Investigating the Effect of Incorporating Animal Blood into Concrete

Abstract

Concrete has been a fundamental material in construction because of its durability and strength. Despite this, traditional beliefs and practices continue to shape construction practices, such as the idea that the incorporation of animal blood may increase the strength of concrete.

This study aimed to investigate the influence of adding animal blood, specifically pig blood, into the concrete mixture, with emphasis on its compressive strength. The samples were divided into 3 groups: the Control group, which has 0% pig’s blood, Sample 1 with 5% of pig’s blood, and Sample 3 with 10 % of pig’s blood, based on the amount of water in the mixture.

The workability of all sample batches was measured by a slump test before casting of concrete mixture into the cylindrical mold. The test specimens were cured for 7, 14 and 28 days. The compressive strength test was performed according to ASTM standard to determine the performance of the modified concrete.

The results indicated that the incorporation of animal blood, specifically pig’s blood, negatively affected the compressive strength for all curing periods, with increasing reductions as the percentage of pig’s blood was increased. While the modified concrete mixtures developed strength with time, they always underperformed compared to the control group. This suggests the pig’ blood can negatively affect the hydration process and cement bonding properties. These results contradict the traditional belief that animal blood strengthens the concrete.