ABSTRACT

Cement is widely noted to be most expensive constituents of concrete.

The cement industry is one of the largest producers of carbon dioxide.
The carbon dioxide (CO2) emission from the concrete production is
directly proportional to the cement content in the concrete mix; 900 kg
of CO2 are emitted for the fabrication of every ton of cement. The entire
construction industry is in search of a suitable and effective waste
product that would considerably minimize the use of cements and
ultimately reduces the construction cost. For this objective, the use of
industrial waste products and agricultural by products are very
constructive. These industrial wastes and agricultural by products such
as Fly Ash, Rice Husk Ash, Silica Fume, and Slag etc can be used as
cementing materials because of their pozzolanic behavior, which
otherwise require large tracts of lands for dumping. Large amounts of
wastes obtained as by products from many of the industries can be the
main sources of such alternate materials. The world rice harvest is
estimated at 588 million tons per year and India is second largest
producer of rice in the world with annual production of 132million tons
per year.

Rise husk ash (RHA) is one of the promising pozzolanic materials that
can be blended with Portland cement for the production of durable
concrete. Addition of rise husk ash to Portland cement not only improve
the strength of concrete but also forms the calcium silicate hydrate gel
around the cement particles which is highly dense and less porous. This
may be increase the strength of concrete against cracking. Thus in the
present investigation a realistic approach has been made using different
techniques such as Compressive strength, Flexural strength etc. using
different percentage of RHA and varying curing period.

Keywords: Rice Husk Ash (RHA), Cement, Pozzolanic material,

Carbondioxide (CO ), Partial replacement
 CONTENTS

DECLARATION .................................................................................................................................... i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ................................................................................................................... ii

CERTIFICATE..................................................................................................................................... iii

ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................................... iv

CONTENTS........................................................................................................................................... v

LISTOF FIGURE ............................................................................................................................... viii

LISTOF TABLES ................................................................................................................................ ix

CHAPTER1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 1

1.1 GENERAL ................................................................................................................................... 1

1.2 CEMENTANDENVIRONMENT........................................................................................... 2

1.2.1 Role of Cement Industry in Global Warming:......................................................... 3

1.2.2 Growth of Cement industry and its impacts on Environment ........................ 5

1.3 RICE HUSK-INITIATIVE IN PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT......................................... 8

1.4 RICE HUSK ASH–INITIATIVE IN CONTROLLING GREEN HOUSE

GASES……………………………………….…………………………………………………………...... 9

1.5 PROPERTIES OF RICE HUSK ASH.................................................................................. 10

1.6 POZZOLANIC ACTION ........................................................................................................ 16

1.7 APPLICATIONS OF RICE HUSK ASH ............................................................................. 16

1.8 SCOPE AND OBJECTIVE ..................................................................................................... 16

CHAPTER2: LITERATUREREVIEW........................................................................................ 17

2.1 INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................... 17

2.2 GAP AREA STUDY................................................................................................................. 26

CHAPTER3: MATERIALS AND METHODOLOGY .............................................................. 21

3.1 CEMENT ................................................................................................................................... 21

3.2 Rice Husk Ash (RHA) .......................................................................................................... 22

3.3 AGGREGATES ......................................................................................................................... 24

3.4 PLASTICIZERS ....................................................................................................................... 25

3.5 WATER………………………………………………………………………………………………….25

3.6 ASHPRODUCTIONTECHNOLOGIES .............................................................................. 25

CHAPTER4: EXPERIMENTALPROGRAMMES .................................................................... 31

4.1 MIX DESIGN ............................................................................................................................ 31

4.2 MIX PROPORTIONING........................................................................................................ 34

4.3 MIXING………………………………………………………………………………………………….36

4.4 CASTING………………………………………………………………………………………………..36

4.5 CURING………………………………………………………………………………………………….36

4.6 COMPRESSIVESTRENGTHTEST: ................................................................................... 37

4.7 FLEXURALSTRENGTHTEST............................................................................................. 39
CHAPTER5: RESULT AND DISCUSSION............................................................................... 41
5.1 COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH TEST .................................................................................. 41

5.1.1 Test Results ......................................................................................................................... 41

5.1.2 Discussion…………………………………………………………………………………………..44

5.2 FLEXURE STRENGTHTEST .............................................................................................. 45

5.2.1 Test results…………………………………………………………………………………………45

5.2.2 Discussion…………………………………………………………………………………………..48

CHAPTER6: CONCLUSIONSANDSCOPEFORFUTUREWORK....................................... 49

5.1 CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................................... 49

5.2 SCOPE FOR FUTURE WORK ........................................................................................... 50

REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................ 51

RESEARCH PUBLICATION ....................................................................................................... 54

 LISTOF FIGURES

Figure1.1GlobalCo2emissionsperregionfromfossil-fueluseandcementproduction..................... 4
Figure1.2CO2emissionsfromfossil-fueluseandcementproductioninthetop5emitting
countries and theEU .................................................................................................................................................... 4
Figure1.3Ricehuskfromricemill ............................................................................................................................. 8
Figure3.1ProductionofRicehuskash(RHA)fromricehusk........................................................................ 26
Figure3.2Enclosed burning ofRicehusk ........................................................................................................... 28
Figure4.1Testspecimensbeingcuredincuringtank ...................................................................................... 36
Figure4.2Compressivestrengthtestmachine ................................................................................................. 38
Figure4.3Universaltesting machine................................................................................................................... 40
Figure5.1Compressive strengthofnormalconcrete with age ................................................................. 41
Figure5.2Achievement ofCompressivestrengthatdifferentage ............................................................ 42
Figure5.3Effectofageoncompressivestrengthofconcretew.r.tdifferent
% replacementofricehusk ash .............................................................................................................................. 42
Figure 5.4Effect of Rice Husk Ash percentage on compressive strength of
concrete43Figure5.5ComparisonofCompressiveStrengthatdifferentagew.r.t%
RHAreplacement ......................................................................................................................................................... 43
Figure5.6Flexuralstrengthofnormalconcretewithage .............................................................................. 45
Figure5.7Achievement ofFlexuralstrength atdifferentage ..................................................................... 46
Figure5.8EffectofageonFlexuralstrengthofconcretew.r.tdifferent%replacementofricehuskas
h
............................................................................................................................................................................................. 4
6
Figure5.9EffectofRiceHuskAshpercentageonFlexuralstrengthofconcrete ..................................... 47
Figure5.10ComparisonofFlexureStrengthatdifferentagew.r.t%RHAreplacement
............................................................................................................................................................................................. 4
7
 LISTOF TABLES

Table1.1Recenttrendsincementproductionintop-10producingcountriesandEU-
28,ranked to2014 production (inmilliontonnes). ......................................................... 6
Table1.2 RecenttrendsinCo2emmisionsfromcementproductionintop-10producing
countriesandEU-28,rankedto2014production(inmilliontonnes)................................... 7
Table3.1ConstituentsofOPC .....................................................................................22
Table3.2PhysicalPropertiesofRHA ...........................................................................23
Table3.3ChemicalProperties(%)ofRHA ....................................................................23
Table4.1MixProportionofconcretewith 0%RHAreplacement ....................................34
Table4.2Mix proportioning ofconcretewith 5% RHAreplacement .............................34
Table4.3Mix proportioning ofconcretewith 10% RHAreplacement ...........................35
Table4.4Mixproportioning ofconcretewith 20% RHAreplacement ............................35
Table4.5Mix proportioning ofconcretewith 25% RHAreplacement ...........................35
Table5.1Compressivestrengthresults ofconcretemixes ..............................................41
Table5.2Flexuralstrengthtestofvarious mixes ............................................................45
 LISTOFABBREVATIONS

RHA : Rice Husk

AshCo2: Carbon
dioxideEU :
EuropeanUnion
OPC : Ordinary Portland
CementGWP:GlobalWarmingPotentia
lIEA : International Energy
AgencyCER:CertifiedEmmisionRedu
ctions
C.A: CoarseAggregate
F.A:FineAggregate
fck:CharactersticStrength
 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

1.1 GENERAL:

Concrete is the most widely used man-made construction material in the

world, and is second only to water as the most utilized substance on the
planet. It is obtained by mixing cementing materials, water and aggregates,
and sometimes admixtures in required proportions. The mixture when placed
in forms and allowed to cure hardens into a rock-like mass known as concrete.
The hardening is caused by chemical reaction between water and cement and
it continues for a long time, and consequently the concrete grows stronger
with age. The hardened concrete may also be considered as an artificial stone
in which the voids of larger particles (coarse aggregate) are filled by the
smaller particles (fine aggregate) and the voids of fine aggregates are filled
with cement. In a concrete mix, the cementing material and water form a
paste called cement–water paste which in addition to filling the voids of fine
aggregate, coats the surface of fine and coarse aggregates and binds them
together as it cures, thereby cementing the particles of the aggregates
together in a compact mass.
Concrete plays a very important role in the present growing construction
industry. Cement and other additives are mixed to form concrete.
The Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) is one of the main ingredients used for
the production of concrete and has no alternative in the civil construction
industry. Unfortunately, production of cement involves emission of large
amounts of carbon-dioxide gas into the atmosphere, a major contributor for
green house effect and the global warming, hence it is inevitable either to
search for another material or partly replace it by some other material. The
materials may fully or partially replace the OPC which satisfy the necessities of
durability and strength characteristics. Among several substitute materials,
such as FA, GGBFS, MK, SF, RHA, etc., are some of industrial waste have been
well known by the Industry. So, cement replacing by industrial waste or by
products is very beneficial with regard to economy, durability, strength and
other co-friendly benefits. Recycling of waste components contribute to
energy savings in cement production, to conservation of natural resources,
and to protection of the environment. Furthermore, the use of certain
components with potentially pozzolanic reactivity can significantly improve
the properties of concrete. One of the most suitable sources of pozzolanic
material among agricultural and industrial waste components is Rice husk, as
it is available in large quantities and contains a relatively large amount of
silica. It is worth to mention that the use of RHA in concrete may lead to the
improved workability, the reduced heat evolution, the reduced permeability,
and the increased strength at longer rages.

The use of waste material like RHA due to an assumption is that material can
be replaced the existing material in order to reduce costand improve
mechanical properties of the composite structure. There is an increasing
importance to preserve the environment in the present era. RHA from the
parboiling plants is posing a serious environmental thread to dispose them is
an another issue. This material is actually a super pozzolana since it is rich in
silica and has about 85% to 95% silica content. A good way of utilizing this
material is to use it for making “High performance concrete”.
As a binding medium, concrete is one of the most popular and widely used civil
engineering materials for sustaining the fast-growing global population and for
rapid urban development, especially in developing countries. The emergence of
concrete mixed with cement, aggregates, water, and reinforced steel bars also
has uses in the areas of the military, transport, hydraulics, and construction.
However, it is inevitable that a series of issues will arise when it comes to
traditional concrete. On the one hand, the construction of concrete materials is
an extravagant process and depletes high amounts of energy. On the other hand,
because of the massive use of concrete, quite a few concrete product wastes are
either discarded or are difficult to dispose of, as most of these are not of a
recyclable nature, and have the inherent drawback of creating environmental
pollution. The increased demand of infrastructures also leads to large amounts
of cement usage being disposed of in limited landfill space, resulting in the
emission of huge amounts of greenhouse gases. It is estimated that 800 kg of the
greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide (CO2), is emitted into the ecosystem when
manufacturing one ton of cement. Therefore, the state of the art for sustainable,
unconventional, natural, and recycled building materials should be taken into
account.

1.2 CEMENT AND ENVIRONMENT

Cement - the key ingredient in concrete - has shaped much of our built
environment. It also has a massive carbon footprint. Cement is the source
of about 8% of the world's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. If the cement
industry were a country, it would be the third largest carbon dioxide emitter
in the world with up to 2.8 bn tones behind China and the US. The cement
industry produces about 5% of global man-made CO2 emissions, of which
50% is from the chemical process, and 40% from burning fuel. The amount
of CO2 emitted by the cement industry is nearly 900kg of CO2 for every
1000kg of cement produced.

The principal binder in concrete is Portland cement, the production of which

is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions that are implicated in
global warming and climate change.

1.2.1 Role of Cement Industry in Global Warming:

Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) consists of 95% clinker and 5% gypsum.
The clinker is produced from crushing limestone together with the
minerals and then heating them at high temperatures (900-1450°C).
During finishing, the gypsum is added to the clinker as it is ground to a
small particle size (typically 10-15 microns). The clinker is the most
energy and emissions intensive aspect of cement production, thus it is
known as “the clinker factor”; for example, OPC has a clinker factor of 0.95.
The global warming potential (GWP) of the cement is reduced by reducing
the clinker factor – this is achieved in blended cements by inter-grinding
pozzolans or slags with the clinker during finishing.

On average about 0.9 tonnes of CO2 are emitted for every tonne of clinker
produced. Energy use is currently responsible for between 0.3 and 0.4
tonnes of this CO2; these emissions could be reduced. The 0.53 tonnes of
CO2 emitted per tonne of clinker cannot be reduced. These are known as
“process emissions”, this is the CO2 released from the calcination of
limestone. When it is heated, it breaks down into quick lime and CO2.
According to an independent evaluation of the industry in 2006, in the last
25 years there have been 30% reductions in CO2 emissions, by some
companies. These are attributed mainly to the adoption of more fuel-
efficient kiln processes. The most potential for further improvement is in
the increased utilization of renewable alternative fuels and the production
of blended cements with mineral additions substituting clinker. [2]
Figure1.1 Global Co2 emissions per region from fossil-fuel use and
cement production [3]

Figure 1.2 CO2 emissions from fossil-fuel use and cement production in the
top 5 emitting countries and the EU. [3]
1.2.2 Growth of Cement industry and its impacts on Environment

Global development and the real estate boom of the past two decades have
sharply affected the demand for basic materials, especially cement. The
growing demand forcement (±4.7%/yr) will outstrip all projected CO2
emissions reductions plans. By 2050, cement demand is projected to be
5.5Gt/yr, an increase of 140% above 2005 consumption. The International
Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that maximizing efficiencies through best
available practices and maintaining 0.7clinker factor would reduce CO2
emissions to 0.8 tonnes per tonne of cement produced. It is widely accepted
that by 2050 carbon trading and capture and storage technology will be
important strategies in global emissions management. Under this scenario, it
is projected that carbon capture and storage (CCS) will be economically viable
for only about 10% of the cement sector. Even with efficient improvements
and maximum viable CCS, the growth in demand for cement will mean that in
2050 the cementindustry will be contributing 9% of global CO2 emissions. As
per TRENDS INGLOBAL CO2 EMISSIONS, 2015 Report, Table 1 and 2 shows
recent trends in cement production and recent trend in emission of
carbondioxide from cement clinkers production
Table1.1 Recent trends in cement production in top10 producing countries and
EU-28, ranked to 2014 production (in million tonnes).

Country 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Change Share in

in global total
2014 in 2014(%)

(%)
China 1880 2100 2210 2315 2365 2.3 58.5

India 220 250 270 280 280 0.0 6.9

EU 188 193 169 165 163 -1.6 4.0

US 66 68 74 77 83 7.7 2.0

Iran 61 66 70 72 75 4.2 1.9

Turkey 63 63 64 71 75 5.1 1.9

Brazil 59 64 69 70 72 2.9 1.8

RF 50 56 62 66 69 3.9 1.7

Saudi 48 51 56 57 63 10.5 1.6

Arabia

Indonesia 39 45 51 56 60 7.1 1.5

Vietnam 56 58 56 58 60 3.4 1.5

Globalt 3350 3650 3835 3975 4045 1.8 100

otal

(Source [4])
Table 1.2 Recent trends in Co2 emissions from cement production in top10
producing countries and EU-28, ranked to 2014 production (in million tonnes).

Country 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Change Share in

in 2014 global
total in
(%)
2014(%)
China 604 684 712 745 762 2.3 52.7

India 83 92 99 102 102 0.0 7.1

European 78 76 65 64 63 -1.6 4.4

Union

United 31 32 35 36 39 7.7 2.7

States

Iran 29 28 30 34 36 5.1 2.5

Turkey 27 28 30 31 32 4.2 2.2

Brazil 22 25 26 28 29 3.9 2.0

Russian 25 25 26 27 27 1.0 1.9

Federation

Saudi 21 21 24 24 27 10.5 1.9

Arabia

Vietnam 25 26 24 25 26 3.4 1.8

Indonesia 18 20 22 24 26 7.1 1.8

Global 1220 1315 1370 1420 1445 1.9 100

total

(Source [4])
1.3 RICE HUSK-INITIATIVE IN PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT:

Rice husk (RH) is an agricultural waste material abundantly available in rice-

producing countries. They are the natural sheaths that form on rice grains
during their growth. Removed during the refining of rice, these husks have no
commercial interest. The annual rice husk production in India amounts is
generally approximately 12 million tons. Rice husk is generally not
recommended as cattle feed since cellulose and other sugar contents are low.
Worldwide production of rice husk is about 120 million tons per year. That
makes the rice husk one of the largest readily available but also one of the
most under-utilized resources. Increase of environmental awareness has led
to a growing interest in researching ways of an effective utilization of rice by-
product, from which rice husk is particularly valuable due to its high content
of amorphous silica. But it is interesting to note that rice husk contains 20%
ash, 22% lignin, 38% cellulose, 18% pentosans and 2% moisture. A large
quantity of husk, which is known to have a fibrous material with high silica
content, is available as waste from rice milling industries. [5]

Figure1.3Rice husk from rice mill

The treatment of rice husk as a resource for energy production is a departure

from the perception that husks present disposal problems. Rice husk is
unusually high in ash compared to other biomass fuels – close to 20%. The ash
is 92 to 95% silica, highly porous and lightweight, with a very high external
surface area. Its absorbent and insulating properties are useful to many
research studies. The chemical composition of the rice husk ash varies from
sample to sample which may be due to the different geographical conditions,
type of paddy, climatic conditions and type of fertilizer [6].
However it is interesting to note that rice husk generally contains 20% ash,
22% lignin, 38% cellulose, 2% moisture and other constituents. RHA is a
general term describing all types of ash produced from burning rice husks. In
practice, the type of ash varies considerably according to the burning
technique.

Silicon enters the rice plant through its root in a soluble form, probably as a
silicate or monosilicic acids, and then moves to the outer surface of the plant,
where it is become concentrated by evaporation and polymerization to form a
cellulose silica membrane. In general, rice husk ash (RHA) might well be
considered slightly impure silica. The content of silica and all impurities in
RHA vary depending on the variety, climate and geographic location. [7]

1.4 RICE HUSK ASH – INITIATIVE IN CONTROLLING GREEN HOUSEGASES

(GHS):

The Kyoto Protocol is part of the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate

Change and has set an agenda for reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. If
CO2 emissions can be shown and verified to be reduced due to different
practices, then Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) can be generated. If RHA
is used in concrete manufacture as a cement substitute then there is the
potential to earn CERs. Cement manufacturing is a major source of green
house gas emissions, accounting for approximately 7% to 8% of CO2 globally.

The cement industry is reducing its CO2 emissions by improving

manufacturing processes, concentrating more production in the most efficient
plants and using wastes productively as alternative fuels in the cement kiln.
Despite this, for every tonne of cement produced, roughly 0.75 tonnes of CO2
(greenhouse gas) is released by the burning fuel, and an additional 0.5 tonnes
of CO2 is released in the chemical reaction that changes raw material to
clinker (calcinations). The potential to earn CERs comes primarily from
substituting Portland cement with RHA. There are other environmental
benefits of substituting Portland cement with RHA. The need for quarrying of
primary raw materials is reduced and overall reductions in emissions of dust,
CO2 and acid gases are attained.
1.5 SCOPE AND OBJECTIVE:

The objective of the present work is:

1) To study different strength properties of Rice husk ash concrete with age
in comparison to Control concrete.

2) To study the relative strength development with age of Rice husk ash
concrete with Control concrete of same grade.

The Experimental investigation is planned as under:

1) To obtain Mix proportions of Control concrete by IS method.

2) To conduct Compression test on RHA and Control concrete on standard IS

specimen size150x150x150mm.

3) To conduct flexural test on RHA and control concrete on standard IS

specimen size 100x100x500 mm