A Consequential Life Cycle Assessment of Coconut Shell Ash as a Supplementary Cementitious Material

A Consequential Life Cycle Assessment of Coconut Shell Ash as a Supplementary Cementitious Material | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article A Consequential Life Cycle Assessment of Coconut Shell Ash as a Supplementary Cementitious Material Nicolas Bertoldo, Nicola Cefis, Enrico Paris, Francesco Gallucci, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8427130/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Concrete is essential in construction, but its production is energy-intensive and polluting. This study investigates using coconut shell ash (CSA) as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM). This approach not only prevents waste but also recovers energy from the combustion of coconut shells. India was selected as a case study, being the third-largest coconut producer and the second-largest cement manufacturer.The research employs a Consequential Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to systematically evaluate the environmental performance of these novel concrete mixes, alongside a comprehensive assessment of the pozzolanic activity of the ashes, and mechanical properties to confirm structural suitability. We conducted an extensive global sensitivity analysis (GSA) on the system parameters, since we are assessing a future scenario and the model is uncertain, particularly concerning the current treatment in India.Including CSA in the concrete mix significantly reduces flexural and compressive strength, primarily because the ash lacks effective pozzolanic properties and acts mainly as an inert filler that retains water, hindering optimal cement hydration. Results demonstrate significant reductions in environmental impacts across 13 of 16 assessed impact categories, primarily due to the substitution of heat and electricity from incineration. These results are confirmed by the GSA.While incinerating coconut shells in India significantly reduces the GWP, primarily due to energy recovery, the resulting ashes are not suitable as a SCM due to their poor mechanical performance, lack of pozzolanic reactivity, and high carbon content. Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files Supplementaryinformation.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8427130","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":584890008,"identity":"62a2d962-d2f5-40c7-b900-374ffb99403f","order_by":0,"name":"Nicolas 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