Evaluation of the Strength properties of Sarooj based concrete design

Despite having several negative effects on human life and the environment, cement is the main component of concrete. Carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere as a byproduct of cement production. As a result, cement production must be curtailed to lessen environmental impact. Therefore, it was crucial to find a material that could replace cement but wouldn’t harm people or the environment in the process. When compared to cement, burnt clay (or sarooj) is seen as more eco-friendly because of its similar properties and uses. It was investigated in this study whether sarooj could be used to replace cement in concrete at different percentages (0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%). Several tests, including a sarooj chemical test, a slump test, a water absorption test, a rebound hammer test, a compressive strength test, and a flexural strength test, were performed on the concrete to ascertain its mechanical qualities. Based on the results, 10% sarooj is the best option because it outperforms 20%, 30%, and 40% in compressive and flexural strength, respectively.


Introduction
The Earth's natural materials can be used as a sustainable alternate to manufacture ones in construction.In the past, cement wasn't readily available in Middle Eastern countries, so Omani architects had to find alternatives like sarooj.Cement was crucial in the construction of the ancient world.Mortar was made from sand and lime by the Romans and Greeks, while cement was made from calcined gypsum by the Egyptians [1].
There are problems and significant challenges in the construction industry everywhere [2]; the earliest use of cement dates back to the Egyptian civilization.This includes issues such as the number of workers, the quality of their work, the cleanliness of the environment, the reliability of transportation and water supplies, the quality of raw materials, the longevity of construction products, their resistance to chemicals, and much more.Gypsum and limestone cement was used to build Egypt's massive pyramids.The durability of the cement used is evidenced by the fact that these pyramids have survived to the present day.However, it is important to note that modern cement is not the same as Egyptian cement.Later, during the Roman era, the idea of cement advanced.Pozzolana and slaked lime were used by the Romans in the construction of many noteworthy buildings [3].When it comes to binders in modern construction, cement is widely regarded as indispensable.Marble, shells, chalk, slate, clay, and shale are some of the other materials that may be included in cement along with sand (silicon), limestone (calcium), iron ore, and bauxite (aluminium).Cement and water, through a series of chemical reactions, form a paste that is then used to secure the building's components together [4].The increase in environmental pollution can be directly attributed to the building industry.New technologies, however, like the use of PET in concrete mixtures, have shown to be an effective answer to the problem of environmental pollution [5].Saroj, a calcined clay pozzolana, was used as a cementing material in ancient times by being combined with water and lime.Houses, bridges, dams, and other man-made structures have all benefited from the use of sarooj in engineering.For thousands of years, sarooj was a staple in Omani forts, castles, and homes.However, these days the sarooj is only employed in the restoration of forts and castles [6].In the traditional Omani method of making sarooj, the raw materials are gathered from fields and farms.These ingredients go through a sieve to get rid of any debris or large pieces.The soil is then wetted down and left to sit for at least three days so that it can absorb as much moisture as possible.The dry leaves are placed between the dry logs and help to facilitate the burning process.A bedform is used to compact the soil on the third layer, and a fire is lit within the container.Sarooj, or soil that has been burned, should be left in the same spot for about two months before being collected and used [7].
More time and money must be invested in the manufacturing of concrete in order to ensure that the material has the desired long-term durability, strength, and structural sustainability.Concrete is also the most important material used in construction.Cement is the backbone of concrete, but making it causes a lot of pollution and climate change.Pozzolana is a silicate that, when combined with calcium hydroxide, hydrates the cement and creates additional cementitious materials.Since more than 25% of hydrated Portland cement is calcium hydroxide, and since this component does not add to the durability and strength of concrete, its consumption is viewed favourably.Pozzolana reacts with calcium hydroxide to produce calcium silicate hydrate, which is crucial for the durability of the concrete.Pozzolana's chemical make-up and particle size determine concrete's tensile strength.The use of clay in place of cement results in chemical activation and a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions [8].
Cement has a long history of use in Iraqi construction and is therefore widely used there.The ancient structure, made of bricks and cement, represents one of the most pivotal figures in Iraq's rich history.Because of its advanced age, this architectural style necessitates modernizations and repairs, such as the installation of sarooj to reinforce the brick and cement columns.Cement mortar (organic binder) is used in place of epoxy... sarooj mortar (compressive strength 50MPa and 0.76MPa, respectively) [9].
Cement is frequently used as a road filler, despite the fact that it is extremely hazardous to the environment due to the presence of toxic metals and other inorganic elements it contains.This cement can then be used in a variety of primary applications after metal values have been recovered using an appropriate leaching processing strategy.After being processed into useful goods or used as a raw material substitute in the production of useful goods, sarooj becomes an effective product and garners interest as a potential raw material with less hazardous, reduced toxicity [10].
Stone buildings are typical in the Dhofar region of southern Oman.Due to modernization efforts initiated during Sultan Qaboos's rule beginning in the 1970s, however, industrial construction materials have largely replaced traditional ones.Due to the lack of research into conventional production methods and product use, many buildings are in jeopardy of being lost forever.Traditional masons in the area have told me that sarooj is used for joints and finishing touches on walls, while nurah is used for the construction of floors and walls [11].
Cement prices are a major issue currently.As a result, it needs to be sturdy enough.Because of this criticality, new approaches have been developed, some of which are discussed in research and make use of materials like Sarooj, Lime, Bagasse Ash, Rice Hush Ashpowder, and base Graduated Blast Furnace to reduce the swelling potential of cement and increase its strength.Concrete is responsible for the most notable increase in fluid cutoff expansion.It's worth noting that using ten percent lime, ten percent cement, ten percent Sarooj, and four percent cement plus lime all improved quality as much as was practically possible.To take advantage of this setting, we first augmented the swell weight with expansions of 4% sarooj, 4% lime+4% cement, and 6% lime+6% cement [12].
Modern construction sustainability rests on the development of new, low-emission building materials, making life cycle analysis an essential part of this process (LCA).Traditional cement, mortar, plasters, and other concrete-based products are increasingly used, contributing to urban heat and discomfort.Sarooj is a man-made cementitious and pozzolana material obtained by the traditional calcination of unprocessed clayed soil.Although sarooj had been widely used in Oman and the neighboring countries for centuries in a variety of architectural and defensive contexts, its application in these areas has become much more restricted in recent decades.The primary purpose of this research is to enhance the physical mechanical properties of the ancient manufactured Sarooj and develop it into a binding product while also reducing its impact on the environment [13].
The primary goal of this research is to determine whether carbon-dioxide-causing carbon-cement substitution is feasible.While cement is essential to the making of concrete, it does have some unfavorable effects on both human and environmental health.Carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere during the cement manufacturing process.Decreased cement production is therefore necessary to lessen environmental damage.Because of this, finding an alternative to cement that doesn't harm people or the planet was of the utmost importance.One environmentally friendly material that serves the same purpose and has similar properties to cement is burnt clay (sarooj).Experimental results from a range of cement replacement percentages (0-40%) in concrete using sarooj are presented.Numerous tests, such as a sarooj chemical analysis, a slump test, a water absorption test, a rebound hammer test, a compressive strength test, and a flexural strength test, were carried out to evaluate the mechanical properties of the concrete.From what we can tell, 10% sarooj has greater compressive and flexural strength than 20%, 30%, and 40% sarooj, so it's the one we recommend using.
These are our goals: -1.Create a method for precisely mixing concrete Create a concrete recipe using sarooj as a partial replacement for cement (10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%, respectively).
Third, to compare mechanical properties fairly across developed mix designs.This paper investigates the effects of sarooj cement replacement on concrete properties.Concrete mixtures with and without sarooj additions of 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% were tested.A variety of tests, including those for chemical composition, slump, water absorption, rebound hammer strength, compressive strength, and flexural strength, were carried out to determine the concrete's qualities.

Literature review
Five different methods were tested to determine if rice husk, a common form of agricultural waste, could be used to make a highly reactive ash that could be used in the production of durable concrete-based products.The methods included optimising rice husk ash with refined combustion methods, testing the pozzolanic activity of the prepared husk ash, boosting mortar strength with the material, conducting a sulphate effect experiment to probe the substance's potential longevity, and assessing the impact of the material on the environment.There has been an increase in the percentage of rice husk ash in the mortar mix, but this has not resulted in increased compressive strength.[14].
Concrete and cement are two of the most widely used man-made materials, and their applications are currently under scrutiny.Cement and concrete production places a strain on limited resources like water while also generating a large amount of greenhouse gas emissions.We zero in on tweaks that can be made all the way through the value chain, like increasing the clinker content of cement and incorporating additional cementitious ingredients.If everyone gets on board, the sum of these small gains can have a huge impact on reducing emissions of greenhouse gases by as much as half.
A slight binding of the cement mixture does occur, however, when moving up the value chain.[15].Graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets and other 2D nanomaterials have demonstrated promising results in reinforcing and enhancing the functionality of composites based on ordinary Portland cement (OPC).
These researchers used tetraethyl orthosilicate to create a nanoscale sheet of graphene oxide (GO) (TEOS).To better understand graphene oxide (GO), we first defined it and then compared its distribution in cement pore solution to that of graphene oxide spheres (GOS).The thin silica layer served as a spacer, resulting in low aggregation [16].
There have been recent innovations in how organic waste fibres are put to use.Egypt has a large number of landfills where a wide variety of organic waste is dumped.Both human and environmental health are put at risk by these actions.Recycling and reusing the solid wastes, especially organic waste fibres, is encouraged by a variety of international waste management policies, and the decision-making community is well aware that doing so is an efficient way to get rid of these materials.It takes some finesse to recycle in this manner [17].
Studies have been conducted on the carbonating of concrete-based materials for carbon dioxide sequence, including their carbon dioxide sequestration capacity, the effects of carbonating on the mechanical and physical behaviour of concrete and recycling aggregate, methods for increasing efficiency, and ways to speed up the sequence.The effectiveness of cement-based materials at sequestering carbon dioxide is highly dependent on factors such as the amount of liquid water present, the size of the sample, the surrounding pressure, the concentration of carbon dioxide, and the temperature [18].The cement matrix, formed when cement is combined with water, is the essential component of the composite.The remaining parts are made up of inorganic, metallic, and polymeric substances.Cement composites, of which concrete is the most common, are crucial to the building of safe and comfortable homes for people all over the world.Different types of fibre reinforced cement composites (FRCCs) with varying levels of mechanical strength can improve functionality.Cementbased composites, despite their widespread use, have poor tensile strength and fracture resilience [19].Cement companies are using their enormous processing capacity to deal with the rising tide of municipal trash (MSW).The growing number of incineration units has raised the question of whether or not cement kiln co-processing (CKC) should be used as an additional method of managing municipal solid waste.The MSW treatment pressure and its temporal and geographical evolution in the provinces were statistically evaluated, and the CKC promotion and emission reduction potential for adjusting to regional MSW demand were estimated, using a large amount of recent data and information [20].
Carbon emissions from the concrete sector have emerged as a major environmental issue in recent years.Partial cement alternatives, nanotechnology, and carbon capture and storage are all being used to lower the concrete industry's carbon footprint.To make the cement industry more environmentally friendly, a suite of measures is proposed.incorporates three distinct methods for making eco-friendly cement (CCS, SCMs, and nanotechnology).[21] In doing so, it finds a happy medium between short-term gain and long-term sustainability.The degradation of cementitious materials is typically caused by sulphate attack.In contrast to XRD, SEM-EDS, and 29Si NMR, we investigated the effects of pH value on the hydration phase, morphology, and microstructure of concrete hydration products under sulphate assault.Lowering the pH of the sulphate solution causes the concrete paste to precipitate gypsum crystals with platelet and columnar shapes, while ettringite growth is stifled.Research [22] investigated the full hydration and corrosion progression mechanism of concrete when sulphate was present.While Portland cement's widespread use in construction is unquestionable, the manufacturing process is extremely energy intensive and contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions.This Expansion's alkali activators are responsible for nearly eighty-one percent of the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.By switching out the cement, we were able to cut emissions by 388.85 kgCO2-eq/m3.It was more likely that countries like Europe and the United States would take steps to reduce their carbon emissions.The environmental impact of transporting locally sourced materials by rail is lower than that of driving.When larger ships are used, carbon emissions may be reduced [23].1282 (2023) 012013 IOP Publishing doi:10.1088/1757-899X/1282/1/0120135

Materials Used
The materials that used in this project are:

Sarooj:
Sarooj is used as cementing material and it is produced by burning a specific type of clay using date trees as fuel.Sarooj is a mixture of water, lime, and calcined clay.

Cement:
Cement is made by burning clay and limestone at temperature 1300 C° and 1400 C°.Cement is the main substance in concrete, and it is used to bind the building materials together.

Aggregates:
Aggregates strongly affect the concrete properties, mixture proportions, and economy because the aggregates occupy from 60% to 75% of concrete.Therefore, choosing the proper type and quality of aggregates to use in concrete is significant because the aggregates occupy a high percentage.The types of aggregates that were used are coarse aggregate and fine aggregate.Coarse aggregates are crushed stones with a 5 mm size or gravel.Fine aggregates are sand or crushed stones less than 5 mm in size.

Water:
The water quantity controls several properties in concrete, such as permeability, durability, workability, compressive strength, and weathering.Therefore, controlling the water quantity in concrete is crucial for constructability and service life.

The Chemical Test of Sarooj
Cement's chemical composition may be analysed to learn a great deal about how concrete fails.Chemical tests are the ones used on concrete constructions the most commonly.Based on the chemical test results, sarooj consists of several compounds such as Sulfur Trioxide (SO3), Aluminum Oxide (Al2O3), Magnesium Oxide (MgO), Calcium Oxide (CaO) and Silicon Dioxide (SiO2), and the percentage of each component is 6.04%, 7.91%, 11.19%, 20.02%, and 26.56% respectively

Discussion and 4. Methodology
To study the possibility of replacing the cement with sarooj, several tests must be done to check the properties of conventional concrete and 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%.Slump tests, water absorption tests, rebound hammer tests, compressive strength tests, and flexural strength tests were performed on fresh and hardened concrete.These tests were performed after 7 and 28 days of curing, respectively.

The Effect of Sarooj Percentage in Workability of Concrete
A concrete slump test measures the consistency of a mixture to establish how easily it will flow.The test not only ensures that each batch is consistent, but it also identifies any defects in the mixture so that the operator can correct them before pouring.
According to the slump test results, the result of conventional cement was 40 mm, while the results of 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% of sarooj in concrete were 40mm, 35mm, 35mm, and 25mm respectively.It is observed that when the percentage of sarooj increased the workability of concrete decreased.

The Effect of Sarooj Percentage in Moisture content of Concrete
The water absorption test reveals how quickly the inner and outer surfaces of the concrete absorb water (sorptivity).Submerging concrete in water can give an estimate of its total (reachable) pore volume, but it won't reveal the concrete's permeability, which is more important for durability.Water absorption tests conducted after seven days of curing showed that regular concrete had a result of 13%, while concrete containing 10%, 20%, 30%, or 40% sarooj had results of 28%, 65%, 46%, or 37%.Water absorption tests revealed that standard concrete, after 28 days of curing, absorbed 18% of the water used in the test, while concrete containing 10%, 20%, 30%, or 40% sarooj absorbed 19%, 26%, 22%, or 39% of the water used in the test, respectively.This is because sarooj concrete has a high pore content, which allows for a greater absorption of water.The ability of a substance to withstand cracking and splitting defines its compressive strength.In this test, we determined the maximum compression that could be applied to the cement specimen without breaking it, as well as the impact force applied to both sides of the mortar specimen made of cement.Following seven days of curing, the compressive strength of standard concrete was determined to be 31 MPa, whereas the values for 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% were 22 MPa, 21 MPa, 19 MPa, and 15 MPa, respectively.The compressive strength of conventional concrete after 28 days of curing was 33 MPa, while the results for 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% sarooj in concrete were 28 MPa, 26 MPa, 24 MPa, and 23 MPa, respectively.The compressive strength of conventional concrete is greater than that of sarooj concretes after 7 and 28 days of curing.As the sarooj proportion in concrete increased, the compressive strength fell, but overall, sarooj concrete got stronger over time.Early strength in concrete is a result of the presence of tricalcium silicate (C3S), which is present in cement.The cement content of traditional concrete is higher than that of sarooj concrete.Because of this, the reaction time for sarooj is much longer than that of cement.The sarooj thus functions as a retardant, altering the rate of hydration at the outset, and thus the rate at which strength in built [24].After curing for 28 days, the flexural strength test revealed that regular concrete had a result of 11 MPa, while the results for 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% were 7, 4, 3, and 2 MPa, respectively.Test results were obtained because the standard concrete had cured for 28 days.

The Effect of Sarooj Percentage in Flexural Strength of Concrete by Using Flexural Strength Tes
As a result, it appears that conventional concrete has a higher flexural strength than sarooj does.
Furthermore, it demonstrates that sarooj proportion is inversely related to flexural strength.

Figure 6. The Flexural Strength Tests Results
• The percentages of the various ingredients in sarooj are as follows: 6.04% sulphur trioxide (SO3)
• Compared to sarooj concrete, regular concrete is easier to work with.The workability of concrete ranged from 40 mm for 10% sarooj to 25 mm for 40% sarooj.What this means is that adding more sarooj to concrete makes it less workable.• In comparison to standard concrete, karoo concrete has a higher moisture content.The high pore content of sarooj concrete is responsible for its high-water absorption [25].• When comparing the compressive strength of conventional concrete and sarooj concrete, the former has a higher value after 7 days of curing and after 28 days of curing, as measured by the rebound hammer test and the compressive strength test.After seven days of curing, the compressive strength of both regular concrete (26 N/mm2) and concrete with 10% sarooj (24 N/mm2) was measured using the rebound hammer test.The compressive strength test revealed that after seven days of curing, conventional concrete had a compressive strength of 31 MPa, while concrete containing 10% sarooj had a compressive strength of 22 MPa.A rise in compressive strength was observed after 28 days of curing for both traditional and sarooj concrete.Compressive strength also decreased with increasing sarooj content.• After 28 days of curing, conventional concrete had a flexural strength of 11 MPa, while sarooj at 10% only had a flexural strength of 7 MPa.The flexural strength also rose along with the sarooj content.For comparison, the flexural strength of 10% sarooj was 7 MPa, while that of 40% was only 2 MPa.• Since 10% sarooj has higher compressive and flexural strength than 20%, 30%, and 40% sarooj, it can be concluded that this percentage can be used.
We would like to extend our gratitude to the management and lab staffs of the Middle East College for their assistance in the successful completion of the studies.We would also like to thank those members of the faculty who participated either directly or indirectly to the project 1282 (2023) 012013 IOP Publishing doi:10.1088/1757-899X/1282/1/012013 2

Figure 1 .
Figure 1.The Chemical Test Results of Sarooj

Figure 2 .
Figure 2. The slump Test Results

Figure 3 .
Figure 3.The Water Absorption Test Results

Figure 5 .
Figure 5.The Compressive Strength Tests Results