Palm Kernel Shells: Potential Raw Material for Mild Concrete

Palm kernel shells (PKS) which are mostly used for furnace fuel have been found a potential raw material for production of mild concrete required for construction of buildings. The report, posted in GAPKI website last week, said the PKS-based concrete was named PalmCrete and was developed by a research team at the faculty of engineering of the University of Indonesia (UI) led by Sotya Astutiningsih.
The research, which was started in 2021, was supported by the oil palm plantation fund management board (BPDPKS) and reported in the book of Grant Riset Sawit 2023 with the title “PalmCrete: the Upcycle Use of Palm Kernel Shells as a Lightweight Aggregator toward Circular Economy.” According to Sotya Astutiningsih, PalmCrete is lighter than the normal concrete, weighing only 1,850-1,900 kg/m3 compared to 2,400 kg/m3 of the normal concrete.  It has an average strength of 19.1 MPa (testing based on the standard ASTM C-39/SNI-1974-2011) which is equivalent to the normal concrete used in simple building structure such as house.
The mild concrete from palm kernel shells was first introduced during the “Semarak Usaha Kecil Mikro dan Koperasi (UKMK) Sawit 2024” (Palm Oil Small Businesses and Cooperatives Forum 2024) in August this year, organized by the BPDPKS in Makassar.