Utilisation of Sugarcane Bagasse Ash and Sawdust Ash as Cement Replacement Material in the Production of Structural Concrete

Abstract

This study examined the performance of workability, water absorption and compressive strength of the concrete produced with the use of sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA) and sawdust ash (SDA) as a partial replacement of cement concrete. Replacement of cement have been made at the rate of 0%, 5%, 10% and 15% with SCBA and SDA (50:50) with a total of 72 cubes 100 mm × 100 mm × 100 mm was prepared for this study. For fresh concrete, slump tests were carried out and the test cube compressive and water absorption tests were conducted on hard concrete at 7, 14 and 28 days after curing. The high utilization of SCBAs and SDAs tend to produce lower density concrete as well as reduce the workability of concrete showing that more water is needed to make it feasible. SCBA’s and SDA’s ability to act as a filler between the pores and the voids in concrete can be seen when the amount of water absorbed is reduced due to the presence of the SCBA and SDA in water absorption tests. Cement replacement is optimum at 5% indicating the presence of its pozzolans reaches maximum value in terms of compressive strength and has a negative impact on concrete after 5% addition of SCBA and SDA replacement.