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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Engineering properties of earth mortar produced with cow dung ash and Cissus populnea powder

Amatus Naapuo1 ,  Humphrey Danso2*
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1 Department of Construction Technology and Management Education, Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Kumasi, Ghana
2 Department of Civil Engineering, Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Kumasi, Ghana
JES, 025180004 https://doi.org/10.36922/JES025180004
Received: 30 April 2025 | Revised: 27 September 2025 | Accepted: 13 October 2025 | Published online: 30 October 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Cement mortar is a widely used construction material due to its excellent strength, fire resistance, and durability properties. However, the environmental concerns associated with cement production have necessitated the development of eco-friendly building materials such as earth mortar. This study explores the potential of using cow dung ash (CDA) and Cissus populnea powder (CPP) as sustainable binders in earth mortar. Earth mortar was prepared using laterite, 2.5–10% by weight of CDA and CPP added at 2.5% intervals, and water. Sixty cubic (100 × 100 × 100 mm) and 30 cylindrical (100 × 200 mm) specimens were prepared, cured for 28 days, and tested for erosion, compressive strength, split tensile strength, and water absorption. The inclusion of CPP and CDA in earth mortar significantly improved the compressive strength of the mortar by 46.5–81.5%, while the tensile strength was improved by 94.7–126%. The 7.5% CPP specimen recorded the lowest water absorption of 1.204%, as compared to the control of 3.440%, representing a 186% improvement in water absorption resistance of the specimen. The control specimen exhibited erosion depths of 4–5 mm, while all the CPP and CDA specimens recorded zero erosion. The study concludes that mortar produced with CDA and CPP significantly enhances the mechanical, physical, and durability properties of the earth mortar. It is recommended that stakeholders use 7.5% CPP and 2.5% CDA for lightweight structural applications. Further studies are recommended to investigate the thermal properties and cost benefits of using CPP and CDA in sustainable earth mortar production.

Keywords
Compressive strength
Cissus populnea powder
Cow dung ash
Earth mortar
Engineering properties
Erosion
Tensile strength
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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