Microstructural Analysis of blended Guinea-Corn Stalk and Saw-Dust Ash for Cement Mixture of Interlocking Concrete Block

The utilization of interlocking concrete blocks in sustainable construction has garnered considerable attention owing to their intrinsic benefits, which comprise decreased mortar requirements, improved stability, and simplicity of assembly. This study investigates the influence of incorporating agricultural waste materials, specifically Guinea-Corn Stalk (GCS) and saw dust, on the microstructural properties of interlocking concrete blocks. The recovered GCS and sawdust wastes were calcinated and the ashes were mixed with ordinary plotland cement (OPC) and grounded granite particles in the proportion of 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 wt.% to create a blended cement solid sample. The samples were then cured for 28 days, after with Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis, a lower and higher magnifications of 26,0000x and 30000x, respectively were then analyzed. The results suggest that the addition of guinea-corn stalk ash (GCSA) and sawdust ash (SDA) with cement in relatively low proportion retains good calcium content in the cement, while higher proportion decreases the calcium composition, which could implicate heavy constructions.