ECO PROCESSED POZZOLAN, MATERIAL FOR THERMAL INSULATION

Abstrak

The rapid growth of the palm oil industry, particularly in Indonesia and Malaysia, has led to a substantial increase in the generation of spent bleaching earth (SBE), a silica-rich waste material produced during crude palm oil refining. Eco-Processed Pozzolan (EPP), derived from thermally treated SBE, has emerged as a promising supplementary cementitious material due to its reactive silica and alumina content. This study investigates the thermal insulation performance of concrete incorporating EPP as a partial cement replacement. Two concrete types—100% OPC and a blended mix containing 70% OPC and 30% EPP—were tested using a controlled furnace exposure at 340 °C. Temperature readings were obtained using dual-channel K-type thermocouples positioned at the inner and outer walls of the specimens. Results show that the EPP-based concrete (Type Z) required a longer duration (234 minutes) to reach temperature intersection and exhibited a lower final equilibrium temperature (281.9 °C) compared to the OPC control sample (293.1 °C at 196 minutes). These findings indicate that incorporating 30% EPP enhances the thermal resistance of concrete by slowing heat transmission and lowering internal temperature rise. Overall, the study demonstrates that EPP is a viable sustainable material for improving thermal insulation performance while also supporting waste valorization in the palm oil industry.