Waste Ash Pozzolans
Reactivity and Suitability for Use in
Concrete
M. Nazir, H. Abeyruwan and M. Mauroof
Introduction
• There are many waste ash pozzolans that can
be used as cementing materials
• Use of coal combustion fly ash is accepted by
the industry, however, its use can be further
enhanced (e.g. increased replacement levels,
utilizing low quality fly ashes)
• Other waste ashes can be utilized for greater
economic and environmental benefits
Overview
• Sources of fly ash and the current status
of their use as a cementing material
• The pozzolanic reaction
• Reactivity of waste ash pozzolans
• Methods to improve reactivity
• Effect of various types of ashes on
concrete properties
Sources of waste-ash pozzolans
• Coal-combustion products
– fly ash
– bottom ash
• Agricultural waste ashes
– rice husk ash (RHA),
– sugar cane bagasse (SCB),
– straw, etc.
• Municipal solid waste (MSW) fly ash
Current State
• Fly ash is widely used
– for example, current utilization rate is 25% (of
portland cement) in North America
– however, there is potential for greater
utilization levels (up to 70%) in certain
applications
• Rice husk ash is known for its greater reactivity
rates, however, usage of RHA and agricultural
waste ashes in cement based products is limited
• MSW ash usage in concrete is inhibited because
of concerns about impurities (salt, heavy metals)
The Pozzolanic Reaction
Portland Cement Hydration:
C3S or
C2S + Water C–S–H + CH
Pozzolanic Reaction
Reactive
more
CH + Silicates + Water
C–S–H
in Pozzolan
Amount of CH consumed depends on reactivity and amount of
pozzolan present
Reactivity of waste ash pozzolans
• Relatively slow and variable reaction rates
• Reactivity depends on:
– Type of ash (e.g. coal combustion fly ash,
agricultural waste ashes)
– Production process (e.g. burning temp. &
cooling rate)
– Physical and chemical characteristics (e.g.
morphology, fineness)
– Silicates and/or aluminates content in the ash
Example: High volume Fly Ash Replacement
in Self-compacting Concrete Mixes
Example Notation: 111C-70%FA means 111 kg cement per cubic metre of concrete with Fly Ash as 70% of total cementing materials
35
56day
28day
30
7day
3day
25
Strength, MPa
20
15
10
0
C1 C2 C3 M3 M3_A M4 M4_A M5_A
WALL MIX 1 WALL MIX 2 SCC MIX WITHOUT WITH WITHOUT WITH WITH
197C-20%FA 168C-20%FA 207C-50%FA ACTIVATOR ACTIVATOR ACTIVATOR ACTIVATOR ACTIVATOR
COMPARISON SERIES I: SERIES 2: SERIES 3:
MIXES 148C-60%FA 111C-70%FA 74C-80% FA
Effect of Rice Husk Ash on
concrete
• Increased water demand (especially with finer cements)
• Increased strength
Bui et al.(2005)
Silica & Ash Contents of Various
Agricultural Wastes
Lantana
Sunflower
Ash %
Bamboo Silica %
Corn
Bagasse
Breadfruit tree
Rice straw
Sorghum
W heat
Rice husk
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Percent Silica or Ash
Ash Particle Microstructure
100 microns
Fly Ash Bagasse Ash
Sugar cane bagasse
ash (SCBA)
• High pozzolanic
reactivity despite high
carbon contents
(>15%)
• Morphology of the
particles,
granulometry, and
carbon content may
affect workability of
concrete
(Paya et al., 2002)
Methods to improve waste ash
reactivity
• Controlled burning/rapid cooling to form
amorphous compounds
• Grinding (to increase surface area)
• Use of chemical activators (CaCl2, NaOH,
and other alkali-based activators)
• Heat curing of ash based cement products
Effect of curing temperature and
activator dosage
• Higher curing temperature resulted in high early strength
of an alkali-activated fly-ash based cementing material
• Activator (a mixture of sodium hydroxide, sodium
silicate) dosage influenced strength
(Rostami & Brendley, 2003)
MSW Ash
• One tonne of MSW generates about 300 kg bottom ash
and 30 kg of fly ash
• Composition of fly ash may vary widely
– from one incinerator to the other
– From one day to the other in the same incinerator
• Generally considered a hazardous waste owing to its
heavy metals and toxic organics contents
• Harmful environmental effects can be mitigated after
hydration in a cement based system
• Potential to be used in the developing world for the
production of low-cost housing material
MSW Ash, Microstructure
• A = calcium
chloride
• B = traditional
ash particle
• C = calcium
sulphate
• D = calcium
chloroaluminate
• E = calcium
aluminosilicate
B. Kessler et al. (1992)
MSW Effect on Concrete
• Significant retardation of setting times when
blended with portland cement (40% MSW and
60% cement)
• Degree of hydration low at early stages, but
increases with increasing curing time
• In a study by Goh et al. (2003) it has been
shown that up to 10% of cement can be
replaced resulting in increased reactivity
• In another study (Shi et al., 2006) a 7-day
strength activity index of 123% was obtained
Strength development in MSW fly
ash blended cements
Goh et al.(2003)
MSW, Typical Heavy Metal Concentrations
Element Range, ppm (mg/kg)
Pb 2000-27000
Cd 200-2200
As 5-500
Cr 50-2000
Ni 150-3000
Cu 200-2500
Hg 20-40
Heavy metal fixation in the
hydration products
• According to Ubbriaco et al.(2001) potential for leaching
of heavy metal significantly reduces with curing time and
it is believed that some heavy metals get fixed in in the
hydration products.
• For example,
– in a study by Lin (2004) toxicity characteristic leaching procedure
(TCLP) test results have shown that the amount heavy metals
met the Taiwan EPA regulatory limits.
– Leaching tests conducted on the blended cement mortars by
Goh et al. (2003) showed that the contamination levels in all
leachate complied with the maximum limit set in U.S. EPA
drinking water standards after 120 days of stabilization.
Summary
• Higher replacement levels of Portland cement
with coal combustion fly ash can be achieved
with the use of chemical activators
• Use of chemical activators and minor changes in
burning processes could enhance the
pozzolanic reactivity of agricultural waste ashes
• Heavy metal leaching is mitigated in MSW
pozzolanic cement systems with sufficient curing
• Most waste ashes have the potential to be used
in the manufacture of cement based products
