POTENTIAL OF RICE HUSK ASH IN CONCRETE PRODUCTION: A

LITERATURE REVIEW

SHASWAT KUMAR DAS a, ALOK PATEL b

a
Under Graduate Student, Department of Civil Engineering, GCE Keonjhar,keonjhar-
Odisha-758002,odiasha , India, E-mail:[email protected]
b
Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, GCE Keonjhar, Keonjhar,Odisha-
758002, India, E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT — The main objective of this paper is to study Rice Husk Ash (RHA),
it’s property and potential to be used both as partial and full replacement of cement
in concrete production. As the RHA is a pozzolanic material containing about 85-
90% of silicon dioxide (SiO2), it has the potential to be used as a supplementary
cementitious material (SCM) in conventional cement concrete as well as a source
material in Geopolymer concrete. This paper presents a precise overview of work
carried out on RHA by various scientists and researchers both in cement concrete
and Geopolymer concrete.
Keywords- Rice Husk Ash, Geopolymer, Pozzolanic material, supplementary
cementitious material

INTRIDUCTION

In every man made structure, from roads to skyscrapers and bridges to dams,
concrete is used as the major constituent of all. Concrete is second only to water in
terms of its use by mankind [Hanson, 1995].Cement is the most essential ingredient
of the concrete which binds all the coarse and fine aggregate together in the matrix
but cement is both energy & resource intensive material. The production of one
metric ton of the OPC requires 4GJ of energy, and also emits about one metric ton
of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere [1].The cement industries nearly contribute
7% of total CO2 emitted annually [2]. Therefore now-a-days extensive research work
is going on both supplementary cementitious material such as: Rice husk ash (RHA),
Fly-ash, Silica fume and Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) etc. and
Geopolymer concrete as a full replacement of cement in concrete.

Rice husk ash (RHA) is the by-product of rice milling industries which is
left after the production of bio-mass energy from the husk (rice hull). Generally
the RHA is burnt in the boiler at a controlled temperature by means of direct
combustion or gasification which produces heat energy. This heat energy is used to
process the paddy at the mill. After this process a non-biodegradable residue product
is formed which is rich in silicon dioxide called Rice husk ash. For every 1000 kg of
paddy milled, about 220 kg (22%) of husk is produced, and when this husk is burnt
in the boilers, about 55 kg (25%) of RHA is left as residue [3].

India is the second largest producer of rice around the globe, about 20
million tons of RHA is annually produced which becomes a severe environmental
threat from last few decades.

When the Rice husk is burnt at a controlled temperature it has SiO2 content
and most of it are in amorphous form [3]. Due to occurrence of this abundant silica
content it shows pozzolanic behaviour so it can be used as a supplementary
cementitious material (SCM) in cement concrete and also as a source -material
in Geopolymer concrete.

PROPERTIES OF RHA

Physical properties:

The RHA is a very fine and porous material having a particle size range of
5-75 micron [4]. Physical properties of RHA as referred by some researchers are
given below in table -1.

Table -1: Physical Properties

Physical Properties Mehta et al. Nagrale et al.

Mean Particle Size ----- 63.8 µm

Specific Gravity 2.06 2.11

Fineness Passing 45 µm 99% 98%

The physical properties of RHA largely depend on burning conditions.

Particularly, the period and temperature of burning affect the microstructure and
characteristics of RHA (Nagataki 1994). The partial burning of rice husks produces
black RHA whereas the complete burning results in either white or grey RHA (Ismail
and Waliuddin 1996).
 Hwang & Chandra (1997) suggested that burning rice husk at temperatures
below 700°C produces amorphous silica which has a high surface area as shown in
Table-2.

James and Rao (1986) have also reported changes in surface area with
temperature and its duration. They state that at 500°C, the surface area reached a
maximum value of 170m2/g. Within 500-600°C, the surface area decreased but
actual values remained quite high (100-150m2/g) [16].

Table-2: Rice husk ash properties produced from different burning conditions
(Hwang & Chandra 1997)

Burning Hold Furnace Properties Of Rice Husk Ash

Temperature Time Environment
Silica Form Surface Area

(m2/g)

500-600º C 1min 122

30 min Moderately Amorphous 97

Oxidising
2hr 76

700-800º C 15min- 100

1hr

>1hr Highly Oxidising Partially 6-10

crystalline

>800º C >1hr Crystalline <5

Chemical Properties:

The RHA contains a large amount of amorphous silica which actually

comes from the husk which is consist of 50% cellulose, 25-30% lignin, and 15-
20% silica [5]. After oxidization process of Rice husk the RHA is formed which
nearly contains 85-90% of silica. The different chemical composition of RHA by
different authors are given below in the table-3.

Table-3: the chemical composition of RHA (by % 0f Wt.)

Constituents SiO2 AL2O Fe2O Ca Mg SO3 Na2 K2 LOI

3 3 O O O O *

H.Than le et 86.8 0.50 0.87 1.04 0.85 ---- 0.69 3.1 4.60
al (2014) 1 6

H.ChaoLung 91.0 0.35 0.41 ---- 0.81 1.2 0.08 3.2 8.50
et al.(2011) 0 1 1

R.Zerbino et 95.0 0.30 0.44 1.25 0.45 0.0 0.09 1.0 0.51
al. (2011) 4 1 4

R.Madandou 90.9 0.83 0.60 0.80 0.56 ---- 1.55 ----

t et al. 0
(2011)

V.-T.-A Van 87.4 0.40 0.30 0.90 0.60 0.4 0.04 3.39
et al. (2014) 0 0

K. Ganesan 87.3 0.22 0.28 0.48 0.28 ---- 1.02 3.1 4.60
et al. (2008) 2 4
(LOI*-Loss on Ignition)

EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION

RHA in Cement Concrete

Extensive research is being conducted by various scientists and researchers
on partial replacement of cement by RHA in concrete production. As a result the
RHA-concrete not only provides better strength but also increases the durability.
strength properties:
Early strength is slightly less in RHA Blended Cement Concrete compared
to conventional concrete. A rise close to 23.1% to 33.9% compressive strength for
RHA blended Cement Concrete when substituted for 20% of OPC 53 Cement at 28
and 56 days chronological age of normal curing [6].
P.Chandan Kumar stated that 7.5% replacement of Rice Husk Ash in
concrete exhibits comparatively better strengths with respect to normal concrete.
Hence, 7.5% RHA concrete may be compared with normal concrete for cost
effectiveness [7].
A rise of approximately 25% flexural and 8.74% split tensile strength for
RHA blended Cement concrete when substituted by 20% of OPC 53 Cement at 4
weeks chronological age of normal curing [6].
M.S.Ismail and A.M.Waliuddin, 1996, carried out compressive strength test
on various concrete mixes with varying % of RHA. They found that for all the mixes
the optimum dosage level of RHA was 20%, the compressive strength is presented
in table-4 [12].

Table-4: Compressive strength of RHA concrete (Ismail, M.S.,

A.M.Waliuddin, 1996)

Mix RHA Compressive Strength in Mpa

Content
1 days 3 days 7 days 28 days 90 days 180
days

M1 0% 19.1 26.7 30.2 39.6 44.1 45.7

M2 20% 17.3 24.5 29.8 40.6 45.2 46.9

M3 20% 17.8 24.5 30.5 41.0 46.1 48.1

M4 20% 18.1 25.2 32.1 41.7 47.3 49.8

sulfate resistance:
The RHA based concrete has more resistance to the sulfate attack which is
proven by different researchers. In actual the sulfate attack happens due to the
reaction between sulfate and free lime present in the concrete which damage the
concrete. RHA consumes this free lime in the pozzolanic reaction so sulfate
resistance of the concrete increases.
Harish Kizhakkumodom venkatanarayanan at el. (2014) reported that at 360
days concrete containing RHA showed greater resistance than concrete without
RHA. They also observed that as W/C ratio increases there was decrease in
resistance to sulfate attack for concrete without RHA, while the resistance of
concrete with RHA was good [15].
corrosion resistance:
The corrosion of steel bars inside the concrete occurs due to the penetration
of chloride into the concrete. The rice husk ash reduces the porosity of concrete
which improves chloride resistance of the concrete.
 Saraswathy et al., (2007) investigated the corrosion performance of concrete
made with 0,5,10,15,20,25 and 30% RHA as partial replacement of cement. They
have monitored the open circuit potential measurements with reference to saturated
calomel electrode periodically with time as per ASTM C876, from their study it can
be observed that the time of cracking were 42, 72, and 74 hours for concrete made
with 0, 5, and 10% RHA, However, no cracking was observed for concrete with 15,
20, 25, and 30% RHA even after 144 hour of exposure [8].
durability property:
Kartini et al., (2008) reported that RHA improves the durability of concrete,
the water absorption and ISA value of RHA concrete are lower than the OPC
concrete.
Kartini et al., (2011) suggested that the permeability of concrete can be
reduced by the replacement of OPC with RHA; however concrete with 20% and 30%
RHA replacement levels are 3-7 times less permeable than OPC Concrete [9].
Salas et al., (2009) stated that the reduction in pore size and permeability can
be achieved by lowering the average pore diameter of the cement mix. In order to
reduce the pore diameter RHA can be introduced into the cement paste, apart from
significantly lowering permeability and pore size, it also lowered the penetrability of
chloride ions in the concrete mix which increases durability of concrete [11].
workability:
The RHA is a porous material having very large specific surface area (SSA)
which decrease the workability of the concrete by excessive water consumption [3].
However the workability can be achieved by using superplasticizers.

RHA in Geopolymer Concrete

Joseph Davidovits coined the term “Geo-polymer” in 1978 to describe a

family of mineral binders that possess a chemical composition similar to zeolites
while exhibiting an amorphous microstructure. In contrast to OPC, principal binders
in Geopolymer concrete are not calcium-silicate-hydrates (CHSs). Instead, the role
of binder is assumed by an aluminosilicate polymeric gel, formed by tetrahedrally
bonded silicon and aluminium with oxygen atoms shared in between [13]. Two
important constituent of Geopolymer concrete are source materials and alkaline
liquids. The source material must be rich in silicon (Si) or aluminium (Al) or both of
it. These could be either natural minerals like kaolinite, clays etc. or by-products like
fly ash, Rice husk ash (RHA), blast furnace slag, silica fume etc.

In Geopolymer concrete, most of the research work has been focused on fly
ash based binders. However, the RHA has the potential to be used as a source
material in Geopolymer concrete.
 Prasanna Venkatesan Ramani et al. (2015) stated the RHA can be used as a
source material in Geopolymer concrete in addition with ground granulated blast
furnace slag (GGBS). They also reported the addition of RHA beyond 10% had a
retarding effect on the compressive strength. At up to 20% replacement, the target
strength was surpassed and compressive strength as high as 51 MPa was reached at
28 days. The split tensile and flexural strengths showed a trend similar to that of
compressive strength with respect to the RHA proportion [14].
The incorporation of RHA to Geopolymer concrete increases its chloride
resistance to a greater extent. But the addition beyond 20% RHA is not beneficial
for Geopolymer concrete. The 30 % RHA replaced specimens neither achieved
significant strength nor proved durable [14].

CONCLUSIONS

From the above discussion it is clear that RHA can be used as a partial
replacement of cement in OPC concrete and as a source material in Geopolymer
concrete. So instead of dumping it into ground it should be used to enhance the
properties of existing OPC concrete. Silica fume is also being used as a mineral
admixture in India for making special concrete mixes but due to its high cost
therefore RHA will be a perfect substitute as it possess similar properties to that of
silica fume. RHA is rich in silica so it’s a pozzolanic material and can be used as a
source material in Geopolymer concrete in addition with other source materials.

The RHA has true potential to be used both in OPC and Geopolymer
industries as a substitute of Portland cement hence saving economy and ecology.

REFERENCES

1. Mehta, P.K.: Reducing the Environmental Impact of Concrete, ACI

Concrete International, 23 (10), pp. 61-66, 2001.
2. McCaffrey, R., “Climate Change and the Cement Industry”, Global Cement
and Lime Magazine (Environmental Special Issue), 2002 pp. 15-19
3. Mehta, P.K., “Rice husk ash – a unique supplementary cementing material”,
Proceedings of the CANMET/ACI International Symposium on Advances
in Concrete Technology, V.M. Malhotra, ed., Athens, Greece, 1992, pp.407-
430.
4. Mehta, P.K., Method for Producing a Blended Cementitious Composition,
United States Patent, No. US 6451104 B2, 2002.
5. Analysis Of Chemical Composition Of Rice Husk Used As Absorber Plates
Sea Water Into Clean Water Humayatul Ummah1, Dadang A.Suriamihardja,
 Mary Selintung3 and Abdul Wahid Wahab4, VOL. 10, NO. 14, AUGUST
2015
6. Lingamgunta Sravan,P.Ravi Kumar , Replacement Of Cement With Rice
Husk Ash In Concrete, Volume No.5, Issue No.1, December – January 2017,
5582-5586.
7. P. Chandan Kumar1 And P. Malleswara Rao , Benefits Of Use Of Rice Husk
Ash In Concrete, Jr. of Industrial Pollution Control 26 (2)(2010) pp 239-241
8. Saraswathy, V. And H. Song, 2007. Corrosion performance of Rice Husk
Ash Blended Concrete. Construction and Building materials, 21(8): 1779-
1784

9. Kartini, K., 2011. Rice husk ash-pozzolanic material for sustainability.

International journal of applied science and technology, 1(6).
10. H.Kizhakkumodom Venkatanarayanan P. Rao Rangaraju. Effect of grinding
of low-carbon rice husk ash on the microstructure and performance
properties of blended cement concrete, cement & concrete composite 55
(2015) 348-363.
11. Cheolwoo Park ,Andres Salas, Chul-Woo Chung, Chang Joon Lee,May
2014, Volume 18, Issue 4, pp 1133–1139
12. M. S. Ismail and A. M. Waliuddin, “Effect of Rice Husk Ash on High
Strength Concrete,” Construction and Building Materials, Vol. 10, No. 7,
1996, pp. 521-526. doi:10.1016/0950-0618(96)00010-4
13. Davidovits, J, “Soft Mineralogy and Geopolymers”,Proceedings of the of
Geopolymer 88 International Conference, the Université de
Technologie,Compiègne, France, 1988.

14. Prasanna Venkatesan Ramani, Pazhani Kandukalpatti Chinnaraj

Geopolymer concrete with ground granulated blast furnace slag and black
rice husk ash, DOI: 10.14256/JCE.1208.2015
15. Harish Kizhakkumodom Venkatanarayanan, Prasada Rao Rangaraju,Effect
of griding of low carbon-RHA on the microstructure performance of
blended cement concrete /Cement & Concrete Composites 55 (2015) 348–
363
16. James J and Subba Rao M 1986 Reactivity of rice husk ash Cement and
Concrete Research 16 296-302