Potential use of biomass ash as a sustainable alternative for fly ash in concrete production: A review

Abstract

The broad utilization of concrete results in significant carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) and depletion of natural resources due to substantial increase in cement production. Fly ash, the waste product of coal combustion, has been used extensively as a cementitious additive in concrete to reduce the impact of cement production on the environment and also conserve the natural resources. However, the shortage in the supply of coal resulting from and stringent environmental regulations has led to a decline in fly ash production. Organic materials which are derived from plants and animals are regarded as biomass and the byproduct of biomass combustion are known as biomass ash. Several materials including biomass ash have been proposed as a sustainable alternative to fly ash in the production of concrete. Biomass ash as a supplementary cementitious material have been found to offer more advantages to traditional mineral additives improve the characteristics of concrete, decrease its environmental impact, and. In contrast, the use of biomass ash as mineral additives in concrete is largely unexplored in most developing countries, including Nigeria. This could be related to a lack of understanding of the region's biomass ash potential for such applications. The quality of concrete containing biomass ash can be greatly improved depending on the method used for its treatment, which is expected to increase interest in its use in the construction industry. Thus, there is the need for improvement in the quality of biomass ash to achieve high level of its incorporation for enhanced characteristics of cement mortar and concrete.