RenewableandSustainableEnergyRev

iewsxxx(xxxx)xxx–xxx

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Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/rser

Green concrete partially comprised of rice husk ash as a supplementary

cementitious material – A comprehensive review
Blessen Skariah Thomas⁎
DEPARTMENT of Civil Engineering, Providence College of Engineering, CHENGANNUR, KERALA, INDIA

ARTICLEINFO
ABSTRACT
Keywords:
The production of cement depletes natural resources, consumes high energy and emits huge amounts of green
Waste management
Global warming house gases. It accounts for almost 7% of the global carbon dioxide emissions, as the production of one ton of
Rice husk ash ordinary Portland cement releases approximately one ton of carbon dioxide. Due to the severe environmental
Cement concrete pollution and health hazards associated with the cement and construction industries, they are under the strict
Durability scrutiny from the governments and environmentalists.
Rice husk is an agricultural waste, whose natural degradation is restricted due to the irregular abrasive
surface and high siliceous composition. It is not appropriate to be used as a feed for animals due to the low
nutritional values. If dumped as landfill, they can take a lot of area and become a major challenge to the
environment. If they are disposed by burning, the ashes can spread to the surrounding areas, create pollution and
destroy the natural beauty. One of the possible solutions for the disposal of rice husk is to convert them into rice
husk ash and incorporate them into cement based materials. The partial inclusion of rice husk ash (RHA) for
cement is found to be durable, environmental friendly and economically viable.
This paper presents an overview of some of the published results on the successful utilization of rice husk ash
as a supplementary cementitious material and the properties of such concrete at fresh and hardened stages.
Studies indicate that there is a promising future for the use of rice husk ash in normal, high strength and self
compacting concrete as it shows high strength, low shrinkage and permeability, high resistance to carbonation,
chloride, sulfate and acidic environments. The summery and discussions provided in this paper should provide
new information and knowledge on the applications of greener and sustainable rice husk ash concrete.

1. Introduction materials that may replace some of the natural resources. Several in-
dustrial by-products such as fly ash, condensed silica fume, blast fur-
Sustainability in construction sector is one of the pressing needs of nace slag, copper slag, steel scrap, stone wastes, tire ash, fibres etc., and
the developing world owing to the diminishing natural resources and some of the agricultural by products like palm oil shells, bagasse ash,
increasing CO2 emissions resulting from the huge production of corn cob, elephant grass ash, wood waste ash, coconut shell & fibres,
cement concrete. The yearly concrete production is approximately 10 rice husk ash, tobacco waste, etc have been found useful as additions
billion cubic meters. The most important and costlier constituent of or substitutions to cement and/or aggregates [42,52,53,73,74,78]. The
concrete is cement, which is the binding material. As per the report of utilization of some of these by-products provides several advantages
the United States Geological Survey, approximately 4180 million tons such as improved strength and durability properties, reduction in
of cement was produced in 2014 globally. Cement manufacturing construction cost by the saving of cement and natural aggregates, also
accounts for almost 7% of the global carbon dioxide emissions, as the environmental benefits like reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and
production of one ton of cement (ordinary Portland cement) releases the easy disposal of the polluting waste materials [1,37,39,69,76,77].
one ton of carbon dioxide. If a part of the cement in concrete can be Rice (scientific name: Oryza sativa. L) is one of the leading food
replaced by any supplementary cementitious materials, it can reduce crops in the world. It was forecasted that the global rice production in
the con- sumption of ordinary Portland cement and thus reduces the 2016 would be 745.5 million tonnes. More than 90% of the world's rice
emission of green house gases associated with the production of is produced and consumed by Asia on about 11% of the world's culti-
cement [35,70,75,79]. vated land. The hull or husk is the natural sheath surrounding the rice
The research for sustainability has fuelled the search for alternate grains during their growth, constitutes to about 20–25% of the mass of

⁎
Corresponding author.
E-MAIL ADDRESS: chaprathu44@gmail.com.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2017.10.081

R13e6ce4i-v0e3d212/J©uly20210716E;lsReevcieeirvLetdd.inAlrlerviigshedtsfroersmerv1e5dM. arch 2017; Accepted 28 October 2017

Pleasecitethisarticleas:Thomas,B.S.,RenewableandSustainableEnergyReviews(2
7),ht
10 tps:/
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0.1
610/j.rser.2
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Table 1 form in the presence of water chemically react with calcium hydroxide
The world's forecasted production of rice paddy, potential husk and ash production for at ordinary temperature to form compounds possessing cementitious
2016 ([63]).
properties. When compared to all other agricultural waste products,
Country Rice paddy Husk produced Potential ash (18–
rice husk ash contains the higher proportion of silica. It was observed
production in (20% of rice 20% of husk) in by Kamia et al. (2000) that the rice plants ingest orthosilicic acid from
Million Tons paddy) in Mt Mt ground water and then it is polymerised to form amorphous silica on
the husks. The RHA thus produced by means of controlled
China 211.2 42.24 7.60
India 158.4 31.68 5.70
combustion, can react with the calcium hydroxide present in cement in
Indonesia 71.9 14.38 2.59 the presence of water resulting in cementitious compounds [24,59,89].
Bangladesh 52.9 10.58 1.90 Since the end of 1960s, a lot of research has been carried out on the
Vietnam 44.5 8.90 1.60 utilization of RHA in cement concrete as a partial substitute to
Thailand 30.3 6.06 1.09 ordinary Portland cement and/or fine aggregates and many papers
Africa 29.1 5.82 1.05
and patents have been published [54,55,62,66]. As per the available
Myanmar 28.0 5.60 1.01
South America 23.7 4.74 0.85 literatures, the research on RHA on cementitious materials was
Philippines 18.7 3.74 0.67 initiated by Mehta, who obtained a patent in 1973. His research work
Japan 10.6 2.12 0.38 was on the effect of pyro-processing on the pozzolanic reactivity of
North America 10.4 2.08 0.37 RHA. Based on the work of Mehta, another research was carried out
(US)
by Pitt (patent on 1976) who developed a fluidized bed furnace for the
Pakistan 9.9 1.98 0.36
Cambodia 9.4 1.88 0.34 controlled combustion of rice husk. He identified that highly
Europe 4.2 0.84 0.15 pozzolanic RHA could be produced when the burning temperature
Others 32.3 6.46 1.16 and the residency time of rice husk in- side the furnace are controlled
Area (ha) 165 million [60]. Since then, a lot of research on the application of RHA was being
hectares
carried out throughout the world.
Total (world) 745.5 Million Tons

2. Properties of rice husk ash (RHA)

the rough rice. The process of separating (shearing) the hull from the
brown rice is known as dehulling. Rice milling is one of the most im- Rice husk ash is a good pozzolan and the color ranges from white
portant industries in countries like India, China, Indonesia, grey to black, depending up on the source of raw material, method of
Bangladesh and Vietnam. Table 1 shows the top 15 countries that have incineration, time, duration and temperature of burning. The raw rice
highest production of rice paddy. As per the forecast for 2016, China is husk will be fired in a furnace with a controlled temperature starting at
ex- pected to produce about 211.2 million tons of rice paddy every 10 °C per minute and increases gradually up to 700 °C per minute for
year, while India produces about 158.4 million tons of rice paddy about six hours and then allowed to cool at room temperature. It was
every year. Out of the 158.4 million tons of rice paddy produced in observed by James and Rao [36] that isothermal heating at a minimum
India, almost of 402 °C is required for the liberation of silica after the complete de-
31.8 million tons will be rice husk and when burnt, it produces ap- struction of the organic matter from rice husk. The most reactive silica
proximately 5.70 million tons of rice husk ash [62,8]. This can give an was obtained 500 °C combustion [36,59]. Bie et al. [7] studied on the
idea that each ton of paddy rice can produce approximately 200 kg of effects of burning conditions (of RHA in a muffle furnace) on the me-
rice husk, which on combustion can produce about 40 kg of ash [9,45]. chanical behaviour of cement. They concluded that the rice husk burn
The rice producing countries are facing a severe problem on the dis- completely at 600 °C than at high temperature. When the temperature
posal of rice husks. If they are dumped as landfill, they can take a lot of was increased, K2O could decompose and create more carbon in RHA.
area and become a major challenge to the environment. If they are ASTM C618 states the requirements for pozzolan to be used in cement
disposed by burning, the ashes will spread to the surrounding areas, and concrete. As per the code, RHA is classified as type N pozzolan.
create pollution and destroy the beauty of the land. When rice husk is The combined amount of silicon dioxide, iron oxide and aluminium
fermented by micro organisms, it enables the emission of methane and oxide should not be less than 70% of the total mass and the loss of
thus contributing to the global warming problems [3,6,14,21,87]. ignition can be up to 10% [3]. The chemical composition of rice husk
It is not appropriate to use the rice husk as a feed for animals due ash is given in Table 2 and the physical properties are given in Table 3.
to the low nutritional values. Moreover, natural degradation of rice Salas et al. [66] mentioned that the specific surface of 274,000 m2/kg
husk is restricted due to the irregular abrasive surface and its high (which is 10 times that of silica fume and normal RHA) can be
siliceous composition, which can make it a potential candidate for achieved in RHA if it is treated. The rice husk was treated with
environ- mental pollution. In many countries, it has been widely and hydrochloric acid at a concentration of 1 N for 24 h and then washed
effectively used as a fuel for rice paddy milling process and power thoroughly with water to make neutral pH. The husk was then dried
plants. This burning process creates a pozzolanic material named rice and burned to ash in a muffle furnace at a temperature of 600 °C for 3
husk ash in which more than 75% by weight is silica (After the h.
incineration process, 20% of the weight of the rice husk remains in the
form of rice husk ash). The ash this generated has no immediate useful 3. Properties of concrete containing RHA
application and was usually dumped into water streams, which causes
environmental pol- lution and river contamination. If the rice husk is 3.1. Fresh concrete properties
converted to ash at a temperature below 500 °C, the ignition will not
be complete and the pozzolanic effect of the ash will be minimized due 3.1.1. WORKABILITY AND bulk density
to the presence of unburnt carbon. When the ash is produced at a Fresh concrete is a plastic concrete that can be moulded to any
controlled temperature of 550–700 °C, the silica content will be shape. Hundred per cent compaction of fresh concrete is an important
transferred to non-crystalline or amorphous silica (the silica content is parameter to enable maximum strength for concrete. A highly
approximately 90%) and is highly suitable for the use as a pozzolan workable concrete can ensure full compaction. Workability of concrete
[24,25,89]. Fig. 1 shows rice husk, unground and ground RHA. is the ease with which concrete can be mixed, handled and
According to Malhotra and Mehta [50], pozzolans are defined as compacted. Bui et al.
siliceous or siliceous and aluminous materials which in themselves [10] studied the properties of gap graded aggregate concrete
possess little or no cementing property, but will in a finely dispersed containing 10–20% RHA. It was observed that, at a low water to
cement ratio of 0.30–0.34, the use of high binder contents along with

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RHA and super plasticizer has enabled to obtain a high workable,
cohesive mix without

3
 Fig. 1. Images showing rice husk, unground and
ground RHA [13,84,8].

the problem of segregation. The increased water demand due to the where the concrete containing RHA up to 25% maintained satisfactory
addition of RHA was compensated by the use of superplasticizer. Si- workability. Antiohos et al. [2] reported that the target workability in
milar observations were also made by Celik and Canakci [11] and Le RHA concrete can be achieved by the addition of a small amount of
et al. [46]. Salas et al. [66] determined the workability of rice husk ash super plasticizer. Kannan and Ganesan [40] mentioned that the self
concrete by slump method. They noticed that the concrete mixes are compacting concrete containing 5–25% RHA fell under the category of
becoming stiffer at 15% and 20% RHA and hence it requires additional slump flow classes 1 and 2, hence they may be suitable for deep
super plasticizer to maintain the required workability. Also those foundation construction (SF1) and in normal applications like column
mixes showed the tendency of bleeding and segregation, which can construction (SF2). From the V-funnel test, the concrete containing 5–
affect the strength of the concrete. Safiuddin Md. and Soudki [65] 15% RHA could be categorized to VF1 class, while the entire mixes
observed an increase in the slump flow, inverted slump cone flow (from 5% to 30% RHA) fell within the ‘recommended’ category as the
spread and orimet flow spread without and with j-ring at lower water- V-funnel time does not exceed 25 s. Satisfactory blocking ratio has
cement ratio and higher RHA content. The sign of segregation was been obtained for the SCC mixes containing 5–15% RHA, from the L-
observed in the RHA concrete, while the bleeding has reduced box test. So, the concrete mixes containing 5–15% RHA exhibited good
significantly. It was identified by Sua-iam and Makul [72] that the use work- ability and it can be implemented in self compacting concrete. It
of high volume RHA as a partial substitute for fine aggregate was mentioned by Le and Ludwig [47] that RHA can be used as a
decreased the workability and segregation, viscosity

Fig. 2. Contour plots for strength variations for normal and RHA
concrete by UPV method [48].
Table 2
Chemical composition of rice husk ash ([24,88,48,2,83,61,15,32]).

Chemical composition SiO2 Al2O3 Fe2O3 CaO MgO MnO Na2O K 2O SO3 Loss on ignition

Value % 87.4–93.15 0.13–0.83 0.1–0.6 0.80–1.10 0.2–0.6 0–0.2 0.04–0.7 1.32–3.39 0.1–0.4 1.9–8.5

modifying admixture. The incorporation of RHA eliminated the

there was an increase of up to 30% in the compressive strength of SCC.
bleeding tendency of cement mortar and that of self compacting high
It was pointed out by Bie et al. [7] that the use of 10% RHA can be the
performance concrete.
optimum proportion to enhance the strength of cement mortar. Zahedi
Yuzer et al. [87] studied the concrete samples in which rice husk
et al., [88] mentioned that the use of RHA with nano silica would be
was added at 0%, 1.5%, 3% and 5% by weight of cement. It was ob-
beneficial as the nano silica can contribute towards the high early
served that the addition of rice husk decreases the density of concrete.
strength, while the RHA can increase the long term strength and dur-
The density of control concrete was 2430 kg/m 3. It reduced to 2340
ability. Kunchariyakun et al. [43] observed an increased water demand
kg/ m3, 2260 kg/m3 and 2105 kg/m3 when the amount of rice husk
that caused a reduction in the compressive strength of the autoclaved
was 1.5%, 3% and 5% respectively. Hamzeh et al. [34] investigated the
aerated concrete, when RHA was used to partially replace fine ag-
density of cement concrete containing 25% and 50% white rice husk
gregate. Siddique et al., [70] studied on the properties of RHA concrete
ash along with pulp fibres. There was a linear reduction in the bulk
containing bacteria (Bacillus aerius strain AKKR5). When compared to
density of concrete with the increase in the ash content. It was stated
the control concrete, the compressive strength of 10% RHA concrete
by the authors that the addition of white RHA can be very much
increased by 8.7%, 10% and 13.4% at 7, 28 and 56 days. The concrete
effective for reducing the density of light weight cement composites.
containing RHA and bacterial cells had a compressive strength of
10.2%, 11.8% and 14.7% higher than the control concrete. This in-
3.2. HARDENED concrete properties crease in strength can be due to the formation of calcite within the
cement-sand pore structure.
3.2.1. Compressive strength
Gastaldini et al. [28] mentioned that the compressive strength of
3.2.2. FLEXURAL AND splitting tensile strength
the concrete containing 20% RHA with a water to cement ratio of 0.35
It was observed by Salas et al. [66] that the flexural tensile strength
exhibited a compressive strength of 75.2 MPa at 28 days. The concrete
(modulus of rupture) of the concrete specimens containing ordinary
containing 20% RHA and 1% K2SO4 (by weight of cement, as a che-
RHA are comparable to the control mix specimens, while the strength
mical activator) have exhibited an increase in compressive strength
is much higher for the concrete containing treated RHA. Giaccio et al.
(when compared to control concrete) by 9%, 33% and 43% for the
[32] analysed the failure mechanism of RHA concrete and reported
mixture with water to cement ratios of 0.35, 0.50 and 0.65 respectively
that there is a tendency for brittle failure as the stresses at which the
at the age of 91 days. Similar results were observed by Chindaprasirt
cracks develop and propagate are higher in RHA concrete when
et al. [16], who suggested that the optimum cement replacement with
compared with control concrete. Wei and Meyer [86] mentioned that
RHA can be 20%. Salas et al. [66] observed that the use of 5–10% RHA
the partial replacement by RHA improves the flexural properties and
significantly increased the strength of the concrete and comparable
the durability to wetting and drying cycles of the fibre reinforced
with the concrete containing same amount of silica fume. Madandoust
concrete compo- sites. Similar observations were made by Chopra et
et al. [48] conducted studies by replacing 20% of cement with RHA
al. [20]. Mohseni et al. [58] noticed a reduction in the 28-day flexural
and observed that the short term strength enhancement of RHA
strength by 2%, 11% and 14% when RHA was replaced for 10%, 20%
concrete is lower than the normal concrete. At the age of 3 days, the
and 30% of ce- ment. The flexural strength of the specimens containing
strength of RHA concrete was 65% of the normal control concrete. It
30% RHA in- creased at 90 days of age. When 3% nano-Al2O3 was
increased to 96% at 90 days, 98% at 180 days, equivalent strength at
added by weight of cement to the samples containing 10% RHA, there
270 days and 102% (means 2% higher strength) at 360 days. Due to the
was an increase in the flexural strength by 34% and 41% at the ages of
higher pozzolanic activity in RHA concrete, it may be unacceptable in
28 days and 90 days respectively. When 0.3% polypropylene fibre was
fast track construction projects owing to the reduced strength
added to the concrete containing 10% RHA and 1% nano-Al2O3, the 28
development at early age. Similar observations were made by Yuzer et
day and 90 day flexural strength increased by 18.6% and 23.1%
al. [87]. Sua- iam and Makul [71] observed reduction in compressive
respectively.
strength when RHA was replaced for 0–100% of fine aggregates. The
Saraswathy and Song [69] carried out the splitting tensile strength
compressive strength reduced with increasing amount of substitution.
as per ASTM C496-90 using cylindrical specimens of 150 mm diameter
Antiohos et al.
and 300 mm height. The strength was found to gradually increasing
[2] examined the compressive strength of mortar specimens by using
with the increasing amount of RHA, from 5% to 15% of substitution.
RHA (0–30%) of Blaine fineness 4000 and 7000 cm2/g. It was observed The strength of control concrete was 4.49 N/mm 2 and it was 4.92 N/
that the samples containing RHA of 7000 cm 2/g fineness outperformed mm2 for the specimens containing 15% RHA. When the substitution
the first one in terms of strength development. At replacement level of
was 20–25%, the strength reduced to 4.60 N/mm 2 and 4.58 N/mm2
10%, the strength of RHA concrete was similar to that of control con-
respectively, still higher than the control mix values. The strength
crete and the strength decreased upon further replacement. Kannan
suffered a huge reduction at 30% substitution, where it reached to
and Ganesan [40] recommended the combination on RHA and
3.67 N/mm2. Madandoust et al. [48] observed that the splitting tensile
metakaolin for the production of self compacting concrete with higher
strength of RHA concrete (20% replacement) was 79% of normal con-
cement re- placement up to 40%. When 20% RHA and 20%
crete at 3 days and it increased to 104% at 365 days. Madandoust and
metakaolin was used,

Table 3
Physical Properties of rice husk ash ([24,88,48,2,83,61,15,32]).

Property Specific gravity Blaine specific surface, Pozzolanic activity index Bulk density, Kg m3 Median particle size Nitrogen adsorption, Surface area, cm2/g
m2/kg (%) (µm) m2/kg

Value 2.06–2.16 240.0–376.8 81.25–88.90 420.0–429.1 5.0–7.41 24.3–28.8 4091–5685

Ghavidel [49] stated that the initial splitting tensile strength of control
concrete was higher than that of the blended concrete containing 10% Venkatanarayanan and Rangaraju [84] mentioned that the rate of
glass powder and 5% RHA by weight of cement. The strength of the water absorption of the concrete specimens containing 0–15%
blended concrete increased with age as it was 71% of the control unground rice husk ash was almost constant, while there was a
concrete at the age of 7 days and it increased to 97% at the age of 90 decrease in the water absorption upon increase in the amount of
days. Venkatanarayanan and Rangaraju [84] have observed an ground rice ash in concrete. When compared to the control specimens,
increase in strength comparing to control concrete; when the level of the decrease in water ab- sorption was 13% when the ground RHA was
rice husk ash was 7.5% and 15%. It was 16% and 4% when unground at 7%, and it was 12% for 15% ground RHA. Mohseni et al. [58]
rice husk ash was used, while the increase was 21% and 15% when studied on the durability prop- erties of cement mortars incorporating
ground RHA was used. rice husk ash (0–15%) and nano- TiO2 particles (1%, 3% and 5% of the
binder). The water absorption reduced with the increasing amounts of
3.2.3. ABRASION RESISTANCE AND FATIGUE life RHA and NT. Due to the denser micro structure, there was about 30%
The abrasion resistance of concrete may be defined as its ability to reduction in the water absorption of the specimens containing 15%
resist being worn away by rubbing. If there is reduction in the depth of RHA and 5% NT.
abrasion, it means that the concrete is more resistant to abrasion. The
concrete which is more resistant to abrasion can be applied in pave- 3.2.5. Air PERMEABILITY, modulus of ELASTICITY AND RADON RESISTANT
ments, floors and concrete highways, in hydraulic structures such as POTENTIAL De Sensale [24] studied the air permeability of concrete
tunnels and dam spillways, or in other surfaces upon which abrasive (Swiss Standard SIA 262/1:2003) containing 0–15% RHA. Three
forces are applied between surfaces and moving objects during service different water to cement ratios (0.5, 0.4 and 0.32) were studied. At a
[31]. Siddique et al. [70] determined the abrasion resistance of con- water to cement ratio of 0.5, the concrete samples containing RHA
crete as per BIS 1237 using concrete specimens of 70.6 × 70.6 mm size. were better than those without RHA and the quality of concrete
The depth of abrasion in 10% RHA concrete was 0.831, 0.585 and was termed as ‘good’. At water to cement ratios of 0.4 and 0.32, in
0.491 mm at 7, 28 and 56 days whereas the depth of wear was only most of the sub- stitution levels, the quality of concrete with and
0.752, 0.501 and 0.400 mm at 7, 28 and 56 days in the case of concrete without RHA is ‘good’, while the concrete mixes containing 10% and
containing 10% RHA and bacteria. 15% RHA substitution
Jamil et al. [38] identified the optimum replacement level of RHA was in ‘very good’ quality level.
as 14.3% for ASTM type-1 cement with 55% C3S and 19% C2S. Mod- Venkatanarayanan and Rangaraju [84] determined the 28 day
arres and Hosseini [56] observed that the addition of 3% RHA reduced modulus of elasticity of concrete as per ASTM C469 using concrete
the porosity of concrete after 120 days of curing and thus improved the cylindrical specimens of size 100 mm × 200 mm. The modulus of
fatigue resistance and energy absorbency of the material, while the elasticity of concrete specimens containing unground and ground rice
addition of 5% RHA resulted in higher porosity and lower fatigue husk ash was higher than that of the control specimens by 9–16%. It
lives of the concrete. was observed that the grinding effect of RHA have a negligible impact
on the modulus of elasticity of concrete. The addition of unground rice
3.2.4. WATER ABSORPTION husk ash at 7.5% and 15% increased the modulus of elasticity by 11%
Controlling the permeability of concrete plays an important role, as and 13% respectively, while the addition of same amounts of ground
the ingress and movement of ions from the environment, through the rice husk increased the modulus of elasticity of concrete by 10% and
building materials are mainly responsible for the deterioration of 16% respectively.
structures. Saraswathy and Song [69] have noticed a reduction in Out of all radioactive sources, approximately 55% of the total dose
porosity of concrete for up to 30% substitution of OPC with RHA. The was contributed by radon and the radon from the soil diffuse through
effective porosity was 18.06% for control concrete; 13.80% for the the cracks and pores of the concrete by advective flow. The diffusion of
specimens containing 15% RHA and 11.89% for the specimens con- radon through the concrete can be prevented to a great extend by the
taining 30% RHA. Salas et al. [66] performed the water absorption test application of anti radon coating, choice of proper building materials
of control and RHA concrete by the method of immersion (ASTM etc [13,82]. It was observed by Chauhan and Kumar that the effective
C642). It was observed that the water absorption of the concrete radon diffusion coefficient and diffusion length of the cement mortars
containing normal RHA was lower than the control concrete and that decreased with increasing percentages of rice husk ash up to 30% of
of the con- crete containing treated RHA was much lower than the replacement. Beyond 30%, the radon diffusion increased and it may be
concrete con- taining normal RHA. Hamzeh et al. [34] have noticed due to the decrease in the density. The diffusion coefficient of the
reduction in water absorption of the specimens upon increase in the concrete containing 30% rice husk ash was reduced by 69% when
amount of white rice husk ash, while there was a sharp increase in the compared to the control concrete specimens.
water absorption when the amount of ash was more than 25% by
weight of cement. Kannan and Ganesan [40] noticed a decrease in the 3.2.6. Chloride PENETRATION
sorptivity with the increasing amount of RHA content up to 15% in Gastaldini et al. [28] have observed a significant reduction in the
SCC. When the RHA content was 20% and above, the sorptivity total charge passed by 65%, 68% and 59% at water to cement ratios of
increased due to the for- mation of micro pores, which is attributable 0.35, 0.50 and 0.65 respectively (at 20% RHA). When the concrete
to the higher surface area of the RHA and the subsequent water containing 20% RHA was chemically activated by 1% K 2SO4 by weight
demand. When compared to the sorptivity value of the control of cement, there was a decrease in the total charges by 75%, 74% and
concrete specimens, there was a reduc- tion of 19.10% in the sorptivity 71%. When the concrete mixtures was activated by 1% Na 2SiO3, the
of concrete containing 20% RHA + 20% metakaolin. total charges were reduced by 74%, 73% and 75% at water to cement
Zahedi et al. [88] observed a 14.6% reduction in the water ab- ratios of 0.35, 0.50 and 0.65 respectively. Salas et al. [66] performed
sorption of the mortar samples containing 20% RHA, while the reduc- the rapid chloride permeability test (ASTM C1202) to measure the
tion was 28.1% for the specimens containing a combination of nano electrical conductivity of concrete. It was observed that the transferred
silica and 10% RHA. Siddique et al. [70] have noticed water absorption charge was very low in RHA concrete, as the presence of rice husk ash
of 2.51%, 1.66% and 1.47% at 7, 28 and 56 days respectively, in case of helped to densify the pore structure of the concrete. The pore refine-
concrete containing 10% RHA. When the pores were filled by calcite ment was confirmed by mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP)
produced by bacteria, it further decreased the water absorption of the technique which confirmed the average diameter of 0.041 µm for
RHA concrete to 1.86%, 1.03% and 0.80% at 7, 28 and 56 days. control cement paste and 0.021–0.023 µm for the concrete containing
RHA. Similar studies were reported by Chindaprasirt et al. [19] and
Antiohos et al. [2]. Ganesan et al. [27] replaced 30% OPC with RHA
and observed about 35% reduction in water permeability, 28% reduction in chloride

diffusion and 75% reduction in chloride permeation, when compared

to the control concrete. De Sensale [24] suggested that the best resistance to H2SO4 was impaired and the specimens suffered more
resistance to chloride ion penetration (determined by silver nitrate loss in weight. Similar observations were made by Khan et al. [41].
spraying test) can be obtained by substitution of 15% of Portland Chat- veera and Lertwattanaruk [12] studied the performance of black
cement by RHA. Madandoust et al. [48] tested the chloride ion RHA mortar specimens in nitric and acetic acid with 5% concentration.
penetration as per ASTM C1152 on the specimens containing 20% It was observed that the use of RHA has a positive effect in reducing
RHA. Samples were exposed to 5% NaCl with wet and dry cycling for the expansion, loss in compressive strength and weight of mortar
a period of eleven months. Powder was taken from the samples after under acetic and nitric acid attacks. More loss was observed in the
dry drilling (0–10 mm, 10–20 mm, 20–30 mm and 30–40 mm). From specimens exposed to acetic acid than under nitric acid and lowest loss
the chemical analysis, it was shown that there was lower chloride in weight and strength was observed in the specimens containing 10%
concentration with the higher amount of RHA in concrete and the RHA. The rate of expansion of mortars decreased at 10–30%
penetration decreases with concrete depth. Siddique et al. [70] replacement of RHA, while it increased at 40–50% substitution.
observed that the charge passed by the 10% RHA concrete decreased Increasing the water to ce- ment ratio had a negative impact on
by 52.6% at 56 days of curing when compared to control concrete. In expansion, compressive strength and weight of mortars exposed to
the case of bacterial concrete, it decreased by 48.4% at 56 days when acetic and nitric acids.
compared to bacterial control concrete. The permeability range for
RHA concrete was from ‘low’ to ‘moderate’ while it was from ‘very 3.2.8. RESISTANCE to SULFATE ATTACK
low’ to ‘moderate’ in case of bacterial concrete con- taining RHA. Sulfates reacts with the hydrate of calcium aluminates to form cal-
cium sulphoaluminates (the volume will increase approximately 227%
3.2.7. RESISTANCE to ACID ATTACK of the volume of the original aluminates) and with the free calcium
Degradation can take place if the concrete is exposed to aggressive hydroxides in cement to form calcium sulfate. This reaction leads to
sulfuric acid environments. It is one of the key durability issues that the formation of gypsum, ettringite and/or thaumasite and causes
affect the maintenance costs and life cycle performance of all the con- detri- mental effects like spalling, cracking, softening, expansion loss of
crete structures. There can be presence of sulfuric acid in chemical strength and other forms of concrete damage. The expansion results in
waste, ground water, etc. In the case of concrete structures in the formation of cracks and subsequent disruption of concrete. This
industrial zones, there can be possibility of deterioration due to acid phenomenon is known as the sulfate attack. Chindaprasirt et al. [17]
rains in which sulfuric acid can be one of the key components. Sulfuric observed good resistance to sulfate attack when RHA was replaced up
acid attack is more disastrous than sulfate attack because of the fact to 40% of OPC. De Sensale [24] performed the sulfate attack test as per
that there would be a dissolution effect by the hydrogen ions in ASTM C1012 on mortar specimens of 25 × 25 × 285 mm size. After 28
addition to the attack by sulfate ions [5]. De Sensale [24] evaluated the days of curing in a solution containing saturated lime-water, the length
resistance of RHA concrete to acid attack as per ASTM C267. The of the specimens was measured. The control specimens were then im-
cylindrical mortar specimens of 50 × 100 mm were immersed in a mersed in saturated lime water and the test specimens were immersed
solution con- taining 1% HCl. The mass of specimens were determined in a solution of 5% sodium sulfate. The change in length of the speci-
(up to 84 days) at every 7 days of immersion, in saturated surface dry mens was measured in every week, up to 200 days (28 weeks). At 28
condition. It was observed that the percentage of mass loss of weeks, the specimens containing RHA was observed to be more re-
reference mortars increases rapidly when compared to the RHA sistant to sodium sulfate attack and resistance increased with the in-
concrete. As the percen- tage of cement substitution with RHA is creasing percentage of RHA in mortar specimens. This increase in re-
increased, the acid attack de- creases. When the amount of RHA was sistance can be due to the following reason. When the concrete/mortar
increased in the mortar, more calcium hydroxide (which is readily specimens are subjected to sulfate attack, the sodium sulfate reacts
attacked by HCl) has been con- verted to C-S-H and thus increasing with calcium hydroxide and transfers it to gypsum. The gypsum reacts
the resistance to acid attack. with the aluminium compounds to produce ettringite, which leads to
Kannan and Ganesan [40] noticed that there was more loss in the expansion of cement matrix and further cracking of the specimens.
weight of the specimens immersed in 5% sulfuric acid than those im- The amount of Al2O3 is much higher in cement, while it is negligible in
mersed in hydrochloric acid (shown in Fig. 3). The self compacting RHA. So, increasing the amount of RHA can improve the resistance of
concrete containing RHA + metakaolin exhibited better resistance to concrete to sulfate attack [24,67,68].
acid attack than the normal RHA SCC. Chatveera and Lertwattanaruk
[12] investigated the resistance of concrete (containing 20% and 40% 3.2.9. SHRINKAGE, EXPANSION AND ALKALI-SILICA REACTION
black rice husk ash.) to HCl and H 2SO4. When the amount of rice husk It was reported by Habeeb and Fayyadh [33] that the drying
ash was 20%, there was a positive effect in reducing the degradation of shrinkage of concrete samples containing RHA was higher than that of
concrete under HCl and H 2SO4 attack. When 40% of the OPC was re- the control concrete sample. Similar results were observed by Gas-
placed by RHA, the resistance to HCl attack improved, while the taldini et al. [30]. De Sensale [24] studied the alkali-silica reaction
using 25 × 25 × 285 mm mortar specimens, as per ASTM C1260. The
samples (16 days after casting) were immersed in 1 N NaOH solution
for a period of 14 days and the variation in length was measured. Re-
ference specimens has undergone higher amount of expansion. The
expansion of mortar samples containing 10% RHA exceeded the limit
of 0.10% expansion, while the expansion of the samples containing 20%
RHA was within the limit. Zerbino et al. [89] studied the expansion of
RHA concrete by accelerated expansion test as per ASTM C1293 using
prism of 75 × 75 × 300 mm size. It was observed that the concrete
containing natural rice husk ash has undergone drastic expansions,
while the expansion of concrete containing ground rice husk ash was
within the limit of 0.04%. The use of ground rice husk ash has lead to
the inhibition of alkali silica reaction. The damage levels due to the
alkali silica reactions depend on the type of cement when the natural
rice husk ash was used, as some of the cements can accelerate the re-
Fig. 3. RHA concrete specimens after 12 weeks of acid attack (a) in H 2SO4 (b) in HCl
[40].
action.
Van et al. [83] investigated the long term autogenous shrinkage of
 Fig. 4. Arrangement to measure the Autogenous shrinkage and
temperature [83].

ultra high performance RHA concrete using three sealed 4 × 4 × the lower con- centration of cement.
16 cm3 sized specimen from two days of hydration, as per DIN 52450.
The continual free length change and temperature was measured on
the samples of 4 × 4 × 25 cm3 size, up to 28 days of hydration as given
in Fig. 4. The temperature of concrete and room temperature were
mea- sured by temperature sensors and the change in length of
specimen was measured by linear variable differential transformers. It
was observed that the addition of RHA significantly delays the self-
desiccation of UHPC and thus prevents the autogenous shrinkage by
behaving as an internal curing agent. When part of the cement was
replaced by ground granulated blast furnace slag, the autogenous
shrinkage of UHPC was found further reducing. Similar results were
reported by Sensale et al.
[23] who noticed that RHA markedly decreased the autogenous
shrinkage as well as produces an autogenous relative humidity
change. Chatveera and Lertwattanaruk [12] have observed a negative
effect on the drying shrinkage of concrete containing 20% black rice
husk ash. Increasing the amount of rice husk ash from 20% to 40% by
weight of the cement reduced the drying shrinkage and made it
comparable to the control concrete specimens. The autogenous
shrinkage of concrete with 20% RHA was lower than the control
concrete. Increasing the rice husk ash from 20% to 40% further reduced
the autogenous shrinkage of concrete. Mohseni et al. [58] have noticed
reduction in the drying shrinkage of mortars containing RHA and
poly propylene fibres, both separately and together. The drying
shrinkage of control specimen was nearly 890 microstrains, while it
was 729 micro strains for the specimen containing 3% poly propylene
fibres, and 622 microstrains for the specimen containing 30% RHA
and 3% polypropylene fibres.

3.2.10. RESISTANCE to CARBONATION

Carbon dioxide can penetrate the surface of the concrete and react
with the alkaline components, mainly Ca(OH)2 of the cement paste.
This reaction (carbonation) can reduce the pH value of the pore
solution to less than 9. When the alkalinity of the pore solution is lost,
the protection of reinforcing steel against corrosion will be at risk. Also
the properties of concrete like strength, permeability, shrinkage and
resistance to che- mical & physical attacks will be affected by
carbonation [22]. Gastaldini et al. [28] examined the carbonation of
chemically activated RHA con- crete using 100 × 100 mm size
specimens, as per RILEM TC 116-PCD and CPC 18, RILEM. The
prepared specimens were exposed at 5% carbon dioxide inside a
controlled chamber maintained at 23 ± 1 °C and relative humidity 65
± 1%. The depth of carbon dioxide penetration was mea- sured by
means of phenolphthalein spraying test method (as shown in Fig. 5). It
was observed that the depth of carbonation decreased when 20% RHA
was used. The carbonation further decreased when 1% K2SO4 was
used as a chemical activator along with 20% RHA. In the specimens
with water to cement ratio of 0.5, the carbonation dropped from 7.50 to
4.69 mm and in the specimen with water to cement ratio of 0.65, it
dropped from 14.14 to 10.68 mm. Chatveera and Lertwattanaruk [12]
investigated the depth of carbonation of concrete containing 20% and
40% black rice husk ash. The depth of carbonation of concrete
containing 20% black rice husk ash was higher than that of the control
concrete. Increasing the amount of ash from 20% to 40% and increase
of water to cement ratio further increased the depth of carbonation.
The increase in carbonation is attributed to the increase in porosity and
3.2.11. ELECTRICAL resistivity
Electrical resistivity is a method that is used for the quality control
and performance based evaluation of concrete by measuring the dif-
fusion of ions in the concrete through the pore solution. Layssi et
al.
[44] defined the electrical resistivity of concrete as the ability of the
concrete to withstand the transfer of ions subjected to an electrical
field. It is affected by the pore size distribution and interconnection,
conductivity of pore fluid, degree of saturation and temperature. Elec-
trical resistivity is measured by two-point uniaxial method and four-
point (Wenner probe) method as shown in Fig. 6. Gastaldini et al. [29]
have noticed an increase in the electrical resistivity as the curing
period increased from 3 to 91 days. As the percentage of RHA in
concrete was increased from 10% to 20%, the electrical conductivity
doubled (in w/b ratios 0.35, 0.50 and 0.65) and at 30% RHA, the
resistivity was 340%, 442% and 404% for the w/b ratios 0.35, 0.50 and
0.65 respectively when compared to the reference samples.
Safiuddin Md. and Soudki
[64] observed true electrical resistivity (between 5 and 10 kΩ cm)
for
all the concrete specimens that contain 0–20% RHA. The resistivity
increased with increasing amount of RHA and at a content of 20%, it
was 52% higher than the control concrete specimens. Chao-Lung et
al.
[15] noticed sharp increase in the electrical resistivity of the concrete
containing ground RHA after 14 days of age (due to the solidification
of the pores by pozzolanic reaction).
Zahedi et al. [88] studied the electrical resistivity of control mortar
specimens, specimens containing RHA and the specimens containing
both RHA and nano silica. The electrical resistivity of RHA concrete
was found decreasing at the age of 7 days (due to the low early age
poz- zolanic activity) and the resistance increased at the age of 28 and
90 days when compared to the control mix. The highest electrical re-
sistivity (improvement of 328.6% when compared to control mix) was
observed in the specimens containing nano silica and 10% RHA at the
ages of 28 and 90 days. Mohseni et al. [58] observed more chances
of
corrosion in control specimens (resistivity was between 5 and
10 kΩ cm) when compared to the specimens containing RHA and
nano- TiO2 particles. The electrical resistivity of the specimens
containing 10% RHA + 5% NT, 15% RHA + 3% NT and 15%
RHA + 5% NT were
above 20 kΩ cm. As per the limits suggested by ACI Committee 222,
the possibility of corrosion is low when the electrical resistivity is
above 20 kΩ cm, low to moderate at 10–20 kΩ cm, high at 5–10 kΩ
cm and very high when it is less than 5 kΩ cm.

3.2.12. Corrosion PERFORMANCE

Saraswathy and Song [69] studied the corrosion behaviour of
RHA concrete by impressed voltage test and open circuit potential
mea- surements. In the impressed voltage test, concrete specimens
were immersed in 5% NaCl solution. An external stainless steel
served as cathode and the embedded steel in concrete was made
anode. A con- stant positive potential of 12 V was supplied to the
system from a DC source for up to 144 h and the time taken for initial
crack along with the corresponding anodic current flow was
measured. In the control con- crete containing 100% OPC, cracks
occurred after 42 h of exposure in the solution containing 5% NaCl.
The concrete specimens containing 5% and 10% RHA failed at the
exposure of 72 and 74 h respectively. No cracking was observed in
the specimens containing 15%, 20%, 25% and 30% RHA, which may
be due to the pore refinement by the finer RHA
 Fig. 5. Samples showing the depth of carbona-
tion [76,77,80].

particles. For the open circuit potential measurements (OCP), the spe-
cimens were subjected to alternate wetting and drying cycles (7 days
of immersion in 3% NaCl solution and then 7 days of drying). As per
ASTM C876, the embedded steel potentials were measured with re-
ference to saturated calomel electrode (SCE). As per ASTM C876, if the
potential values are lesser than − 275 mV, the rebars are passive and
vice versa. From the results it was observed that the rebars in all the
specimens 0–30% RHA) were passive up to 100 days and beyond 100
days of exposure, all the rebars shifter to active condition irrespective
of the replacement ratio of RHA.
Chindaprasirt and Rukzon [18] examined the corrosion behaviour
of cement mortars of 40 × 40 mm dimension and 160 mm length)
containing 0–40% RHA. The prisms were subjected to a 5% NaCl so-
lution and a constant voltage of 12 V dc as given in Fig. 7. The time for
first crack of control mortar was 89 h, while it was 167, 168 and 166 h
for the mortars containing 10%, 20% and 40% RHA respectively. Fer- Fig. 7. Experimental set up for accelerated corrosion test with impressed voltage [18].
raro and Nanni [26] studied the corrosion properties of concrete con-
taining the environmental friendly off-white rice husk ash (contains no
EN 12086. The specimens were kept in water-tight cups containing
graphitic carbon, crystalline SiO 2, and toxic metals). The first cracking
CaCl2 as a sorbent. The water-tight cups were then placed in a con-
of control samples started after 46 h while it was 74 h and 153 h in the
trolled atmosphere cabinet at constant relative humidity and tem-
concrete samples containing 7.5% and 15% off-white RHA
perature. The specimens were weighed at an interval of 24 h to de-
respectively.
termine the quantity of moisture diffused through it. It was observed
that the water vapour diffusion resistance factor decreased with an
3.2.13. THERMAL conductivity AND WATER VAPOUR diffusion RESISTANCE increasing amount of rice husk in concrete. The water vapour diffusion
FACTOR Yuzer et al. [87] studied thermal conductivity and water resistance factor for the control concrete specimens were 41, and it
vapour diffusion resistance factor of the concrete samples in which rice decreased to 32, 21 and 18 when the amount of rice husk was 1.5%,
husk was added at 0%, 1.5%, 3% and 5% by weight of cement. The 3.0% and 5.0% respectively. This property can prevent the spalling of
thermal conductivity of concrete was determined according to TS ISO concrete containing rice husk, by reducing the vapour pressure within
8302 on two specimens by using a guarded hot plate apparatus. It was the concrete.
observed that the thermal conductivity of concrete decreased with an
increase in the amount of rice husk added. The thermal
conductivity of control specimens was 1.88 W/mK, and decreased to 3.2.14. Micro structure by MIP, SEM AND XRD
1.85 W/mK, 1.80 W/mK and 1.68 W/mK in concretes with 1.5%, 3.0% When RHA reacts with water and Ca(OH)2, it leads to the
and 5.0% RH respec- tively. It can be because the rice husk present in formation of calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) gel, which leads to the
the concrete produces strength formation in all the cement based materials. Tuan et al. [81]
empty pores that can reduce the heat transfer. measured the total porosity and porosity of RHA concrete using
Water vapour diffusion resistance factor was determined as per TS mercury intrusion

Fig. 6. Electrical resistivity measurement methods

by (a) two-point uniaxial method (b) four-point
(Wenner probe) method [44].
 Fig. 10. X-ray diffraction of concrete containing 10% RHA [70].
Fig. 8. SEM image of the RHA concrete showing floc-like phases at 360 days [48].

porosimetry (MIP) technique. The critical pore diameter of the control

sample was below 0.04 µm. Due to the high pozzolanic reaction and
the filler effect of RHA, there was pore refinement and a reduction in
the pore volume of the ultra high performance RHA concrete at the
age of 28 and 91 days. It was also observed that the total porosity of
RHA modified concrete was higher than that of the silica fume
modified concrete as the pozzolanic reaction of silica fume has been
higher than that of rice husk ash.
Madandoust et al. [48] analysed the microstructure of mortar spe-
cimens (by scanning electron microscopy) containing RHA, after 360
days of moist curing. As shown in Fig. 8, floc-like hydration products
are observed on the images. These hydration products were lapped
and joined together by fibrous like formations. Kannan and Ganesan
[40] noticed that the SEM image of the SCC without RHA consists of Fig. 11. XRD of rice husk ash [57].
irre- gular particles with micro pores, while the concrete containing
RHA was having more uniform structure (due to the reduction in the Vishwakarma et al. [85] observed the peaks of silicon dioxide at
pores) and the ettringite was much reduced due to the pozzolanic 20.9, 26.6, 39.4, 68.2 and 75.6 (JCPDS: 46-1045). The presence of
reaction of the RHA. It was observed by Chopra et al. [20] that the calcium hydroxide peak was confirmed at 34.1 (JCPDS: 44-1481),
particle shape of OPC is irregular and that of RHA is micro porous and calcium si- licate hydrate at 50.1 (JCPDS: 33-0305) and the peak of
irregular as shown in Fig. 9. calcium alu- minium silicate hydrate at 27.9 (JCPDS: 39-1381).
Siddique et al. [70] performed the X-ray diffraction of concrete
samples containing 10% RHA (given in Fig. 10). The presence of cal- 3.2.15. Non destructive testing
cium silicate hydrates (C-S-H), ettringite, calcium silicates, calcite and Ultrasonic pulse velocity testing (UPV) have been used as a
portlandite was shown in the XRD. Presence of fine aggregate (natural measure to assess the uniformity and relative quality of the concrete.
sand) was shown by the peaks of quartz (Q) and cristobalite (Cb). The The ve- locity of ultrasonic pulses travelling through a solid depends
presence of ettringite was noticed at 2 theta angles 35.1347°, 23.1374°, on the elastic properties and density of that material. It also helps
15.9644° and 9.0185°. The typical XRD of RHA is given in Fig. 11. indicate the presence of voids and cracks in concrete and to evaluate
the effective- ness of crack repairs [4]. As per Malhotra [51], if the
pulse velocity

Fig. 9. SEM images of (a) ordinary Portland cement (b) Rice husk ash [20].
values are in the range of 3660–4575 m/s, it can be assumed that the
concrete is having sufficient durability properties. Madandoust et al. reduced by 69% when compared to the control concrete specimens.
[48] used ultrasonic pulse velocity of 54 kHz to assess the homogeneity The modulus of elasticity of concrete specimens containing un-
of RHA and normal reinforced concrete beams. Least variation in ground and ground rice husk ash was higher than that of the
strength development (approximately 13%) between the top and control specimens.
bottom layers was observed in RHA concrete, whereas the difference 7. Increasing the amount of RHA in concrete by 15–20% reduces the
was about 23% in normal concrete. The contour line is shown in Fig. 2. corrosion potential, carbonation, chloride penetration, acid and
It indicates that the concrete bonding can be improved by the addition sulfate attack. Increasing the amount of rice husk ash from 20% to
of RHA and it further minimizes the effect of bleeding and 40% by weight of the cement reduced the drying shrinkage auto-
segregation. Chao-Lung et al. [15] observed higher UPV values at genous shrinkage of concrete and made it comparable to the
lower water to binder ratios. The UPV of control concrete specimens control concrete specimens. The autogenous shrinkage of concrete
and the specimens containing 20% RHA was the same. After 28 days con- taining 20% RHA could be lower than the control concrete.
of age, the UPV of the specimens containing 10–30% RHA was higher 8. The electrical resistivity of concrete containing RHA up to 30%
than 3660 m/s and hence they can be considered as durable concrete would be much higher than the control concrete specimens. The
specimens. Sua-iam and Makul [71] examined the UPV of self resistivity at 7 days can be less, while a sharp increase in the elec-
compacting concrete con- taining 0–100% RHA as a partial to full trical resistivity of the RHA concrete could be noticed after 14 days
substitute for fine aggregates. Highest velocity was observed in control of age (due to the solidification of the pores by pozzolanic reaction).
concrete and the lowest ve- locity was observed in the samples Researchers have noticed the highest electrical resistivity (im-
containing 100% RHA. Mohseni et al. [58] suggested that the provement of 328.6% when compared to control mix) in the spe-
concrete containing 15% RHA and 5% nano-TiO2 particles by weight of cimens containing nano silica and 10% RHA.
the binder can be the optimum as the pulse velocity value was above 9. Due to the high pozzolanic reaction and the filler effect of RHA,
4500 m/s. pore refinement takes place and a reduction could be noticed in the
pore volume of the RHA concrete at the age of 28 and 91 days. The
4. Discussions and conclusions SEM analysis of the RHA concrete shows more uniform structure
(due to the reduction in the pores) and reduction in ettringite due
1. The quality of rice husk ash depends on the source of raw material, to the pozzolanic reaction of the RHA.
method of incineration, time, duration and temperature of burning.
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