Replacement of Cement in Concrete with Rice Husk Ash

Rice husk may be a rural deposit that represents 20% of the 649.7 million a lot of
rice created each year round the world. The delivered somewhat blazed husk from the
process plants once used as a fuel likewise adds to contamination and endeavors are
being created to defeat this natural issue by using this material as a supplementary
establishing material2. The artificial arrangement of rice husk is found to vary
beginning with one specimen then onto successive attributable to the distinctions within the
reasonably paddy, harvest year, atmosphere and geologic conditions. Smoldering the husk
beneath controlled temperature beneath 800 °C will deliver fiery remains with silica
primarily in shapeless structure. As of late, Nair et al. reportable an examination on the
pozzolanic movement of RHA by utilizing completely different systems as an area of
request to examine the impact of combustion temperature and smoldering length. He
expressed that the specimens blazed at 500 or 700 °C and smoldered for over 12 hours
delivered fiery junk with high reactivity with no noteworthy measure of crystalline
material. The short blazing spans (15 - 360 minutes) caused high carbon content for the
created RHA even with high burning temperatures of 500 to 700 °C. A best in class report
on rice husk fiery debris (RHA) was distributed by Mehta in 1992, and contains a survey of
physical and compound properties of RHA, the impact of combustion
conditions on the pozzolanic qualities of the clinker, and a rundown of the exploration
discoveries from a number of nations on the use of RHA as a supplementary
establishing pozzolanic material.

What is RHA

Rice husk may be smoldered into fiery remains that satisfies the physical
qualities and compound piece of mineral admixtures. Pozzolanic action of rice husk
cinder (RHA) depends on upon (i) silica content, (ii) silica crystallization stage, and (iii) size
and surface region of fiery remains particles. Likewise, cinder should contain
simply a little measure of carbon. The upgraded RHA, by controlled blaze and/or pounding,
has been used as a pozzolanic material as a part of bond and cement. Utilizing it
provides a number of focal points, as an example, increased quality and
toughness properties, and natural benefits known with the transfer of waste
materials and to lessened carbon dioxide emanations. RHA created within the wake of
smoldering of Rice husks (RH) has high reactivity and pozzolanic property. Concoction
structures of RHA are influenced because of blazing procedure and temperature.
silica contents within the powder increments with higher the blazing temperature.
The impact of halfway supplanting of bond with various rates of ground RHA on the
compressive quality and sturdiness of cement is analyzed.
Physical and Chemical Properties of Rice Straw Ash and Its Effect on the Cement Paste
Produced from Different Cement Types

Rice straws are a residue produced in significant quantities on a global basis. While they
are utilized in some regions, in others they are a waste causing pollution and problems with
disposal. When burnt, the rice straw ash is highly pozzolanic and suitable for use in
lime-pozzolana mixes and Portland cement replacement [1,2].

Rice straw ash is pozzolanic and satisfies the minimum requirements of ASTM class N, F
and C pozzolana and is suitable Tor use in Portland cement replacement. Also, Ranasinghe [2]
reported that rice straw ash (RSA) is also a good partial substitute for cement. It was found
that the compressive strength of RSA concrete is slightly higher than ordinary Portland cement
(OPC) and rice husk ash (RHA) concrete. Table 1 shows the ash and silica content of some
plants [2]. It can be seen that rice straw have about 15% ash after burn, thus for every 1000 kg
of rice straw burnt 150 kg ash are produced, and about 82% silica content.

Table 1. Ash and silica content of some plants [2]

Plant Part of plant Ash% Silica%

Sorghum Leaf sheath epidermis 12.25 88.75

Wheat Leaf sheath 10.48 90.56

Corn Leaf sheath 12.15 64.32

Bamboo Nodes(inner portion) 1.44 57.40

Bagasse 14.71 73.00

Lantana Leaf and stem 11.24 23.38

Sunflower Leaf and stem 11.53 25.32

Rice husk 22.15 93.00

Rice straw 14.65 82.00

Bread fruit tree Stem 8.64 81.80

The chemical composition of rice straw ash is similar to that of many common organic fibers,
containing [3]:

Cellulose (C5H10O5), a polymer of glucose, and bonded with B-l .4,

Lignin (C7H10O3),polymer of phenol,

Hemi cellulose, a polymer of xylems bonded with B-l.4 and its composition is like xylem
(C5H8O4), and

SiO2, the primary component of ash.

The salient features in the production of cements based on RSA are the conversion of the
straw to ash and grinding of the ash to a suitable practical size. This aspect is common to all
processes currently in operation. In the conversion of rice straw to ash, the combustion
process removes the organic matter and leave silica-rich residue. However, such thermal
treatment of silica in straw results in structure transformation that influence both the pozzolanic
activity of the ash and its grinding. Pichai Nimityongskull and Telesforo U. Daladar [4] reported
that the amorphous ash is much easier to grind than the crystalline ash.

The technologies of ash production vary from open-heap burning to specially designed
incinerations. Because of high temperature gradient produce formation of higher crystalline
siliceous structure [5], open-heap burning is associated with pozzolanas of low reactivity index.

Rice husk ash as a partial replacement of cement in high strength concrete containing
micro silica: Evaluating durability and mechanical properties
 Over the past decades, concrete technology has entered broad-based areas of activities to
enhance concrete performance by introduction of self-compacting concrete (SCC), high strength
concrete (HSC) or maybe ultra-high strength concrete (UHSC). “Self-compacting concrete (SCC) was
first developed in 1988 by Professor Okamura intended to improve the durability properties of concrete
structures [1]”. “HSCs are known to have a higher amount of cement binder in the mix design properties
with low w/b ratio”. The high mass of cement content produced substantial heat liberation in the concrete
due to the reaction between cement and water, which can lead to cracking [2]. The merits of minerals
compounded with HSC likely to have less amounts of cement with specific ecological and environmental
benefits, optimized mechanical indicators, cost effective, energy consumption, lower levels of CO2
emission(proves one tone of greenhouse gas to be released in to atmosphere per one ton of cement
manufacturing), need for fresh materials, so on. Common mineral additions are granulated blast furnace
slag, silica fume, fly ash and limestone filler [3]. it should be bore in mind that the indicators of mix design,
composition and final properties of HSC in fresh and hardened states are totally different from that of in
common concretes. When the amount of powder additive increase, so the workability of concrete
whether mechanically or chemically in some cases drastically improve in specified ratios of replacement.
“In order for the paste to flow properly and to be able to transport coarse aggregate grains, it must have a
sufficient viscosity at high shear rates. This behaviour is usually insured by using modern
superplasticizers, which allow for a target adjustment of the paste viscosity at low shear rates without
significantly influencing the flow behaviour at high shear rates [4]”.

HSC is important in high rise buildings to reduction of columns both in number and size to provide
ambient space, to be used in bridge constructions, marine foundations, and heavy industrial floors. High
strength concrete achieved by incorporation of superplasticizers embedded to prevent segregation, lower
ratios of c/w and water/binder, and strength effective degrees at the hardened state. Combination of
minerals leads to low permeability based on slight interface remained between paste and coarse
aggregates to be filled and more dense concrete.

Regarding mineral admixtures it can be say that they come from several sources with various
effects on fresh and hardened properties of concrete. The most common mineral admixtures include
silica fume (sub-product of ferrous-silica alloy industry); granulate blast furnace slag (sub-product from
steel fabrication), and fly ash (sub-product from coal fired power stations [5]) other ones are clay,
volcanic pozzolans cause hydraulic and chemical effects on concrete. The first reactions caused by
chemical reactions due to hydration. The production of calcium silicate hydrates from a pozzolanic
reaction contributes to concrete microstructure densification, to decrease porosity and to increase
strength [6]. It was indicated that natural pozzolans have more significant contribution to permeability
reduction when compared to strength gain. The more recent pozzolan studied in various articles from
different points of view is rice husk ash with considerable contributions on durability, permeability and
chloric ions penetration.

Addition of amorphous silica is accompanied by improving interface transition area leads to

concrete with more packing density. A series of investigations carried to evaluate RHA concrete
considering hardened properties, favourable percentage of RHA replacement, curing time, electrical
resistivity, compressive strength and influencing parameters followed by increase in the percentage of
RHA replacement in the mix [2], [3], [4], [5], [12], [13], [25].

Kartini [2] et al. in their study indicated that higher percentages of RHA replacement lead to
decrease in the compressive strength. However, 10% replacement of cement with RHA attained the
targeted compressive strength addition of RHA instead of cement not only improve compressive strength,
but also durability representations can be observed in normal or conventional concretes. “Bui et al. [10] in
an investigation on 2005 indicated that RHA as a reactive pozzolan contributes considerably on
optimization of microscopic construction of transition interface zone between paste and aggregate
surface in high performance concretes”. “Investigations on binary mixes with replacement of cement by
RHA first introduced by Mehta in America, focused on crucial parameters possibly affect rice husk
burning process and enhancement the final product”. Utility of ordinary Portland cement in high strength
RHA concrete to have HPC varies in strength between 70 and 80 MPa.
 In this document, we tried to evaluate the effects of RHA addition in cement according to some
experimental background of what influence theses admixtures may have on concrete composition. We
presented different levels of RHA addition from 0 to 20%, followed by some tests to examine the
influence of additions on basic properties of concrete.

Use of Rice Straw Ash as Pozzolanic Material in Cement

Mortar

For the improvement of the properties of cement mortar and cement concrete or the
construction cost to be economic, admixtures are added with the cement mix and these are
either naturally occurring compounds or chemicals produced in industrial process. Most of the
admixtures are pozzolans. Pozzolan is a powdered material, which when added to the cement
in the mix reacts with lime, released by the hydration of the cement, to create compounds
which improve the strength or other properties of the concrete or mortar [1]. According to

ASTM [2] after chemical analysis if the sum of Iron oxide (Fe2O3), Silicon oxide (SiO2)
and Aluminum oxide (Al2O3) is more than 70% then the material would be declared as a
Pozzolanic material.

It is observed by many researchers that there is an increase of compressive strength of

mortar with the use of pozzolanic materials. The increase in compressive strength could be
attributed to the reduced water content, the filler effect, and the higher pozzolanic reaction.
The fine fineness of pozzolans had a greater pozzolanic reaction and the small particles could
also fill in the voids of the mortar mixture, thus increasing the compressive strength of the
mortar [3].

The use of supplementary cementitious materials, such as fly ash, silica fume, and blast
furnace slag, in concrete construction is widespread. Supplementary cementitious materials
may considerably improve the strength and durability of concrete [4], [5]. A number of relatively
new supplementary cementitious materials, such as rice husk ash, sewage sludge ash, and oil
shale ash, have undergone extensive research [6], [7].

The development of natural material cementitious composites to produce building

materials for construction is going for many years. India is one of the largest rice producing
countries and per capita rice consumption is higher than that in any other countries. There are
main three biomass byproduct comes from rice viz. rice straw, rice husk and rice bran. Rice
straw, rice husk and rice bran are used as feed for cattle, poultry, fish etc. [8]. In villages
people also use rice straw in cooking and other purpose by burning. After burning a huge
amount of rice straw, ash is produced and dumped it as waste which creates an environmental
problem though some time it is used in the agricultural land.

For decreasing the cost of construction materials and raising environmental concerns,
considerable efforts are being taken worldwide to utilize local natural waste and byproduct
materials to improve the performance of construction materials. Conventional building
materials are beyond the reach of a majority of the world population due to their poor
affordability. Rice straw is one of the major agricultural byproduct and available all parts of the
world. During growth, rice plants absorb silica from the soil and accumulate it into their
structures. It is this silica, concentrated by burning at high temperatures removing other
elements, which make the ash so valuable. Amongst the agricultural waste, rice straw has a
very high potential for the production of very effective secondary raw material. It is mainly due
to its random availability, very high silica content and relatively low cost. After burning rice
straw and husk in controlled temperature and duration using properly small plants, 14.6 % and
22% of mass rice straw and husk respectively are converted into high quality value added ash
which unique secondary raw material due to the high amount of silica in the ash [9].

Rice straw and husk are composed of both organic and inorganic matter. Organic matter
consists of cellulose, lignin, hemi cellulose, some proteins and vitamins while the major
component of inorganic minerals is silica. The actual composition of rice straw and husk varies
with the type of paddy, inclusion of bran and broken rice in the husk, geographical factors, crop
season, samples preparation and relative humidity [10], [11]. This is a bio waste from the rice
plant. The silica is absorbed from the ground and gathered in the straw where it makes a
structure and is filled with cellulose. When cellulose is burned, only silica is left which is
grinded to fine powder which is used as pozzolana. It can be seen that rice straw have about
15% ash after burn, thus for every 1000 kg of rice straw burnt 150 kg ash are produced [12].

Influence of Rice Straw Fibers on Concrete Strength and Drying Shrinkage

Utilization of fibers in construction materials has a long history. The oldest form of fibers
used in construction materials, such as bricks and masonry mortar, were straw and horsehair
[1]. Today, several types of fibers are manufactured and are used in various engineering
materials including concrete and ceramics. Fibers are used in concrete to enhance various
concrete properties such as tensile strength, impact resistance, and shrinkage [1,2]. Natural
fibers (or vegetable fibers), such as wood pulp and straw, are organic-based materials;
cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin are their main composition. Natural fibers can be divided
into two groups, unprocessed and processed natural fibers [1]. The difference between
processed and unprocessed natural fibers is that the processed natural fibers undergo
chemical, mechanical, thermal, or a combination of these three treatment techniques to
change the chemical and/or physical properties of natural fibers. Natural fibers could provide a
renewable and widely available source of fibers for concrete at low cost [3,4]. Natural fibers
have been used in manufacturing non-pressure pipes and roof sheeting [1,5]. In a study,
Mezencevova et al. [6] showed that adding thermomechanical pulp fibers in cementitious
systems reduced heat of hydration rate and delayed set time, but decreased autogenous
shrinkage of paste samples. Another study found that adding 40 mm long hemp and elephant
grass fibers to concrete increases the fracture toughness of concrete [3]. It has also been
shown that sisal fibers reduce plastic shrinkage and restrained shrinkage cracking of concrete;
however, sisal fibers increase drying shrinkage of concrete [7]. In their study, Khorami and
Ganjian [8] showed that addition of bagasse and wheat fibers (length of fibers were
approximately 1.2 mm) in concrete increases flexural strength and ductility of concrete
samples.

Using natural fibers in concrete presents some challenges though. Natural fibers degrade
in concrete overtime [9,10]. It has been shown that pulp fibers degrade in concrete under
wetting and drying conditions [10]. This has been attributed to loss of bond between fibers and
the cement matrix and the embrittlement of fibers due to mineralization of hydration produces,
mainly calcium hydroxide, in lumens of fibers [10,11]. However, it has been shown that using
supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), such as metakaolin and slag, in concrete mix
could prevent natural fiber degradation in concrete [9]. Rice straw, which is a by-product of rice
production, is another natural and sustainable resource that could be used to produce fibers
for concrete. Rice straw is available worldwide in large amounts. Commonly, rice straw is used
either as a livestock feed, burned at the field, or incorporated into the soil. Each of these rice
straw utilization methods presents challenges [12]. Although burning rice straw on site is the
cheapest method of rice straw disposal, this method raises environmental concerns as burning
rice straw releases carbon dioxide. This is why some states, like California, banned the
burning of rice fields and thus rice farmers face challenges in rice straw disposal. Using rice
straw as a livestock feed is not a favorable option because of its poor quality. Incorporating rice
straw in soil can be costly and can pose other challenges to rice farmers [12]. Using rice straw
to produce natural fibers for concrete application can benefit both the rice industry as well as
the concrete industry. This research aims to investigate the impact of washed and unwashed
rice straw fibers (RSFs) on concrete properties. Different percentages of RSFs were added in
concrete. Two water-to-cement ratios and two different fiber sizes were used. Compressive
strength, flexural strength, heat of hydration, and drying shrinkage of concrete containing
RSFs were measured and compared with that of concrete with no RSF.