aggregate have increased interest in reusing recycled waste materials to manufacture concrete and mortar. The some of the country population annually consumes hundreds of tonnes of black tea, resulting in a considerable number of discarded teabags. These huge quantities are disposed of in landfills without being recycled or otherwise used. Moreover, landfills are considered one of the country's biggest global issues. Therefore, the aim of this experimental work to investigate influence of nano carbon tube produced from tea waste as cement replacement materials in mortar mixtures. Cement mortar mixes contain four replacement levels (1%, 2%, 3%, and 4%) of cement with nano carbon tube produced from tea waste. The compressive strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity, and water absorption were tested to demonstrate the effect of the nano carbon tube made from recycled tea waste on the mechanical properties of the mortar mix. The fresh properties such as flow rate were evaluated in accordance with the specific standards. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX) analyses were performed to demonstrate the microstructure of the mixtures. The results show that the fresh properties (flowability) of mortar containing nanocarbon tubes from tea waste were improved with the increase of the replacement ratio. In addition, the compressive strength was improved by substitution of up to 2%. For the other levels of substitution, it decreased with increasing proportion. In contrast, the density was increased with the increase in the substitution level of tea waste. Based on the results of the experiments, it seems that the suggested bio-mixture could increase the compressive strength of the material by up to 2% of the replacement at 28 days of curing.

Mechanical properties

Fresh properties

Concrete

Microstructure analysis

Carbon nanotube

Cement-based materials

Concrete is an important component of construction projects. It is the most widespread substance utilized in the development of buildings and infrastructure such as highways, bridges, and dam construction (Al Biajawi et al. 2022). Its features includes production simplicity, (Naik 2008; Shetty and Jain 2019), excellent durability It has a long lifespan (Armaghani et al. 1992; Bentz et al. 1999), and significant structural capabilities (Zech and Wittmann 1980; Chen et al. 2014; Vu et al. 2020), which constitute it the most frequently employed substance in the globe. Even though concrete materials are engineered to endure compressive stresses, their ongoing application in constructions may prompt researchers to look for new qualities that would provide concrete as a much more useful material. However, the fundamental limitations of concrete materials prevent the production of highly variable structural components with improved functionality.

Consequently, a characteristic of cement-based goods has made it among the most widely utilized construction materials, such as in construction works. Compressive strength, tensile strength, flexural strength, modulus of elasticity, and fracture toughness are all critical material properties for building materials(AlBiajawi et al. 2021). Increasing these properties, especially tensile strength, and toughness, in cement-based materials is complex. Therefore, numerous research has already been done to investigate the utilization of nanoparticles such as nano-silica (Sonebi et al. 2015; Al-Rifaie et al. 2018), nanofibers(Reales and Toledo Filho 2017), and carbon nano tubes (CNTS) (Shi et al. 2019) to enhance the characteristics of cement-based composites. In addition, the propagation of microcracks in Portland cement (PC) pastes, mortars, and concrete is a major concern. Microfibers have been used to limit the propagation of microcracks, but they are generally inefficient at initiating microcracks. In contrast, CNTS has been introduced as a PC matrix refinement. In recent years, there has been an explosion of research into the effects of carbon nanotubes on the properties of PC, mortar and paste. CNTs were predicted to retard the formation of microcracks, improve mechanical properties and reduce porosity in PC concrete, mortar or paste (Raki et al. 2010).

Furthermore, the advancement of more effective characterization methods has resulted in a greater knowledge of the principles and processes by which CNTS change the characteristics of cement composites on numerous scales (Han et al. 2015). CNTS can be envisioned as a cylindrical shape constructed from one or more graphene roll sheets. Additionally, CNTS can be categorized according to their physical features and chemical composition, such as the amount of graphene layers, their chirality, and their intrinsic conductivity. There are two types of carbon nanotubes, single-walled carbon nanotubes and multi-walled carbon nanotubes. The difference between the two types is determined by the number of graphene layers, which in turn is affected by the amount of graphene sheets. (Abbas et al. 2020). Single-walled carbon nanotubes, a single - layer graphene sheet is rolled into a cylinder with an outside diameter of less than 2 nm. (Hagiwara et al. 2019; Hammadi et al. 2020). Multiwalled carbon nanotubes are made up of many nanosheets wrapped around circumferential cave tubes with an outside diameter of between 2 and 100 nm (Zhao et al. 2016).

The distribution of carbon nanotubes in the cement matrix is a difficult method that requires special knowledge and is a significant obstacle to their use in cementitious composites. The distribution of carbon nanotubes has a substantial influence on the composite's characteristics. (Rashad 2017). This is due to the extremely large surface area of carbon nanotubes and the resulting bond-van der contacts between their particles, which lead to the formation of suspension agglomerates. In addition, the hydrophobicity of this nanomaterial leads to difficult dispersion of the cement mixture (Rashad 2017). There are a variety of ways to avoid the aggregation of CNT particles, including as the acid manufacturing process and the usage of magnetic stirrers (Ormsby et al. 2010; Hawreen et al. 2018) and/or ultrasonic dispersers(Konsta-Gdoutos et al. 2010). Although ultrasonic dispersion is the most often used approach [17], it has been shown that it is inadequate to avoid CNTs from accumulating. [18]. In addition to these techniques, it is common to add chemicals to the water to help disperse the carbon nanotubes, Acetone (Musso et al. 2009) and other types of surfactants (Konsta-Gdoutos et al. 2010; Yazdani and Mohanam 2014; Hawreen et al. 2018) can be used. When suitably dispersed in cementitious matrices, carbon nanotubes can minimize porosity, thereby improving mechanical strength (Mohsen et al. 2017; Hawreen et al. 2018), shrinkage (Hawreen et al. 2018) and carbonation resistance(Carriço et al. 2018). However, the mechanical behaviour was reduced in several studies due to insufficient CNTS diffusion (Musso et al. 2009; Ormsby et al. 2010).

Currently, numerous studies are being conducted on the coupling of nanomaterials with pozzolanic materials, including the combination of metakaolin and nanosilica (da Silva Andrade et al. 2018), sugarcane bagasse ash mixed with nanosilica (Joshaghani and Moeini 2017), fly ash mixed with CNTS (Chaipanich et al. 2010), silica fume mixed with CNTS (Kim et al. 2014; Naqi et al. 2019), and ceramic waste mixed with CNTS (Amin et al. 2015; El-Gamal et al. 2017). Generally, the combination of these components refines the nanostructures and microstructures of the composite material, hence enhancing the mechanical strength and long-term durability of concretes and mortars. In the instance of CNTS, investigators have demonstrated that silica fume is responsible (Kim et al. 2014; Naqi et al. 2019), and fly ash (Chaipanich et al. 2010) contributing to the dispersion of CNTS by the shear stresses generated during confinement, improving the mechanical properties of the mixture. Nevertheless, according to (El-Gamal et al. 2017) observed different findings when ceramic wastes were added, which exacerbated the CNTS dispersion and affected the mixture's mechanical behavior. Hence, based on its shape, the SCM might affect the CNTS diffusion and thus the characteristics of the composite materials positively or negatively.

These experimental studies demonstrate the immense benefits of integrating different types of carbon nanotubes into concrete to improve its properties. Therefore, more research is necessary to investigate the impact of using carbon nanotubes to overcome potential cement deficiencies and further enhance the characteristics of mortar or concrete mixtures. The aim of this study is to experimentally investigate the effect of (CNTS) from tea waste on the mechanical and fresh properties of cement mortars. For this purpose, conventional mortar cube samples are modified with different amounts of CNTS from tea waste (0.0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4% of cement weight) at different curing ages.

Research Significance

There is significant interest in the development of environmentally friendly mortar or concrete from recycled waste materials. Using recycled waste such as tea waste as a construction material is a good way to help the environment. Many researchers studied the development of recycled waste materials and its potential usage to minimize the carbon footprint of cement-based building materials. Therefore, this study is to examine the influence of nano carbon tube as partial cement replacement in mortar various ratios (0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4%). Furthermore, this study aims to evaluate the impact of nano carbon tube from tea waste on the mortar’s fresh properties, such as flow table (workability) test, and investigate the impact of nano carbon tube from tea waste on different mortar ’s mechanical properties, including compressive strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity test. This study is expected to help the growing construction sector achieve sustainable growth without destroying natural resources.

Materials

In this study, Al-Mass Portland Cement (PC) CEM I 42.5 R was utilized, and its conformity with Iraqi Standard IQS No. 5 for 2019 was established. Moreover, PC CEM I 42.5 R has a specific gravity of 3.15 and a Blaine surface area of 3150 cm²/g. Table. 1 depicts the bioactive composition of PC. Sand from river was used as fine aggregate. The results of sieving the fine aggregate are illustrated in Fig. 1, (grading curve) It indicates the proportion of fine aggregate that is allowed to pass, depending on the size of the particles. In addition, a fine aggregate with an absorption rate of 3%, a specific gravity of 2.66, and a fineness modulus of 2.79 was utilized. Tap water at the laboratory is used for fresh mortar mixing and curing purposes.

Tea waste was obtained in paper bags from disposal landfills. In this study, tea waste was used as a partial cement substitute for mixed mortar. The preparation of tea ash was first ground and passed through a 150-micrometer sieve. After that, the extraction of nanocarbon tube is done from the tea waste, which is burned at 600 C, then it is mixed with zinc chloride activation and then filtered, so that the nanocarbon tube can be used as a partial cement substitute in the mortar mixture, as shown in the Fig. 2. In addition, nanocarbon tubes made from tea waste were used as a partial cement substitute in a mortar sample. The table provides the chemical composition of nano carbon tubes derived from tea waste. Nevertheless, energy dispersive spectroscopy (DES) was performed on the nanocarbon tubes obtained from tea waste; the findings are illustrated in Fig. 3.

Table 1

Chemical compositions of cement and nano carbon tube from tea waste
Chemical element	Weight (%)	Carbon nano tube from tea waste	Limitation according to Iraqi Specification No.5/2019
CaO	62.3	5.19	-
SiO₂	20.28	54.25	-
Al₂O₃	5.55	12.88	-
Fe₂O₃	4.20	8.20	-
MgO	2.60	3.25	\(<\) 5.0
K₂O	0.75	4.05	-
Na₂O	0.4	2.15	-
SO3	2.5	1.59	\(<\)2.8
Lime saturation factor	0.81	0.99	0.66–1.02
Insoluble Remains	0.5	1.30	\(<\) 1.5
Free lime	0.65	0.80	-
Loss of Ignition (LOI)	3.10	5.2	-
Total	99.63	99.85	-

Mixing and specimen preparation

The quantities of these materials, including cement, fine aggregate, and nano carbon tube from tea waste are illustrated in Table 2. The mortar mixture’s design in Table 1 shows grade 30 concrete, which is widely used for slabs, exterior walls, and structure piles commercial concrete in construction. In this experimental work was used as cement replacement with proportions (1%, 2%, 3%, and 4%). The ratio of the water-cement (w/c) is 0.40 constant for all mortar mixes. To obtain the consistency and homogeneity of the mortar mixture, the materials were mixed in stages. For the production of the mortar, a mixer was used that rotated at 70 revolutions per minute. The fines were placed in the drum mixer and mixed for 3 minutes before adding the cement constituents (powder), nanocarbon tube, and PC according to the mix design. Water was added gradually and after the water was mixed, mixing continued for another 3 minutes till the mortar mixture became homogeneous and uniform. The workability of the mixture was evaluated after mixing and before casting. In line with the requirements of ASTM C109-02(Standard 2013), the samples were casted into a cube-shaped mould that have dimensions of 50 × 50 × 50 mm. In order to achieve the necessary overlay and homogeneous compaction, the samples were freed from air voids with the aid of a vibrating table. The samples were removed from the mold after one day and kept in water until testing according to ASTM C 511-03(ASTM 2003).The moulds were stored at room temperature in a laboratory for 24 hours before demolding. These samples were cured for 3,7,28 days in a water tank at a constant temperature of 25 ± 3 ºC for. A total of 45 cube samples were prepared, 3 cubes for each percentage of the mixture. Figure 4 shows the entire workflow for this experimental work.

Table 2

The Mix proportion in Kg/m³
Sample code	Replacement level	Water content (Kg/m³)	Cement content (Kg/m³)	Carbon nanotube content from tea waste (Kg/m³)
C.M	0%	176	440	0	1320
MM 1%	1%	176	435.6	4.4	1320
MM 2%	2%	176	431.2	8.8	1320
MM 3%	3%	176	426.8	13.2	1320
MM 4%	4%	176	422.4	17.6	1320
**C. M: Control Mix

*MM: Mortar Mix with various proportion Nano carbon tube from tea waste.

Testing Procedure

Initially, the slump flow diameter (SFD) of each sample was determined utilizing flow table according to ASTM C230 (ASTM C230 / C230M-14 2014). Then, the dry density was determined according to the specifications of ASTM C 642(ASTM 2006). The compressive test was conducted 3, 7, and 28 days after curing the cube-shaped samples. Utilizing hydraulic mechanical instruments, a calibrated compressive stress was applied. The compressive strength was assessed in compliance with the ASTM C109/C109 specifications(Standard). The ultrasonic pulse velocity technique has been used in accordance with the ASTM C597-09(ASTM 2016) standard for the nondestructive evaluation of material properties; this technique is used to study material homogeneity. This test is based on measuring the duration of ultrasound pulse transmission and calculating the velocity of ultrasound pulse propagation. The ultrasonic transverse velocity measurements were obtained using the transfer technique. The pulse velocity is established by dividing the specimen lengths by the travel times. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) is important for understanding the microstructure of pozzolanic material. SEM provides both morphological and chemical analyses of substances. In this study, mortar fragments resulting from the impact of hammers were placed on the probe SEM and the images were recorded.

Fresh Properties of mortar

Slump flow (workability)

slump Flow (workability) is defined as the proportional change in the radius of the mortar base after 25 drops on a flow table. Moreover, the rheology of each fresh mixture (control) and each nanocarbon tube made from tea waste as a cement replacement was evaluated using a simple flow table test before casting. The results of workability of fresh mortar are shown in Fig. 5 (b). In addition, Fig. 5(a) shows the flowability of mortar with nanocarbon tubes made from tea waste. With increasing substitution of nanocarbon tube from tea waste, the flowability (workability) of the mortar improved compared to the control group prepared without nanocarbon tube from tea waste. The workability improved along with the percentage increase due to the high fineness of the nanocarbon tube produced from tea waste, compared to the control blend. This is mainly due to the ultra-fine nature of the nanocarbon tube, which was extracted from tea waste and introduced into the mortar mixture. Usually, The nano-carbon tubes contained in the tea waste compact the material by filling the voids and reducing the porosity of the mortar. Consequently, the incorporation of nano carbon tube from tea waste stiffens the composite and increases the flowability of the mortar mixture in comparison to slump flow without nano carbon tube from tea waste. From the results obtained, it can be seen that the workability increased by 16% and 10% at higher percentages of replacement of 3% and 4%, respectively. These results are consistent with those of previous studies in which a decrease in slump was demonstrated (Jakhrani et al. 2019; Fang et al. 2022). According to (Fang et al. 2022) the primary results of previous studies showed that the workability of mortar containing tea waste as a cement substitute was increased due to the high fineness of tea waste and the treatment process for tea waste before use compared to flowing mortar without tea waste.

Dry Density of Mortar

The dry density of the hardened mortar mixture decreases as the substitution level increases. Figure 6 depicts an assessment of unit weight for each combination at 3, 7, and 28 days. The unit weight of the conventional mixture is about 2200 kg/m3. Nevertheless, the dry density values for all mortar combinations were lower than those of the reference mortar specimens. Furthermore, it has also been shown that increasing the amount of nanocarbon tubes from tea waste leads to a decrease in the dry density of the mortar mixture. The maximum reduction of 3.8% and 3.3 for 3% replacement of tea waste with nanocarbon tubes in mortar mix at 7 and 28 compared to dry density results of reference mortar specimens. Similarly, the maximum reduction of 7.6% and 6.4% for the 4% replacement of tea waste with nanocarbon tubes in the mortar mixture was observed after 7 and 28 days, respectively, when compared with the dry density results of reference mortar samples. These findings indicate that increasing the fineness of the nanocarbon tubes from tea waste reduces the dry density of the mortar mixture; however, this density can be increased by extending the curing time of the mortar mixture. The unit weight has dropped at comparable rates at both curing ages. This tendency is self-explanatory, since there is a notable disparity between the density of nano carbon tube produced from tea waste and the mortar's primary materials(Zhang et al. 2019; Cao et al. 2021; Horma et al. 2022). These findings are also consistent with those of prior investigations, which explored a reduction in the dry density of mortar samples(Parveen et al. 2015; Mohammed et al. 2021).

Mechanical properties of Mortar

Compressive Strength

The compressive strength findings for all mortar combinations and the standard mixture that were cured for 3, 7, and 28 days are presented in Fig. 7. The results show that the integration of nanocarbon from tea waste increases the compressive strength of conventional specimens by 19, 23, and 24 MPa after 3, 7, and 28 days, respectively. Moreover, based on the experimental data, it was found that up to 2% replacement was increased in the mortar mixture after 7 days of curing compared to the control samples. The increase in compressive strength is due to the lack of fluidity of the fresh mixture as a result of the increase in the percentage of nanocarbon tubes from tea waste, which increases the air voids. For the other replacement ratio was found to be decreased as Nano carbon tube from tea waste increased in the mortar mixture as shown in the figure below. The reduced compressive strength due to air voids increased and poor bonding between the cement paste and nano carbon tube from teas waste particles in the interfacial transition region. The compressive strength values of tea waste from nano carbon tube for comparison were 20.63 MPa, 23.72MPa, 19.81MPa, 20.1MPa for 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4% at 28 days of curing, respectively as cement substitute in the mortar mixture. A slight decline observed at 3% and 4% replacement ratio of tea waste from nano carbon tube by 21% and 20% respectively. This drop in strength is mostly attributable to the decreased bulk density of the mixtures. The portlandites, silicates, and aluminates in the nanocarbon tubes derived from tea waste accelerate the hydration process and improve the strength at an early age - compared to the control mixture(Neto et al. 2021). The development of C-S-H gel during cement hydration reaction increases the strength of nanocarbon pipe cement mortar from tea waste. The formation of ettringite is shown by SEM images to be the cause of the strength increase. Ettringite contributes to the acceleration of the hydration reaction and the diminution of shrinkage. These findings are also consistent with those of prior investigations, which explored a reduction in the compressive strength of mortar samples (Morsy et al. 2011; Manzur et al. 2014).

Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV)

Figure 8 shows the results of a test of ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) performed after 28 days. It was found that UPV values decrease slightly when a higher percentage of nanocarbon tube tea waste is used in the mixtures as the replacement of cement. The decrease in UPV results is due to the steadily decreasing compressive strength and dry density of the mortar mixture. However, the incorporation of nanocarbon tubes from tea waste significantly affects the UPV results of the mortar mixture. The decrease in UPV values could also be due to the bond between the nanocarbon tube from tea waste and the cement deteriorating. The primary cause of bond degradation is the size differences between nanocarbon tubes and cement particles. Note that the increase tube replacement ratio of tea waste from nano carbon in the concrete leads to increase the wave reflection time, therefore, the UPV decrease. Furthermore, The highest UPV was measured at 3620 (m/sec) with 1% partial replacement in the mortar mix compared to other replacement ratiosThe higher UPV values, especially at 1% substitution compared to the other substitution levels, are due to the smaller particles of the nanocarbon tube from the tea waste, which could have a homogeneous shape with the substrate. The UPV behaviour demonstrated similar trend as earlier discovered for the compressive strength (Hawreen et al. 2018). These findings are also consistent with those of prior investigations, which explored a reduction in the UPV of mortar samples (Zaheer and Hasan 2021).

Microstructural Analysis

The coupled scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is utilised to examine the morphological, elemental content, and microstructural properties of the nano carbon tube from tea waste modified mortar samples. The micromorphology of the particles obtained from the finished samples was studied using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) under conditions of low vacuum and a voltage of + 10 kV. After applying the reused nanocarbon pipe made from tea waste, the mortar softened; this tea waste acts as a binder by penetrating the structure and binding the particles. This binder produces voids, cavities, and needle-like and spherical forms, which could affect compressive strength. Despite this, the compressive strength of the mortar specimens decreased following alteration with nano carbon tube from tea waste.

Figure 9 (A and B) shows various phases of field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) morphologies of the standard mortar samples at 28 days after curing without any addition. Furthermore, were observed more Ca(OH)₂ crystals, which were large hexagonal plates and massive C-S-H shapes. A large amount of Ca(OH)₂ was produced from cement hydration due to the high amount of CaO present in ordinary Portland cement. These crystals are the source of strength for the cement paste. With used various ratios of nano carbon tube from tea waste were used as cement replacement at 28 days of curing as shown in Fig. 9 (C-F). As shown in the Fig. 9 (C) with 1% replacement in of nano carbon tube from tea waste showed the granular particles were observed for the C-S-H gel formulation, which lead to improve the pozzolanic properties of the samples. As shown in Fig. 9 (D) with 2% replacement in of nano carbon tube from tea waste showed cement hydration start react with nano carbon tube, which lead to pozzolanic reaction between the silica and Ca(OH)₂. The formulation in Fig. 9 (D) showed C-S-H gel consists of different shapes of fibrous in the mortar samples. As shown in Fig. 9 (E) with 3% replacement in of nano carbon tube from tea waste showed the particles were in the granular form and contain some of voids and porous in the samples. As shown in Fig. 9 (F) with 4% replacement of nano carbon tube from tea waste showed the granular particles, which is led to participate in the hydration process to generate C–S–H through reacting with nano particles. Overall, according to the SEM, C-S-H gel contains crystals of various shapes, including fibrous, massive, rosette, plumose, and finely granular. Furthermore, the results of the SEM test showed that the substitute of nano carbon tune from tea waste in the mixture had a greater number of C-S-H crystals than the original mixture. This was because the cement hydration caused a pozzolanic activity between the silica and the Ca(OH)2 that came from the cement hydration. Another reason is that concrete with a low water-cement ratio has little cracking. In addition, pozzolanic substances help to achieve the best compatibility and the treatment affects the final strength of the concrete.

This research examines the impact of a successful usage of waste nano carbon tubes from tea waste in the production of cement mortar. The nanocarbon tube obtained from tea waste was used in different percentages as a partial cement replacement. The behaviour of the introduction of nanocarbon tubes from tea waste into mixtures was studied. The cured compressive strength was measured after 3, 7, and 28 days, showing that a 2% nanocarbon tube made from tea waste exhibited good strength. The present study led to the following conclusions:

The incorporation of nano carbon tube from tea waste into mortar resulted in a reduction in cement use, thus indirectly reducing CO₂ emissions and the greenhouse impact. Furthermore, employing nano carbon tube derived from tea waste as a partial cement substitute in mortar might help prevent soil pollution and environmental degradation.
The physical properties and chemical composition of nano carbon tube from tea waste which is suitable to be used as pozzolanic materials and to be replaced for cement in accordance with the ASTM C-618 Standard.
The workability of nano carbon tube from tea waste increased as replacement ratios increased due to high fineness of tea waste and treatment process which lead to increase the flowability of the mixture.
The dry density of nano carbon tube from tea waste decreased as replacement level increased due to a clear gap existing between the density of nano carbon tube and main ingredients in the mortar mixture.
As the percentage of nano carbon tube from tea waste in mortar increased, the compressive strength at different ages decreases. Moreover, the results showed that 2% of nano carbon from tea waste as cement replacement improve the compressive strength compared to OPC in the mortar mixture.
- Ultrasonic plus velocity was tested for the quality of concrete, which led to a reduction when the percentage of replacement in the mortar samples because of the deterioration of the bond between tea waste from nano-carbon tube and cement in the mixture. The second reason is due to bonding between nano carbon particles and other concrete ingredients which lead to cracking and voids in the mortar specimens.
For the microstructural analysis, SEM image showed the formulation of C-S-H gel in the mixture which consists of different shapes such as fibrous, crystals, finely granular, and massive in the mortar mixture at 28 days.
As a general conclusion, using recycled nano carbon tube as cement replacement can be used in concrete production at certain replacement rates. This approach reduces cement production, gasses emissions, and helps to conserve natural resources. In addition, recycled nano carbon tube from tea waste can be utilized in a wide range of applications, including sub-bases for highway pavements and highway medians, as well as different non-structural components whereby strength is not a crucial aspect.

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank Ministry of High Education and Universiti Malaysia Pahang for supporting the study through the following financial grant Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) FRGS/1/2022/TK01/UMP/02/5 (RDU) (220112) as well as Internal Research Grants (RDU) ((223313).

Authors' Contribution

Mohammad I. Al Biajawi: Writing- Original draft preparation, Writing Reviewing and Editing. Nahla Hilal (corresponding author): idea of concept; planning; experimental work done; validation; resources; data curation; review and editing for this manuscript. May F.Abdulrahman: data curation; validation for this manuscript. Wahran M.Saod : planning and designing; validation; for this manuscript. Rahimah Embong: writing-review and Editing for the manuscript. Nadhim Hamah Sor: planning; validation; resources; data curation for this manuscript.

Funding

Data Availability

Data will be made available on request.

Competing Interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies involving animals or human participants performed by any of the authors.

Ethics Approval

We confirm the ethic approval.

Consent to Participate

All the authors and contributors have consent for this article.

Consent for Publication

All authors and contributors have consent to publish in this journal.

Conflicts of Interest/Competing Interests

There are no conflicts/competing of interests.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nahla Hilal (: [email protected])

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published 26 Dec, 2023

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Editorial decision: Major Revision
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Investigation the effect of nano carbon tube prepared from tea waste on Microstructure and properties of cement mortar

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Journal Publication

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Abstract

Figures

Introduction

Research Significance

Experimental Program

Results And Discussion

Fresh Properties of mortar

Slump flow (workability)

Dry Density of Mortar

Mechanical properties of Mortar

Compressive Strength

Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV)

Conclusion

Declarations

References

Status:

Journal Publication

Version 1