Guidelines

1. Each member of the group must collaborate in accomplishing the worksheets.

2. Each research group must secure one long binder folder for the compilation and
submission of printed outputs. Assigned colors are as follows: La Storta-Blue, Loyola-
Yellow, Manresa-Green, Montserrat-Red, and Pamplona-Black.
3. The following are the point persons for Worksheet 3.
La Storta Loyola Manresa Montserrat Pamplona

Gillo Hombrebueno Aguilar Hortillosa Belicena

Alba Torreta Dapat Latabe Dalanon
Javellana Alaurin Macailing Villanuev
Impasta
Calura Pamposa Serag Grecia
Yadao
Ong Tabanda Luching Bancolo
Lee
Viterbo Inaldo Medrano Bacajin
Mendoza
Pido Pamonag Villar Chua
Parreno
Abelende Provido Sudario Falle
Castor
Amular Tinasas Banes Carvajal
Ursua
Condez Tumlos Aponte Garbosa
Prestousa
Casio Tura Golingay Almelia
Lastimoso
Tupas Yap Bernadas Mambay
Robles

4. The point person must accomplish the following on or before March 8, 2023: (1)
Submit the printed copy of the worksheets (compiled inside the binder folder); (2)
Upload the word copy of the worksheets in the google drive assigned to the group. A
deduction of 5 points from the overall score will be given to the point person if any
of the aforementioned was not accomplished.
5. Questions regarding the task should be asked during class hours or during
the scheduled consultation time. 
 怡朗亚典耀圣母学校
ATENEO DE ILOILO
Santa Maria Catholic School
School Year 2021–2022

Worksheet 3- The Introduction 1

Research Group: 3 Section: 11
Montserrat
Student Researchers:
1. Josh Andrie Dorado 3. Jed Benedict
Macailing
2. Hean Jubert 4. Rainer Jasper
Superticioso Gasacao

Instructions: 

1. Indicate your working title. (12-15 words & apply all the guidelines.)
2. Indicate the names of the student researchers.
3. Identify the Background of your study:
Paragraph 1: Description of the current state of your topic in the research field.
Paragraph 2: Descriptions of the issues that will be addressed in the study.
Paragraph 3: Description of the current practices and conventions used in
addressing the issues mentioned in paragraph 2.
Paragraph 4: The research gap that you will address in your study. Aside from the
practices mentioned in paragraph 3, what else is need/what else can you do as a
researcher?
Paragraph 5 and/or 6: Your current study and/or your research aims. Describe
what your study is all about.
4. Identify the Research Problem.
5. Identify the Research Questions appropriate to your study.
6. Identify Research Hypothesis (if applicable).
7. Print the Final Output with the rubrics attached.
 The Efficacy of Recycled Agricultural Waste as Partial Replacement to Cement to

Produce Hollow Blocks

Josh Andrie G. Dorado, Hean Jubert I. Superticioso, Jed Benedict M. Macailing,

and Rainer Jasper S. Gasacao

Introduction

Background of the Study

Concrete is the world's widely used material for construction. With about 10 billion tons

of concrete produced every year, it is the second most consumed substance in the world, second

only to water (Eco-Friendly Alternatives To Traditional Concrete, 2019). The Philippines

construction market size was valued at $54.5 billion in 2021 and is expected to achieve an

annual average growth rate of more than 7% from 2023 to 2026 (Philippines Constructive

Market, 2022). Due to the massive demand of concrete, it has been noticed that whenever

cement, an important component to concrete, is generated it produces a staggering amount of

CO2. Every year, construction materials manufactured such as cement produce 4 billion tonnes

of carbon dioxide (Ramsden, 2020).

Hollow blocks are examples of concrete and also an essential in today’s construction

industry. It is used to build different types of walls for different purposes like retaining walls,

decorative walls, classic walls, etc. These hollow blocks are made of the same ingredients used in

poured concrete walls which are gravel, sand, Portland cement, and water (Hessam, 2022). This

material is an example of why carbon emission increases because of its prerequisite component,

cement. In addition, the Philippines is abundant in bountiful lands that 47% of the land is under
agriculture cultivated as the livelihood of Filipinos; while this can be a good reason for having an

eco-friendly livelihood, the waste from farms accumulates ranging from rice husk, rice straw,

coconut husk, coconut shell and bagasse (Zafar, 2021).

Researchers have conducted studies about sustainable concrete, aiming to reduce carbon

emission caused by the product of cement as well as to minimize waste, through the use of

biodegradable wastes. According to Suarez-Riera et al. (2020), the use of biochar, specifically

2% of Gray Borgotaro Biochar, increases the flexural strength and creates a ductile behavior to a

pure cementitious paste. In another study by Morales et al. (2021), they stated that 20% of

cement can be replaced by biochar since it was able to react within the lime pastes resulting in

important reactions in the concrete’s structural integrity.

Although there are studies that states a sustainable approach to concrete alternative

components, such as rice husk biochar being a suitable admixture to cement, still, there are no

studies published in utilizing agricultural waste such as egg shells and rice husk biochar mixture

as partial replacement admixture to cement in making hollow concrete blocks while also testing

its quality through series of test that determines its permeability to water, compression test, and

corrosion resistance.

Currently, Portland cement with sand, gravel, and rocks are mainly used in creating

hollow blocks. In this study, the researchers will focus on the bio waste egg shells as well as rice

husk that was turned into biochar. These biodegradable wastes are selected by the researchers

because of their properties that contain calcium carbonate and silica. An egg shell contains

roughly 2.2 grams of calcium in a form of calcium carbonate (Butcher & Miles, 2019). While a

single rice husk contains 85%–98% silica, which is an important compound for constructions

(Naskar et al., 2011).

 The study aims to test the potential of rice husk biochar and egg shells by adding it in

cement-making hollow blocks. By rationing the rice husk biochar and eggshell ash mixture with

a ratio of 10%, 20%, and 30% replacement per cement. It is the researchers’ interest to know the

effectiveness of these materials as admixture to cement and analyze the comparison of hollow

block with sustainable mixture and standard hollow block’s composition and structural

integrity.

Statement of the Problem

For the stated purposes, this study aimed to determine the effectiveness of agricultural waste

specifically, rice husk and eggshells, as partial replacements to cement in producing sustainable

hollow blocks while also comparing it to the standard hollow block. Specifically, the paper aimed

to answer the following questions:

1.) Does the presence of rice husk and egg shells as an admixture to cement

improve the structural integrity of a hollow block?

2.) How does using recycled agricultural waste as aggregate for hollow blocks

affect the final production cost?

3.) How much of the percentage ratio of the rice husk and egg mixture can be a

suitable partial replacement to hollow blocks?

Hypotheses

1. There is no significant change in the structural integrity between the standard hollow

blocks and hollow blocks with rice husk and egg shell mixture as partial replacement.

2. There is no significant change in the cost between the standard hollow blocks and

hollow blocks with rice husk and egg shell mixture as partial replacement.
References:
Butcher, G., & Miles, R. (2019, February 20). VM69/VM013: Concepts of Eggshell
Quality. Edis.ifas.ufl.edu. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/VM013
Eco-Friendly Alternatives To Traditional Concrete. (2019, July 18). Specify Concrete.

https://www.specifyconcrete.org/blog/eco-friendly-alternatives-to-traditional-concrete

Hessam. (2022, October 9). What Hollow Concrete Block Is In General And In Details.

BESS. https://bessconcreteblockmachine.com/what-hollow-concrete-block-is-in-

general-and-in-detail.html#:~:text=It%20is%20used%20to%20build%20different

%20types%20of

Huun, K. (2020, December 10). Wastes and its Contribution to Climate Change.
https://www.colorado.edu/ecenter/2020/12/10/waste-and-its-contribution-climate-
change

Morales, L. F., Herrera, K., López, J. E., & Saldarriaga, J. F. (2021). Use of biochar from
rice husk pyrolysis: assessment of reactivity in lime pastes. Heliyon, 7(11), e08423.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e08423

Philippines Construction Market Size, Trends and Forecasts by Sector - Commercial,

Industrial, Infrastructure, Energy and Utilities , Institutional and Residential Market
Analysis, 2022-2026. (2022, December 13). GlobalData.
https://www.globaldata.com/store/report/philippines-construction-market-analysis-
2/#:~:text=The%20Philippines%20construction%20market%20size,%2C%20energy
%2C%20and%20residential%20sectors.

Ramsden, K. (2020, November 03). Cement and Concrete: The Environmental Impact.
PSCI. https://psci.princeton.edu/tips/2020/11/3/cement-and-concrete-the-
environmental-impact#:~:text=As%20a%20 material%20that%20 creates

Suarez-Riera, D., Restuccia, L., & Ferro, G. A. (2020). The use of biochar to reduce the
carbon footprint of cement-based materials. Procedia Structural Integrity, 26(1), 199–
210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prostr.2020.06.023

Zafar, S. (2021, November 21). Crop Wastes in the Philippines. BioEnergy Consult.

https://www.bioenergyconsult.com/tag/crop-wastes-in-the-philippines/
 Rubrics for Grading WORKSHEET 3 ( 50 Points)
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