Effect of bio-admixture on the properties of cement-slag based sustainable pervious concrete mixes for road infrastructure

The growing demand for sustainable road infrastructure highlights the importance of pervious concrete in storm-water management. This study explores the development of sustainable cement-slag-based pervious concrete incorporating waste foundry sand (WFS) as a partial replacement (up to 50%) for river sand and coarse aggregates in optimised proportions. Additionally, a bio-admixture, palm jaggery (PJ), was introduced to enhance the mechanical performance of the mixes. Key findings include achieving optimum mechanical strength with a binder composition of 20% slag replacement, 50% WFS and 0.2% PJ dosage. The optimum permeable concrete mix demonstrated a compressive strength of 21.2 MPa, a split tensile strength of 1.82 MPa, a flexural strength of 3.51 MPa and a permeability of 498 mm/min, satisfying the set design criteria. Flexural fatigue test results indicated that the mix with PJ performed better than other selected mixes. This research underscores the potential of bio-admixtures in advancing resilient and environmentally friendly pervious concrete for urban infrastructure.