Rice-Husk and Sugarcane-Bagasse Ash as a Partial Replacement of Cement in Self-Compacting Concrete

Abstract

The necessity for reasonable and sustainable different construction materials to cement in emerging countries cannot be underrated. However, cement among the constituent material in concrete production is broadly identified to be the most costly. Therefore, in developing countries, research into the use of alternative materials for civil and building construction is necessary due to the increasing cost of construction materials like cement. Alternative construction materials like agro and industrial wastes etc., are nowadays employed to substitute cement in concrete production. In this paper, Rice-Husk Ash (RHA) and Sugarcane-Bagasse Ash (SBA) as agro-wastes were used to replace cement partially in Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC) in order to determine their influence on the mechanical properties of the SCC hardened specimens. The percentage replacements used were 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% of the ashes in the corresponding concrete mixes. Concrete cubes and prism specimens were cast, cured and their mechanical properties (compressive and flexural strengths) were evaluated at 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. The results show that remarkable strength values of compressive and flexural strengths were manifested, when compared with the control specimens. In conclusion, it was established that 5% cement replacement of the ashes used was found to be a favorable value among the percentage replacements considered. Moreover, the study demonstrated the use of agro-wastes which may enhance the reduction of cement usage and will pave the way of innovative and sustainable construction.