A preface to agricultural wastes as sustainable construction material

Abstract

Cement is inevitable to construction industry due to its excellent binding property. The cement production results in excessive consumption of natural resources, which tends to their depletion. Thus, the production of cement is an energy demanding procedure. The extraction and making process of 1 ton cement expels around a ton of CO2 gas to the environment. Rice husk ash (RHA) is generated by the burning of rice husk at a high temperature. The by-product of rice grinding industry is termed as rice husk. Sugarcane bagasse ash (SBA) is obtained by burning the by-product of sugar industry. The disposal of the former results in severe environmental problems. RHA and SBA are observed as the commonly used agricultural wastes in cementitious system. This study reviews the potential of RHA and SBA as a construction material. The study evaluates the application of RHA and SBA as supplementary cementitious materials. The hardened and durability performance of cement mortar or concrete has been reviewed and observed that the agricultural waste incorporated construction materials exhibit good mechanical and durability properties.