Refereed Journals

The treatment of clay through a calcination process at high temperatures have been theusual and a common means of producing clay pozzolan as a supplementary cementitiousmaterial. However incorporating waste biomass as a component material in clay is veryuncommon. This work analyzed the use of palm kernel shells as a component material inclay and were calcined at a high temperature of 800C. The palm kernel shells were used toreplace clay at 10%, 20% and 30% by weight. Strength activity index prescribed by ASTMC311 was used to determine the maximum mixture proportion between calcined clay andpalm kernel shells. The calcined clay and palm kernel shell mixtures that gave themaximum strength were subjected to an incremental replacement dosage of Portlandcement between 10% and 40% by weight. Test results indicated that the maximum strengthmixture proportion between clay and palm kernel shells was obtained at 20% replacementof clay. Moreover the maximum value that showed a better strength performance throughthe incremental replacement by the calcined material was also at 20% Portland cementreplacement. The study recommended the use of palm kernel shells to a limit of 20% clayreplacement. The is because at higher content of palm kernel shells in clay calcined at a hightemperature, more unreactive crystalline phases are formed that inhibit reactivity ofpozzolanic active phases. The use of 20 wt.% of palm kernel shells in clay to produce asupplementary cementitious material provides a sustainable means of waste disposal viaconstruction application.

Greener technologies and sustainable developments are currently among the main tools used by many industries in shaping the
world for a better future. The construction industry that is known to have numerous negative impact on sustainability is now
wide awake on sustainable measures which can aid in reducing its negative impact. In this work, green cement was produced
from pyroprocessed clay (PC) at 800∘C and mixed together with Portland cement. This paper presents both laboratory tests and some field applications of green cement application. Laboratory tests performed included setting times, compressive strength, and shrinkage. Field applications of the green cement are shown. Results fromthe work showed that well-proportioned greener cement gained strengths between 11% and 30% more than Portland cement at standard curing period of 3, 7, 14, and 28 days. However, in real statistical terms, there was no difference between Portland cement and green cement strength performance. Shrinkage from both total and autogenous tests also showed insignificant differences between the two cements.The study recommends the use of green cements with pozzolanic origin than only Portland cement as a way to maximize sustainability in building projects.

The Ghanaian concrete industry is really a booming industry due to many infrastructural developments and the surge in residentialdevelopment. However, many developmental projects that utilize concrete do suffer from the negative impact of moisture riseincluding paint peeling-off, bacterial and fungi growth, and microcracks as well as unpleasant looks on buildings. Such negativeoutlook resulting from the effects of moisture rise affects the longevity of concrete and hence makes concrete less sustainable. Thisstudy seeks to develop materials that could minimize the rise of moisture or ions through concrete medium. The experimental worksperformed in this study included pozzolanic strength activity index, water sorptivity, and shrinkage test. Calcined clay producedfrom clay was used as pozzolan to replace Portland cement at 20%. The strength activity test showed that the cement containingthe calcined material attained higher strength activity indices than the control. The thermal gravimetric analysis showed that thepozzolan behaved partly as a filler material and partly as a pozzolanic material. The sorptivity results also showed that the blendedmix resulted in lower sorptivity values than the control mortar. The study recommends that calcined clay and Portland cementmixtures could be used to produce durable concrete to maximize sustainability.

Injuries result in nearly 6 million deaths and incur 52 million disability-adjusted life years annually, comprising 15% of the global disease burden. More than 90% of this burden occurs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Given this burden, it’s not unexpected that injuries are the leading cause of death among travelers to LMICs, namely from road traffic crashes and drowning. Opportunely, the majority of injuries are preventable. Therefore, pre-travel advice regarding foreseeable dangers and how to avoid them may significantly mitigate injury risk, such as: wearing seatbelts, helmets and personal flotation devices when appropriate; responsibly consuming alcohol; and closely supervising children. Upon return, travelers to LMICs are in a unique position; having shared injury risks while abroad, travelers can advocate for injury control initiatives that might make the world safer for travelers and local populations alike.

Formation of cracks on buildings could be attributed to many factors such as properties of soils, geology, structural defects and climatic conditions. A public building at Tarkwa in the Western Region of Ghana developed cracks that rendered it unsafe and so it was demolished for a new structure to be put in place. Geotechnical investigations were undertaken to ascertain possible contributions of the foundation soils to development of these cracks before it was demolished. Site investigations on test holes and laboratory analyses showed that, the foundation soils were mainly dense silty sand, with average moisture content of 8.9% and specific gravity of 2.7 Kg/m³. These characteristics are typical of quartz sands. Though the soil at the site where the building was situated was non-plastic, plasticity index (PI) for soils at neighbouring sites ranged from 1.5% to 7.8% at an average of 4.9% and so consolidation immediately after structural loading was negligible and might not result in differential settling. Moisture content was lower than liquid limit as liquidity indices were between -0.326 to -12.653. These soils exhibited minimal liquefaction potential and were free draining. They were of high permeability and therefore could consolidate immediately after being subjected to structural load. Hence the foundation soils played little role in the formation of cracks on the building which was exposed to frequent ground vibration as the building was close to a defunct underground mine, heavy vehicular traffic and a railway station; with surface mining activities at a permitted distance.