Systematic Review on Alkali-Activated Binders Blended with Rice Husk Ash
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 33, Issue 9
Abstract
Production of alkali-activated binders is a developing research field that utilizes industrial/agricultural by-products and solid waste for the development of sustainable concrete. This paper comprehensively reviews the literature relating to rice husk ash (RHA)–based alkali-activated binders incorporating fly ash (low/high calcium) and blast furnace slag. The literature demonstrates that the properties of raw material significantly influence the formation of the alkali-activated gel matrix. Every precursor (low/high calcium fly ash and slag) that is used to develop alkali-activated binders with RHA have their own reaction mechanism dependant on their specific chemical composition. Hence the incorporation of RHA influences each binder in a unique way depending upon the alkali activation process and reaction mechanisms. The incorporation of RHA, in the range 5%–15%, with blended slag alkali activated binders, yields better compressive strength, when compared with RHA blended with fly ash (low/high calcium). The review presented in this paper is very useful to understand the behavior of alkali-activated binders incorporating RHA and in advancing the research into the successful application of RHA as a binder for alkali-activated materials.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
Scholarship provided by the School of Engineering, RMIT University and Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya to the first author is gratefully acknowledged.
References
Abbas, A., and S. Ansumali. 2010. “Global potential of rice husk as a renewable feedstock for ethanol biofuel production bio.” Energy Res. 3 (4): 328–334. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-010-9088-0.
ACI (American Concrete Institute). 1992. State-of-the-art report on high-strength concrete. Farmington Hills, MI: ACI.
ACI (American Concrete Institute). 2008. Building code requirements for structural concrete. Farmington Hills, MI: ACI.
Alex, J., J. Dhanalakshmi, and B. Ambedkar. 2016. “Experimental investigation on rice husk ash as cement replacement on concrete production.” Constr. Build. Mater. 127 (Nov): 353–362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.09.150.
Almalkawi, A. T., A. Balchandra, and P. Soroushian. 2019. “Potential of using industrial wastes for production of geopolymer binder as green construction materials.” Constr. Build. Mater. 220 (Sep): 516–524. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.06.054.
Antiohos, S., J. Tapali, M. Zervaki, J. Sousa-Coutinho, S. Tsimas, and V. Papadakis. 2013. “Low embodied energy cement containing untreated RHA: A strength development and durability study.” Constr. Build. Mater. 49 (Dec): 455–463. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2013.08.046.
AS (Standards Australia). 2009. Concrete structures. Sydney, Australia: Standards Association of Australia.
ASTM. 2000. Electrical indication of concretes ability to resist chloride ion penetration. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
Babaee, M., and A. Castel. 2016. “Chloride-induced corrosion of reinforcement in low-calcium fly ash-based geopolymer concrete.” Cem. Concr. Res. 88 (Oct): 96–107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2016.05.012.
Babor, D., D. Plian, and L. Judele. 2009. “Environmental impact of concrete.” Bull. Polytech. Inst. Jassy: Constr. Archit. Sect. 55 (4): 27.
Bai, T., Z. Song, H. Wang, Y. Wu, and W. Huang. 2019. “Performance evaluation of metakaolin geopolymer modified by different solid wastes.” J. Cleaner Prod. 226 (Jul): 114–121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.04.093.
Bakar, B. A., P. Ramadhansyah, and M. M. Azmi. 2011. “Effect of rice husk ash fineness on the chemical and physical properties of concrete.” Mag. Concr. Res. 63 (5): 313–320. https://doi.org/10.1680/macr.10.00019.
Bakharev, T., J. G. Sanjayan, and Y. B. Cheng. 2003. “Resistance of alkali-activated slag concrete to acid attack.” Cem. Concr. Res. 33 (10): 1607–1611. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-8846(03)00125-X.
Basri, M. S. M., N. Mazlan, F. Mustapha, and M. R. Ishak. 2017. “Correlation between compressive strength and fire resistant performance of rice husk ash-based geopolymer binder for panel applications.” In Proc., MATEC Web of Conf. Les Ulis, France: EDP Sciences.
Bernhardt, D., and J. Reilly. 2019. Mineral commodity summaries (2019). Washington, DC: USGS.
Boesch, M. E., and S. Hellweg. 2010. “Identifying improvement potentials in cement production with life cycle assessment.” Environ. Sci. Technol. 44 (23): 9143–9149. https://doi.org/10.1021/es100771k.
Chandrasekhar, S., K. Satyanarayana, P. Pramada, P. Raghavan, and T. N. Gupta. 2003. “Review processing, properties and applications of reactive silica from rice husk—An overview.” 38 (15): 3159–3168. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025157114800.
Das, S. K., J. Mishra, and S. M. Mustakim. 2018. “Rice husk ash as a potential source material for geopolymer concrete: A international journal of applied engineering.” Research 13 (7): 81–84.
Davidovits, J. 1991. “Geopolymers: Inorganic polymeric new materials.” J. Therm. Anal. Calorim. 37 (8): 1633–1656. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01912193.
Davidovits, J. 1999. “Chemistry of geopolymeric systems, terminology.” Geopolymer 99 (292): 9–39.
Davidovits, J. 2008. Geopolymer chemistry and applications. Saint Quentin, France: Geopolymer Institute.
de Sensale, G. R., and I. R. Viacava. 2018. “A study on blended Portland cements containing residual rice husk ash and limestone filler.” Constr. Build. Mater. 166 (Mar): 873–888. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.01.113.
Detphan, S., and P. Chindaprasirt. 2009. “Preparation of fly ash and rice husk ash geopolymer.” Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater. 16 (6): 720–726. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1674-4799(10)60019-2.
Dirgantara, R., C. Gunasekara, D. W. Law, and T. K. Molyneaux. 2017. “Suitability of Brown coal fly ash for geopolymer production.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng. 29 (12): 04017247. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0002093.
FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization). 2018. “FAO rice market.” In Monitor. Rome: FAO.
Fernandes, I. J., D. Calheiro, A. G. Kieling, C. A. Moraes, T. L. Rocha, F. A. Brehm, and R. C. Modolo. 2016. “Characterization of rice husk ash produced using different biomass combustion techniques for energy.” Fuel 165 (Feb): 351–359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2015.10.086.
Givi, A. N., S. A. Rashid, F. N. A. Aziz, and M. A. M. Salleh. 2010. “Contribution of rice husk ash to the properties of mortar and concrete: A review.” J. Am. Sci. 6 (3): 157–165.
Gunasekara, C., D. W. Law, and S. Setunge. 2016. “Long term permeation properties of different fly ash geopolymer concretes.” Constr. Build. Mater. 124 (Oct): 352–362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.07.121.
Gursel, A. P., H. Maryman, and C. Ostertag. 2016. “A life-cycle approach to environmental, mechanical, and durability properties of “green” concrete mixes with rice husk ash.” J. Cleaner Prod. 112 (Jan): 823–836. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.06.029.
Hardjito, D., S. E. Wallah, D. M. Sumajouw, and B. V. Rangan. 2004. “On the development of fly ash-based geopolymer concrete materials.” Journal 101 (6): 467–472.
Harper, G. G. 2018. SDG knowledge hub-cement industry initiative releases technology roadmap to Cut CO2 emissions 24% by 2050. Geneva: SDG Knowledge Hub.
He, Z., X. Zhu, J. Wang, M. Mu, and Y. Wang. 2019. “Comparison of CO2 emissions from OPC and recycled cement production.” Constr. Build. Mater. 211 (Jun): 965–973. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.03.289.
Hoppe Filho, J., M. Garcez, M. Medeiros, L. Silva Filho, and G. Isaia. 2017. “Reactivity assessment of residual rice-husk ashes.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng. 29 (6): 04017003. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0001820.
Hossain, S. S., L. Mathur, and P. Roy. 2018. “Rice husk/rice husk ash as an alternative source of silica in ceramics: A review.” J. Asian Ceram. Soc. 6 (4): 299–313. https://doi.org/10.1080/21870764.2018.1539210.
Huynh, T. P., C. L. Hwang, and K. L. Lin. 2017. “Performance and microstructure characteristics of the fly ash and residual rice husk ash-based geopolymers prepared at various solid-to-liquid ratios and curing temperatures.” Environ. Prog. Sustainable Energy 36 (1): 83–92. https://doi.org/10.1002/ep.12445.
Hwang, C. L., and T. P. Huynh. 2015. “Effect of alkali-activator and rice husk ash content on strength development of fly ash and residual rice husk ash-based geopolymers.” Constr. Build. Mater. 101 (Dec): 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2015.10.025.
Inti, S., M. Sharma, and V. Tandon. 2016. “Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) and rice husk ash (RHA) uses in the production of geopolymer concrete.” In Proc., Geo-Chicago, 621–632. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Kaur, K., J. Singh, and M. Kaur. 2018. “Compressive strength of rice husk ash based geopolymer: The effect of alkaline activator.” Constr. Build. Mater. 169 (Apr): 188–192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.02.200.
Khale, D., and R. Chaudhary. 2007. “Mechanism of geopolymerization and factors influencing its development: A review.” J. Mater. Sci. 42 (3): 729–746. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-006-0401-4.
Khan, M., M. Jamil, A. Kaish, and M. Zain. 2014. “An overview on manufacturing of rice husk ash as supplementary cementitious material.” Aust. J. Basic Appl. Sci. 8 (19): 176–181.
Khodr, M., D. W. Law, C. Gunasekara, S. Setunge, and R. Brkljaca. 2020. “Compressive strength and microstructure evolution of low calcium brown coal fly ash-based geopolymer.” J. Sustainable Cem. Based Mater. 9 (1): 17–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/21650373.2019.1666061.
Kim, Y. Y., B. J. Lee, V. Saraswathy, and S. J. Kwon. 2014. “Strength and durability performance of alkali-activated rice husk ash geopolymer mortar.” Sci. World J. 2014 (Jan): 209584.
Kishore, G. N., and B. Gayathri. 2017. “Experimental study on rise husk ash & fly ash based geo-polymer concrete using M-sand.” In Proc., IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 012273. Bristol, UK: IOP Publishing.
Kong, D., and J. G. Sanjayan. 2005. “Sagoe-Crentsil K Damage due to elevated temperatures in metakaolinite based geopolymer pastes.” In International workshop on geopolymers and geopolymer concrete, 57–67. Perth, Australia: Curtin Univ. of Technology.
Kuehl, H. 1908. Slag cement and process of making the same. New York: Atlas Portland Cement Company.
Kusbiantoro, A., M. F. Nuruddin, N. Shafiq, and S. A. Qazi. 2012. “The effect of microwave incinerated rice husk ash on the compressive and bond strength of fly ash based geopolymer concrete.” Constr. Build. Mater. 36 (Nov): 695–703. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2012.06.064.
Lokuge, W., A. Wilson, C. Gunasekara, D. W. Law, and S. Setunge. 2018. “Design of fly ash geopolymer concrete mix proportions using multivariate adaptive regression spline model.” Constr. Build. Mater. 166 (Mar): 472–481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.01.175.
Maulana, A. I., N. K. Wardani, and D. Syamsidar. 2017. “Development of hybrid composite rice husk ash (RHA)—Geopolymer for bricks bearing buildings.” In Vol. 97 of Proc., MATEC Web of Conf. Les Ulis, France: EDP Sciences.
Mehta, A., and R. Siddique. 2018. “Sustainable geopolymer concrete using ground granulated blast furnace slag and rice husk ash: Strength and permeability properties.” J. Cleaner Prod. 205 (Dec): 49–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.08.313.
Mejía, J., R. M. de Gutiérrez, and F. Puertas. 2013. “Rice husk ash as a source of silica in alkali-activated fly ash and granulated blast furnace slag systems.” Materiales de Construcción 63 (311): 361–375.
Mohseni, E., M. J. Kazemi, M. Koushkbaghi, B. Zehtab, B. J. C. Behforouz, and B. Materials. 2019. “Evaluation of mechanical and durability properties of fiber-reinforced lightweight geopolymer composites based on rice husk ash and nano-alumina.” Constr. Build. Mater. 209 (Jun): 532–540. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.03.067.
Mohseni, E., R. Saadati, N. Kordbacheh, Z. S. Parpinchi, and W. Tang. 2017. “Engineering and microstructural assessment of fibre-reinforced self-compacting concrete containing recycled coarse aggregate.” J. Cleaner Prod. 168 (Dec): 605–613. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.09.070.
Neville, A. M. 1995. Properties of concrete. London: Longman.
Ogunkunle, C. O., and P. O. Fatoba. 2014. “Contamination and spatial distribution of heavy metals in topsoil surrounding a mega cement factory.” Atmos. Pollut. Res. 5 (2): 270–282. https://doi.org/10.5094/APR.2014.033.
Onojah, A., N. Agbendeh, and C. Mbakaan. 2013. “Rice husk ash refractory: the temperature dependent crystalline phase aspects.” Int. J. Res. Rev. Appl. Sci. 15 (2): 246–248.
Patel, Y. J., and N. Shah. 2018. “Enhancement of the properties of ground granulated blast furnace slag based self compacting geopolymer concrete by incorporating rice husk ash.” Constr. Build. Mater. 171 (May): 654–662. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.03.166.
Pode, R. 2016. “Potential application of rice hush ash waste from rice husk biomass power plant.” Renewable Sustainable Energy Rev. 53 (Jan): 1468–1485. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2015.09.051.
Prabu, B., A. Shalini, and J. S. K. Kumar. 2014. Rice husk ash based geopolymer concrete—A review. Keonjhar, Odisha: Government College of Engineering.
Prasara, A. J., and T. Grant. 2011. “Comparative life cycle assessment of uses of rice husk for energy purposes.” Int. J. Life Cycle Assess. 16 (6): 493–502 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-011-0293-7.
Prasara-A, J., and S. H. Gheewala. 2017. “Sustainable utilization of rice husk ash from power plants: A review.” J. Cleaner Prod. 167 (Nov): 1020–1028. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.11.042.
Provis, J. L., and J. S. Van Deventer. 2009. “Introduction to geopolymers.” In Geopolymers, 1–11. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier.
Rahman, A., M. Rasul, M. M. K. Khan, and S. Sharma. 2013. “Impact of alternative fuels on the cement manufacturing plant performance: An overview.” Procedia Eng. 56 (Jan): 393–400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2013.03.138.
Raphael, J. M. 1984. “Tensile strength of concrete.” J. Proc. 81 (2): 158–165.
Riza, F., and I. Rahman. 2015. “The properties of compressed earth-based (CEB) masonry blocks.” In Eco-efficient masonry bricks and blocks, 379–392. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier.
Rodgers, L. 2018. Climate change: The massive CO2 emitter you may not know about. London: BBC News.
Rodríguez, N., M. Alonso, J. Abanades, G. Grasa, and R. Murillo. 2009. “Analysis of a process to capture the CO2 resulting from the pre-calcination of the limestone feed to a cement plant.” Energy Procedia 1 (1): 141–148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2009.01.021.
Stajanča, M., and A. Eštoková. 2012. Environmental impacts of cement production. Lviv Oblast, Ukraine: Lviv Polytechnic National Univ.
Sturm, P., G. Gluth, H. Brouwers, and H. C. Kühne. 2016. “Synthesizing one-part geopolymers from rice husk ash.” Constr. Build. Mater. 124 (Oct): 961–966. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.08.017.
Tong, K. T., R. Vinai, and M. N. Soutsos. 2018. “Use of Vietnamese rice husk ash for the production of sodium silicate as the activator for alkali-activated binders.” J. Cleaner Prod. 201 (Nov): 272–286. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.08.025.
Usman, M., and S. Pandian. 2014. Study on fly ash and rice husk ash based geopolymer concrete with steel fibre civil engineering systems and sustainable innovations. Accessed September 7, 2015. https://www.krishisanskriti.org/vol_image/07Sep201512091425.pdf.
Venkatesan, R. P., and K. Pazhani. 2016. “Strength and durability properties of geopolymer concrete made with ground granulated blast furnace slag and black rice husk ash.” J. Civ. Eng. 20 (6): 2384–2391. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-015-0564-0.
Wang, H., H. Li, and F. Yan. 2005. “Synthesis and mechanical properties of metakaolinite-based geopolymer.” Colloids Surf., A 268 (1–3): 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2005.01.016.
Yomthong, K., S. Wattanasiriwech, and D. Wattanasiriwech. 2019. “Rice husk ash-geopolymer composite.” In Proc., IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering. Bristol, UK: IOP Publishing.
Zabihi, S. M., H. Tavakoli, and E. Mohseni. 2018. “Engineering and microstructural properties of fiber-reinforced rice husk–ash based geopolymer concrete.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng. 30 (8): 04018183. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0002379.
Zabihi, S. M., and H. R. Tavakoli. 2019. “Evaluation of monomer ratio on performance of GGBFS-RHA alkali-activated concretes.” Constr. Build. Mater. 208 (May): 326–332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.03.026.
Zain, M. F. M., M. N. Islam, F. Mahmud, and M. Jamil. 2011. “Production of rice husk ash for use in concrete as a supplementary cementitious material.” Constr. Build. Mater. 25 (2): 798–805. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2010.07.003.
Zhang, M. H., and V. M. Malhotra. 1996. “High-performance concrete incorporating rice husk ash as a supplementary cementing material.” ACI Mater. J. 93 (Nov): 629–636.
Zhao, R., and J. Sanjayan. 2011. “Geopolymer and Portland cement concretes in simulated fire.” Mag. Concr. Res. 63 (3) 163–173. https://doi.org/10.1680/macr.9.00110.
Ziegler, D., A. Formia, J. M. Tulliani, and P. Palmero. 2016. “Environmentally-friendly dense and porous geopolymers using fly ash and rice husk ash as raw materials.” Materials 9 (6): 466. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma9060466.
Zuhua, Z., Y. Xiao, Z. Huajun, and C. Yue. 2009. “Role of water in the synthesis of calcined kaolin-based geopolymer.” Appl. Clay Sci. 43 (2): 218–223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clay.2008.09.003.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 33 • Issue 9 • September 2021
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 28, 2020
Accepted: Jan 4, 2021
Published online: Jun 30, 2021
Published in print: Sep 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Nov 30, 2021
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.
Cited by
- Camila Larrosa, Andres Lotero, Cezar Bastos, Saymon Servi, Nilo Cesar Consoli, Stabilization of Dredging Material from Rio Grande Harbor with Alkali-Activated Cements to Produce Masonry Elements, Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0004677, 35, 4, (2023).
- Abbas Tiambo Datchossa, Valéry K. Doko, Nihat Kabay, Emmanuel E. T. Olodo, Tarik Omur, The Influence of Ground and Unground Rice Husk Ash on The Physico-mechanical and Microstructural Properties of Cement Mortars, Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions of Civil Engineering, 10.1007/s40996-023-01066-1, (2023).
- M.M.A.L.N. Maheepala, M.C.M. Nasvi, D.J. Robert, C. Gunasekara, L.C. Kurukulasuriya, A comprehensive review on geotechnical properties of alkali activated binder treated expansive soil, Journal of Cleaner Production, 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.132488, 363, (132488), (2022).
- Shaik Numan Mahdi, Dushyanth V Babu R, Nabil Hossiney, Mohd Mustafa Al Bakri Abdullah, Strength and durability properties of geopolymer paver blocks made with fly ash and brick kiln rice husk ash, Case Studies in Construction Materials, 10.1016/j.cscm.2021.e00800, 16, (e00800), (2022).
- Sarah Fernando, Chamila Gunasekara, David W. Law, M. C. M. Nasvi, Sujeeva Setunge, Ranjith Dissanayake, Development of Blended Fly Ash-Rice Husk Ash–Based Alkali-Activated Bricks: A Sustainable Alternative to Portland Cement Brick, 12th International Conference on Structural Engineering and Construction Management, 10.1007/978-981-19-2886-4_45, (643-653), (2022).