The effect of curing conditions on the strength of masonry blocks incorporating palm oil fuel ash

Palm Oil Fuel Ash (POFA) is a by-product of the palm oil industry that is often disposed at landfills. In oil palm-producing countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, the high amount of POFA waste disposal is undoubtedly an environmental problem that needs to be overcome to contribute towards zero-carbon emissions by 2050. This paper presents the incorporation of POFA as a partial cement replacement in the production of concrete masonry blocks – a common building material in developing countries. In this study, the cement con�tent by weight of a conventional concrete masonry block was replaced incremen�tally at 10% interval until 30% with ground POFA. The specimens were either cured in water or left dry and tested after 28 days of curing for density, compressive strength and water absorption rate based on standard testing requirements. A general observation has been taken note on the superior results of water-cured masonry blocks with up to 20% POFA content. The results of this study is antic�ipated to add value to the present knowledge bank on incorporating waste material into sustainable building material research and development. In general, POFA is a highly potential replacement for cement, but further studies need to be done to ensure consistency in performance and for industrial application