Physical Properties of Rice Straw Composite Board Using Cementitious Materials

Abstract

Rice straw is an agricultural waste burned in the fields after harvest that contributes to environmental pollution and health hazard issues. The utilization of this agricultural waste into a valuable construction material prompted the interest in investigating its properties.This experimental study focuses on the physical property characterization of rice straw composite boards with cementitious materials by determining the effects of varying the fiber lengths vis-a-vis properties of the composite board as a result of the optimum design mix from variations of cementitious materials. Size variations of 10 mm., 30 mm., and blended size of rice straw were used. The characterization of the boards was conducted in accordance with ASTM standards. On the physical properties, results indicated that the long fibers have the lowest water absorption at 6.90%. Moreover, short fibers influenced the shrinkage property with 7.20% and a relative density with 1396.15 kg/m3. Overall, the results gathered from the study demonstrated the potential of rice straw composite board with cementitious materials as a substitute for a decorative drywall panel.