INCORPORATING BENTONITE PARTIALLY IN PLACE OF CEMENT-AN ASSESSMENT OF STRENGTH AND DURABILITY PROPERTIES

The Production of cement exposes 7% of CO2 in the atmosphere, which is one of the reasons of Global Warming. Bentonite, a product of volcanic ash is a rich source of silica which substitutes cement which has homogeneous properties. Two types of concrete is prepared with different water-binder ratio of 0.45 and 0.50 designed for M25 with 10%, 20%, 30% replacement. The compressive strength and tensile strength are determined at 7, 28 days and carbonation test are carried out with exposure condition of 6 days. The results obtained from Bentonite replacement are i) Compressive Strength and Tensile strength is achieved on long term basis. ii) Carbonation penetration depth is about 20% less when compared to ordinary PCC.