Sustainable concrete interlock tile using rice husk ash & EVA polymer

Abstract

One-third of the weight of paddy is made up of rice husk, an agricultural waste product created during the grinding of paddy. In developing and undeveloped nations, rice husks are frequently used as fuel for industrial applications because they have a high calorific value. Rice Husk Ash (RHA), obtained by the combustion of Rice husk contains amorphous silica and has shown excellent performance when used as a pozzolanic material in concrete. Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) is a polymer and millions of tonnes of EVA are produced in the form of powder, large-scale EVA production, or post-consumer products around the world. EVA is widely used in the footwear and apparel industries because of its outstanding balance of low cost, good processability, lightweight, and shock absorption qualities. It is employed in the footwear industry to create enlarged plates used for stamping insoles, midsoles, and soles. Thus, the EVA waste generated by the footwear industry causes huge environmental pollution concerns. An eco-friendly lightweight concrete interlock tile was prepared to address the environmental issues caused by EVA waste and Rice husk ash. The paper shows a detailed technical study of the execution of the developed combined concrete and interlock tile. The test results stipulated that the strength and the workability of the developed concrete were not as promising as we expected. Still this work can be considered an effective step towards addressing the problems caused due to waste EVA and Rice Husk Ash. Also, the interlock produced can be used in places where there is light traffic.