https://scientificacademic.com/index.php/tsj/issue/feed 2026-08-24T01:18:31+08:00 Dr. Irfana Memon irfanahameed@quest.edu.pk Open Journal Systems <p style="user-select: auto;">The Tropical Scientific Journal (TSJ) is a peer-reviewed open-access journal. It publishes two issues every year as March-August and September-February. TSJ follows a quick online first policy and updates the running issue regularly. It publishes the articles immediately on the acceptance and serves as a forum for the publication and dissemination of original research works. TSJ also published special issues based on requests. The scope of the journal is not only limited to science and technology issues but also related to creativity and innovation in scientific research works.</p> https://scientificacademic.com/index.php/tsj/article/view/87 2026-08-24T01:07:19+08:00 Fayaz Taj Memon fayaztaj5@gmail.com Imran Hussain Wagan wagangh@gmail.com

<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To evaluate the effect of banana leaf ash (BLA), used as a partial replacement for ordinary Portland cement at 0-30% by weight in 5% increments, on the workability and compressive strength of concrete at 1, 3, 7 and 28 days of curing, and to identify a practical BLA replacement level for low-strength construction applications.</p> <p><strong>Research Method: </strong>Dry banana leaves collected from the Nawabshah area of Sindh were burnt and sieved to produce BLA. Standard 100 x 100 x 100 mm concrete cubes were cast at seven BLA dosage levels (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% and 30% by weight of binder), with mix proportions, aggregates and the water-binder ratio held constant across all batches. Slump was measured immediately after mixing, and compressive strength was determined using a universal testing machine after 1, 3, 7 and 28 days of water curing.</p> <p><strong>Findings: </strong>Both workability and compressive strength decreased consistently as BLA content increased. Slump fell from 49 mm (control) to 7 mm at 30% BLA, an 86% reduction, with the rate of loss accelerating sharply beyond 15% BLA. Twenty-eight-day compressive strength fell from 29.9 MPa (control) to 14.5 MPa at 30% BLA (a 51.5% reduction), while at 10% BLA the 28-day strength loss was limited to about 9%. These trends are consistent with recent BLA studies (Islam et al., 2024; Aanu et al., 2025) that likewise report a dilution-driven strength penalty at comparable dosages.</p> <p><strong>Originality: </strong>While fly ash, rice husk ash and sugarcane bagasse ash are well characterised as cement replacements, banana leaf ash remains comparatively under-studied. This is among the first investigations to evaluate BLA concrete across a full 0-30% dosage range at four curing ages using locally sourced agricultural waste from Sindh, Pakistan, providing a regionally grounded dataset in support of agro-waste valorisation in construction.</p>

2026-08-24T00:00:00+08:00 Copyright (c) 2026 Tropical Scientific Journal