The Effect of Cattle Manure to Styrofoam Concrete

This study aims to produce a styrofoam concrete product with the additives of cattle manure, addressing the issue of pathogen contamination in agricultural fields and water bodies. The product will be evaluated by the stability, durability, and insulation properties based on ASTM C 39 Compression Test, ASTM E-119 Flammability Test, and ASTM C 140 Water Absorption Test. The concrete samples were made with the ratio of 1:3.5:2 cement, sand, and styrofoam with 20% of water for the control concrete, and the ratio of 1:3.5:2.:2 cement, sand, styrofoam, and cattle manure with 40% of water for the concrete with cattle manure. Testing of the properties of the concrete samples were done by a compression test, flammability test, and a water absorption test. The results of the research after each testing is that the concrete with manure was significantly weaker than the control during compression testing, likely due to improper curing. The flammability test found no significant difference between the control and treated cylinders, possibly influenced by environmental factors and difference in methodology. The water absorption test found that the concrete with manure absorbed more water than the control, matching past research on the cattle manure absorbency. Though the introduction of cattle manure did not give a significant contribution to the properties of styrofoam concrete, the experiment allowed a view of the effects of cattle manure to concrete.