POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

Using shells as an Alternative additive in making Construction Materials:

Tiles, Concrete, Bricks, and Cement

A Thesis
Presented to
The department of
Institute of Technology
Polytechnic University of the Philippines

In Partial fulfillment
of the Requirement for
Civil Engineering Project 1

by:
Bombales, Joshua
Carido, Erika B.
Nares, Hernan Q.
Tan,Garien Mae T.

April 2021
 POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

CHAPTER I
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Aggregates are raw material in construction materials like cement,

bitumen, lime, gypsum, or other adhesives. Aggregates make up 60%-80% of the

volume of concrete and 70%-85% of the mass of concrete. Aggregate is also

important for volume, stability, strength, resistance to wear, and other desired

physical properties to the finished product. Commonly used aggregates are sand,

gravel, slag, and burned clay.

The production of sand and gravel are unsustainable. Excessive mining of

sand and gravel causes the degradation of rivers and streams. Reduction of sand in

the streambed and along the coastal area causes the deepening of streams and

rivers. It also affects the sea level that may resulted in the destruction of aquatic

habitat. This is the reason why there is a need of alternative aggregate.

Calcium carbonate is commonly use in the construction industry, either as a

building material, or limestone aggregate for road building, as an ingredient of

cement, or as the starting material for the preparation of builders' lime by burning in

a kiln. Marine shells or skeletons such as corals, oysters, clams, and mussels contain

calcium carbonate. Marine shells are composed of 95% calcium carbonate, and the

remainder is organic matter and other compounds.

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 POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

Philippines’ coastal waters cover an area of 266,000 square kilometers. 70%

of all the country’s municipalities are in the coastal areas which is 1,500

municipalities, due to large coverage of coastal water in the country marine life is

abundant. Philippines has huge production of oyster and mussel. According to the

Aquaculture Philippines 2021, in 2014 the recorded production of oyster is 22,355

metric tons and mussel is 18, 762 metric tons. The shells of mussel and oyster are

discarded on the environment. The discarded shells are wasted source of calcium

carbonate. Using Marine shells as an aggregate can help the production of

construction materials, and it can also help the environment by repurposing the

discarded marine shells.

The continuous development of the Philippines causing the rising demand of

construction materials such as tiles, concrete, bricks, and cement. Finding alternative

aggregate helps to reduce the need of unsustainable aggregates.

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 POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

Statement of the Problem

The general problem of this study is to use shells as an Alternative additive in

making Construction Materials: Tiles, Concrete, Bricks, and Cement.

Specifically, it will seek to answer the following specific questions:

1. How to develop construction materials with marine shell as an additive?

2. How much pulverized marine shell needed to produce construction material?

3. Determine the durability of construction materials with marine shell as an additive

in terms of:

3. 1 Durability; and

3. 2 Tensile strengths?

Objective of the Study

The main objective of this study is to develop construction materials

such as tiles, concrete, bricks, and cement with pulverized marine shell as an

additive. Through pulverized marine shells researchers would like to develop a

construction material that can be used as an alternative for current commercial

construction materials.

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 POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

Significance of the Study

The result of this study was beneficial to the following:

Future Researchers. This study can help other researchers, who may use

this research as basis and a source of document regarding to the use of shells as an

Alternative additive in making Construction Materials: Tiles, Concrete, Bricks, and

Cement.

Manufacturers. This study can help some manufacturers, who may use this

research to further develop construction materials such as tiles, concrete, bricks, and

cement with pulverize marine shell as an alternative additive

Community. The result of the study may help the environment to reduce

marine shell waste materials and lessen the natural hazards that the country

experience nowadays. It will also help the environment by reducing waste materials

like marine shell.

Students. This study can help other students, who may use this research as

basis and a source of document regarding to the use of shells as an Alternative

additive in making Construction Materials: Tiles, Concrete, Bricks, and Cement.

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 POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

Scope and Delimitations of the Study

This study is primarily focused on using pulverized marine shell such as oyster

shell as an aggregate in making bricks, tiles, concrete and cement. Examinations are

to be done to see the effectiveness of consolidating pulverized shells as an additive

mixture. Pulverized oyster shell shall be used as the major additive component of

fabricating the following: Bricks, Tiles, Concrete and Cement. This study will undergo

to 4 following set-ups. The first set up will be having a pure pulverized shell. Second

set up will be the 1:1 ratio of pulverized shell and commercial materials, consecutively

to the following construction materials to be test; Bricks, Tiles, Concrete, Cement.

Third set up will be 7:3 ratio of pulverized shell and commercial materials,

consecutively to the following construction materials to be test; Bricks, Tiles,

Concrete, Cement. And the last set up will be pure commercial materials. This study

will take place in one of the researcher's houses located at San Jose del Monte,

Bulacan.

Hypothesis

Null Hypothesis:

Without pulverized oyster shells as an additive mixture in making Tiles,

Bricks, Concrete and Cement, the stronger product it becomes.

Alternative Hypothesis:

The more the pulverized oyster shells as an additive mixture in making Tiles,

Bricks, Concrete and Cement, the stronger product it becomes.

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 POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

Definition of terms:

Additives- a substance added to another in relatively small amounts to effect a

desired change in properties.

Aggregates- are inert granular materials such as sand, gravel, or crushed stone

that, along with water and Portland cement, are an essential ingredient in concrete.

Bricks- is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in

masonry construction. Properly, the term brick denotes a block composed of dried

clay but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured construction

blocks.

Calcium Carbonate- is a chemical compound with the formula CaCO3. It is a

common substance found in rocks as the mineral’s calcite and aragonite (most

notably as limestone, which is a type of sedimentary rock consisting mainly of

calcite) and is the main component of eggshells, snail shells, seashells and pearls.

Cement- is a binder, a substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and

adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its

own, but rather to bind sand and gravel together. Cement mixed with fine aggregate

produces mortar for masonry, or with sand and gravel, produces concrete.

Concrete- is a composite material, consisting mainly of Portland cement, water and

aggregate (gravel, sand or rock). When these materials are mixed together, they

form a workable paste which then gradually hardens over time.

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 POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

Shell- is a hard, protective outer layer usually created by an animal that lives in the

sea

Pulverized- means to reduce to fine particles.

Tiles- a flat or curved piece of fired clay, stone, or concrete used especially for

roofs, floors, or walls and often for ornamental work