Compared Efect of Nano Date Pits and Nano Sunfower Seed Shells on Properties of Green Cement Mortar

Abstract

Agricultural waste, generated in massive quantities each year, poses environmental challenges and ofers an opportunity to enhance eco-friendly practices in construction. The current study aimed to address the concerns of minimizing agricultural waste and reducing the environmental impact associated with traditional cement production, including shortage in resources and carbon emissions. Thus, the feasibility of incorporating nano date pits and nano sunfower seed shells as sustainable additive materials in cement mortar were investigated. Three diferent nanomaterials content were used: (1, 3, and 5%), these nano additives were added into mortar mixtures to assess their infuence on fresh and hardened characteristics, as well as on the microstructure. Fresh density and fowability were used as a measure to evaluate workability, while hardened properties such as density and compressive strength were utilized to evaluate the structural integrity. Microstructural analyses were also conducted through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray difraction (XRD). The experimental results revealed that nano sunfower seed shells decreased fowability by 8–42%, while nano date pits had a lower impact, with reductions from 4 to 25%. Fresh density decreased with the increasing of nanomaterial content, particularly with the sunfower seed shells due to their lighter weight and higher porosity. For hardened characteristics, dry density dropped by approximately 20% in sunfower seed shell mixtures, while date pit mixtures density was reduced gradually, supporting the development of lightweight mortars. Furthermore, the mixture with 1% nano date pits has enhanced compressive strength by up to 22% at 28 days, attributed to the pozzolanic activity of nano date pits that refned the microstructure. SEM and XRD analyses revealed considerable interactions between the nano additives and the cement matrix. Furthermore, these analyses showed dense hydration products and enhanced contact zones between cement and aggregates, promoting structural integrity. The current study fndings assure the potential of nano agricultural waste materials to improve sustainable mortar formulations, ofering lightweight, durable, and eco-friendly alternatives to traditional cement-based mortars.