Vol. 29 No. 2 (2026) Cover Image
Vol. 29 No. 2 (2026)

Published: June 20, 2026

Pages: 282-290

Articles

Effect of Date Seeds Ash Incorporation with Micro Silica on the Cement Mortar Behavior and Mix Integrity

Luma Ahmed Aday 1 Nesreen Al-Obaidy 2
1 Civil Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Al-Iraqia University, Baghdad, Iraq
2 Civil Engineering Department, College of Engineering, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq
History
  • Received: September 15, 2025
  • Revised: November 28, 2025
  • Accepted: December 24, 2025
  • Available Online: June 20, 2026
DOI

https://doi.org/10.29194/NJES.29020282

Abstract

This study evaluates the performance of cement mortar incorporating micro silica (MS) and thermally treated date seed ash (DS) as sustainable partial cement replacements, in line with the demand for improved construction materials that utilize available resources. In the absence of an understanding of the behavior resulting from combining MS and DS within a hybrid replacement system particularly regarding how different blending ratios influence mortar performance and mix integrity. To achieve this,  five mixtures were prepared with a total replacement level of 20%  including three hybrid blends and were assessed through flowability, compressive strength, sorptivity, dry density, water absorption, and Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV) tests. Predictive models  have  also been developed to estimate chloride and sulfate penetration based on physical and non-destructive indicators. The results showed that the hybrid mixture  MS15–DS5  demonstrated the most notable enhancement compared to the control mix, achieving a 6% increase in compressive strength a 42% reduction in sorptivity and clear increases in dry density and pulse velocity indicating a more compact internal structure. The MS10–DS10 mixture also exhibited improved behavior, though to a lesser degree. In contrast, increasing the DS content led to performance deterioration, where MS5–DS15 showed reduced strength and higher sorptivity and DS20 presented the weakest response, with an 8% reduction in compressive strength and a 32% increase in sorptivity. The predictive models also demonstrated high accuracy achieving R2 of 0.989 and 0.983 for chloride and sulfate penetration, respectively, supporting their ability to estimate future behavior based on physical properties. These results provide a clearer understanding of how combining MS and DS influences mortar behavior and mix integrity, and they contribute to the development of sustainable cementitious mixtures with improved performance when appropriate replacement levels are selected.

Keywords

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