Abstract
This study had investigated the admixture properties of plantain peels ash through a series of laboratory experiments. This
was targeted at obtaining an effective admixture while liberating the environment from the menace of environmental
pollution arising from indiscriminate disposal of agricultural wastes. Plantain peels ash was added to dry cement at 11
different percentage additions at 0%, 0.2%, 0.4% up to 2.0% at 0.2% interval for cement pastes and mortar. The cement
paste was tested for setting time and soundness to BS EN 196:3-1995 while mortar prisms were tested for flexural and
compressive strength to BS EN 196:1 1995, after which, scan electron microscopy (SEM) was carried out on samples of
mortar tested at 28 days. Setting time tests results has indicated a retardation of setting of the cement paste of about 222
minutes occurring at the 1.0% addition of the PPA whereas the early strength development of the cement was delayed by the
ash additions as indicated by the strength tests since it was observed that the ash significantly delay early strength
development of the cement mortar. This is particularly evident at 2 days at which 5.26N/mm2 compressive strength was
obtained in control specimen while 4.64N/mm2 was obtained at 0.2% ash content, and it has continued to slightly decrease
with increase in the ash up to 1.4% beyond which the trend ceased’ From the soundness test results, the ash was found to
have no impact on the soundness of the cement as the maximum expansion recorded was 1mm at 0.2% and 1.0% ash
contents. The result of the SEM analysis indicated that a mortar prism with higher ash contents te nds to have a more porous
microstructure. Based on the results, the ash was categorized into a class of set retarding admixture as per the provisions of
BS EN 934 part 2(2001) while the optimum ash content recommended for use is 1.0% by weight of cement.

Key words: Admixture Properties, Plantain Peels, Ash, Cement Strength,