Influence of Empty Fruit Bunch Stalk and Spikelet Fibres on the Mechanical Properties of Cement-stabilised Soil

The performance of natural-fibre reinforced cement stabilized soil prepared differently with stalk and spikelet from empty fruit bunch (EFB) was investigated. Standard test specimens were prepared with fibre loading varied from 0 to 3.0wt% and tested in compression and flexure for cured strength after 7 and 28 days. The densities of the composites were also determined. The test results are compared for cement stabilized soil without fibre additions as well as between reinforcement with stalk or spikelet fibre. The introduction of fibres prominently improves the compressive and bending strength of the composites, suggesting possibilities of reducing cement additions by introducing natural fibre reinforcements. The improvement for spikelet fibre reinforced soil is consistently higher for spikelet fibres than for stalk fibre. The separation and differentiated use of stalk and spikelet presents the possibility of enhancing the sustainability of recycling EFB for competing uses in nutrient recycling and natural fibre production