Marine Algae for Cement Mortar Strengthening

Seaweed (algae), that is a rich source of minerals, vitamins and other vital materials has been used in the present study to strengthen the cement mortar. The processed algae was subjected for chemical characterization using the XRD and SEM to know the chemical components present in it. Based on the observation obtained, the algae was further used for the strength enhancement of cement mortar. The 10% replacement mortar cubes have shown about 4% increase and 20% replacement have shown 3.5% increase in the 28 th day compressive strength when compared to that of the control specimens. So, it was found that 10% replacement of algal precipitate was optimum.