Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Characteristics of sustainable high strength concrete incorporating eco-friendly materials

  • Technical paper
  • Published:
Innovative Infrastructure Solutions Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This research investigated the effect of silica fume (SF), rice husk ash (RHA), and blast furnace slag powder (BFSP) as supplementary cementitious materials on different concrete properties of sustainable high strength concrete (SHSC). Thirteen different SHSC mixtures (fc = 69.7 to 102.1 MPa) without and with SF, RHA, and BFSP were prepared with obtainable materials in Egypt. SHSC mixtures were cast with 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% cement replaced by either SF or RHA, or BFSP. Performances of RHA mixes were compared with control mixes and mixes incorporating SF and BFSP. Scanning electron (SEM and EDX) was used to measure the microstructure characteristics of RHA. The mixtures were tested for the slump, air content, mechanical properties, and water permeability. Test results have indicated that SF exhibits higher pozzolanic activity than RHA and BFSP, while mixtures with BFSP showed a better consistency than SF and RHA concrete mixes. In addition, the results of mechanical properties indicate that the optimum level for partial replacement of cement by SF and RHA was 15% and 10%, respectively. The compressive strength and other mechanical properties of concrete with SF and RHA were higher than that of control concrete. The use of Eco-friendly materials as supplementary cementitious materials will yield economic and environmental benefits, particularly from the perspective of sustainable development.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the submitted article.

Abbreviations

SF:

Silica fume

RHA:

Rice husk ash

BFSP:

Blast furnace slag powder

SHSC:

Sustainable high strength concrete

SEM:

Scanning electron microscope

EDX:

Energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer

HSC:

High strength concrete

GBFS:

Granulated blast furnace slag

PC:

Portland cement

SP:

Superplasticizer

ƒc :

Compressive strength

f sp :

Splitting tensile strength

f r :

Flexural strength

E c :

Modulus of elasticity

CS:

Calcium silicate hydrate

References

  1. Mohammed AN, Johan MAM, Zeyad AM, Tayeh BA, Yusuf MO (2014) Improving the engineering and fluid transport properties of ultra-high strength concrete utilizing ultrafine palm oil fuel ash. J Adv Concr Technol 12:127–137. https://doi.org/10.3152/jact.12.127

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Tayeh BA, Hasaniyah MW, Zeyad AM, Yusuf MO (2019) Properties of concrete containing recycled seashells as cement partial replacement: a review. J Clean Prod 237:117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.117723

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Zeyad AM, Tayeh BA, Saba AM, Megat Johari MA (2018) Workability, setting time and strength of high-strength concrete containing high volume of palm oil fuel ash. Open Civ Eng J 12:35–46. https://doi.org/10.2174/1874149501812010035

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Abed M, Nemes R, Tayeh BA (2018) Properties of self-compacting high-strength concrete containing multiple use of recycled aggregate. J King Saud Univ Eng Sci. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jksues.2018.12.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Amin M, Abdelsalam BA (2019) Efficiency of rice husk ash and fly ash as reactivity materials in sustainable concrete. Sustain Environ Res 29(30):1–10

    Google Scholar 

  6. Johari MA, Brooks JJ, Kabir S, Rivard P (2011) Influence of supplementary cementitious materials on engineering properties of high strength concrete. Constr Build Materi 25:2639–2648

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Park JJ, Kang ST, Koh KT, Kim SW (2008) Influence of the ingredients on the compressive strength of UHPC as a fundamental study to optimize the mixing proportion. In: Proceedings of the 2nd international symposium on ultra high performance concrete, Kassel, Germany, pp 105–112

  8. Staquet S, Espion B (2004) Early- age autogenous shrinkage of UHPC incorporating very fine fly ash or metakaolin in replacement of silica fume. In: Proceedings of the 1st international symposium on ultra high performance concrete, Kassel, Germany, pp 587–599

  9. YazIcI H, Yigiter H, Karabulut AS, Baradan B (2008) Utilization of fly ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag as an alternative silica source in reactive powder concrete. Fuel 87(12):2401–2407

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. YazIcI H, YardImcI MY, Yigiter H, AydIn S, Türkel S (2010) Mechanical properties of reactive powder concrete containing high volumes of ground granulated blast furnace slag. Cement Concr Compos 32(8):639–648

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Liu Y, Zhang Z, Hou G, Yan P (2020) Preparation of sustainable and green cement-based composite binders with high-volume steel slag powder and ultrafine blast furnace slag powder. J Clean Prod pp 1–13

  12. Raza SS, Qureshi LA, Ali B, Raza A, Khan MM (2020) Effect of different fibers (steel fibers, glass fibers, and carbon fibers) on mechanical properties of reactive powder concrete. Struct Concr 1–13

  13. Millera SA, Cunningham PR, Harvey JT (2019) Rice-based ash in concrete: a review of past work and potential environmental sustainability. Resour Conserv Recycl 146:416–430

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Li S, Cheng S, Mo L, Deng M (2020) Effects of steel slag powder and expansive agent on the properties of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC): based on a case study. Materials 13:683. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13030683

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Amin M, El-Hassan KA (2015) Effect of using different types of nano materials on mechanical properties of high strength concrete. Constr Build Mater J 80:116–124

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Henigal AM, Amin M, Yousssef H (2017) Effect of silica fume and steel slag coarse aggregate on the corrosion resistance of steel bars. Constr Build Mater J 155:846–851

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Tahwia AM, Abdel-Raheem A, Abdel-Aziz N, Amin M (2021) Light transmittance performance of sustainable translucent self–compacting concrete. J Build Eng 38(102178):1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2021.102178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Amin M, Tayeh BA, Agwa IS (2020) Effect of using mineral admixtures and ceramic wastes as coarse aggregates on properties of ultrahigh-performance concrete. J Clean Prod 273:123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.123073

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. El-Hakim TA, Elgendy GM, El-Badawy SM, Amin M (2021) Performance evaluation of steel slag high performance concrete for sustainable pavements. Int J Pav Eng. https://doi.org/10.1080/10298436.2021.1922908

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Amin M, Abu el-hassan K, Ibrahim OM, Nasr AM (2021) Influence of environmentally eco-friendly pozzolanic materials on microstructures and durability of environmentally-friendly high-strength concrete. Des Eng 1158–1177

  21. Al Saffara DM, Al Saad AJK, Tayeh BA (2019) Effect of internal curing on behavior of high performance concrete: an overview. Case Stud Constr Mater 10:e00229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cscm.2019.e00229

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Tayeh BA (2018) Effects of marble, timber, and glass powder as partial replacements for cement. J Civ Eng Constr 7(2):63–71

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Zeyada AM, Khana AH, Tayeh BA (2019) Durability and strength characteristics of high-strength concrete incorporated with volcanic pumice powder and polypropylene fibers. J Mater Res Technol 9(1):806–818. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2019.11.021

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Feng Q, Yamamichi H, Shoya M, Sugita S (2004) Study on the pozzolanic properties of rice husk ash by hydrochloric acid pretreatment. Cem Concr Res 34(3):521–526

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Nehdi M, Duquette J, El Damatty A (2003) Performance of rice husk ash produced using a new technology as a mineral admixture in concrete. Cem Concr Res 33(8):1203–1210

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Agwa IS, Omar OM, Tayeh BA, Abdelsalam BA (2020) Effects of using rice straw and cotton stalk ashes on the properties of lightweight self-compacting concrete. Constr Build Mater 235:117541. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.117541

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. de Sensale GR (2016) Strength development of concrete with rice-husk ash. Cement Concr Compos 28(2):158–160

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Habeeb GA, Fayyadh MM (2009) Rice husk ash concrete: the effect of RHA average particle size on mechanical properties and drying shrinkage. Aust J Basic Appl Sci 3(3):1616–1622

    Google Scholar 

  29. Rêgo JHS, Nepomucenoa AA, Figueiredo EP, Hasparyk NP (2015) Microstructure of cement pastes with residual rice husk ash of low amorphous silica content. Constr Build Mater 80:56–68

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Rizwan SA (2006) High-performance mortars and concretes using secondary raw materials. Ph.D. Thesis, Faculty of Maschinenbau, Verfahrens-und Energietechnik der Technischen Bergakademie Freiberg, Germany

  31. Thomas BS, Yang J, Mo KH, Abdalla JA, Hawileh RA, Ariyachandra E (2021) Biomass ashes from agricultural wastes as supplementary cementitious materials or aggregate replacement in cement/geopolymer concrete: a comprehensive review. J Build Eng 40:102332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2021.102332

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Xu W, Lo TY, Memon SA (2012) Microstructure and reactivity of rich husk ash. Constr Build Mater 29:541–547. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2011.11.005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Pachla EC, Silva DB, Stein KJ, Marangon E, Chong W (2021) Sustainable application of rice husk and rice straw in cellular concrete composites. Constr Build Mater 283:122770. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2021.122770

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Nguyen VT, Ye G, van Breugel K, Copuroglu O (2011) Hydration and microstructure of ultra high performance concrete incorporating rice husk ash. Cem Concr Res 41(11):1104–1111

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Laskar AI, Talukdar S (2008) Rheological behavior of high performance concrete with mineral admixtures and their blending. Constr Build Mater 22(12):2345–2354

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Faried AS, Mostafa SA, Tayeh BA, Tawfik TA (2021) The effect of using nano rice husk ash of different burning degrees on ultra-high-performance concrete properties. Constr Build Mater 290:123279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2021.123279

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Chindaprasirt P, Rukzon S (2008) Strength, porosity and corrosion resistance of ternary blend Portland cements, rice husk ash and fly ash mortar. Constr Build Mater 22(8):1601–1606

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Chindaprasirt P, Rukzon S, Sirivivatnanon V (2008) Resistance to chloride penetration of blended Portland cement mortar containing palm oil fuel ash, rice husk ash and fly ash. Constr Build Mater 22(5):932–938

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Qionglin F, Wua Y, Zhang N, Hua S, Yang F et al (2020) Durability and mechanism of high-salt resistance concrete exposed to sewage-contaminated seawater. Constr Build Mater 257:119534

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Chang J, Cui K, Zhang Y (2020) Effect of hybrid steel fibers on the mechanical performances and microstructure of sulphoaluminate cement-based reactive powder concrete. Constr Build Mater 261:120502

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Pahroraji MEHM, Saman HM, Rahmat MN, Kamaruddin K (2020) Properties of coal ash foamed brick stabilised with hydrated lime-activated ground granulated blastfurnace slag. Constr Build Mater 235:117568

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Sohail MG, Kahraman R, Nuaimi NA, Gencturk B, Alnahhal W (2021) Durability characteristics of high and ultra-high performance concretes. J Build Eng 33:101669

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Teng S, Lim TYD, Divsholi BS (2013) Durability and mechanical properties of high strength concrete incorporating ultra fine ground granulated blast-furnace slag. Constr Build Mater 40:875–881. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2012.11.052

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. Shen DJ, Liu C, Feng ZZ, Zhu SS, Chen L (2019) Influence of ground granulated blast furnace slag on the early-age anti-cracking property of internally cured concrete. Constr Build Mater 223:233–243

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Shen D, Jiao Y, Kang J, Feng Z, Shen Y (2020) Influence of ground granulated blast furnace slag on early-age cracking potential of internally cured high performance concrete. Constr Build Mater 233:117083. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.117083

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Majhi RK, Nayak AN, Mukharjee BB (2020) Characterization of lime activated recycled aggregate concrete with high-volume ground granulated blast furnace slag. Constr Build Mater 259:119882. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.119882

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Shumuye ED, Zhao J, Wang Z (2021) Effect of the curing condition and high-temperature exposure on ground-granulated blast-furnace slag cement concrete. Int J Concr Struct Mater 15:15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40069-020-00437-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  48. Shen DJ, Liu KQ, Wen CY, Shen YQ, Jiang GQ (2019) Early-age cracking resistance of ground granulated blast furnace slag concrete. Constr Build Mater 222:278–287

    Article  Google Scholar 

  49. Chi MC, Chi JH, Wu CH (2018) Effect of GGBFS on compressive strength and durability of concrete. Adv Mater Res 1145:22–26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  50. ASTM C618-19, Standard specification for coal fly ash and raw or calcined natural pozzolan for use in concrete. American Society for Testing and Materials International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2019, www.astm.org

  51. ASTM C192/C192M-16a, Standard practice for making and curing test specimens in the laboratory, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, (2016)

  52. ASTM C143/C143M-15a Standard test method for slump of hydraulic-cement concrete

  53. ASTM C231/C231M-17a Standard test method for air content of freshly mixed concrete by the pressure method

  54. B.S.1881, Part 116 (1989) Method for determination of compressive strength of concrete cubes. British Standard Institution

  55. ASTM C496/C496M-11 Standard test method for splitting tensile of cylindrical concrete specimens

  56. ASTM C78 / C78M-16 Standard test method for flexural strength of concrete

  57. B.S.1881, Part 207 (1992) Method for determination of bond strength of concrete cylinders. British Standard Institution

  58. ASTM C469/C469M-14 Standard test method for static modulus of elasticity and Poisson’s ratio of concrete in compression

  59. BS EN 12390-8: 2009 Testing hardened concrete—part 8: depth of penetration of water under pressure. British Standards Institution, London

  60. BS EN 12390-8: 2009 Testing hardened concrete part 8: depth of penetration of water under pressure. British Standards Institution, London

  61. Ayesha Siddika Md, Mamun AA, Alyousef R, Mohammadhosseini H (2020) State-of-the-art-review on rice husk ash: a supplementary cementitious material in concrete. J King Saud Univ Eng Sci. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jksues.2020.10.006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  62. Amin M (2018) Properties of reactive powder concrete incorporating silica fume and rice husk ash. Challenge J Concr Res Lett 9(4):114–127

    Article  Google Scholar 

  63. Chetan D, Aravindan A (2020) An experimental investigation on strength characteristics by partial replacement of rice husk ash and Robo sand in concrete. Mater Today Proc 33:502–507

    Article  Google Scholar 

  64. Vieira AP, Filho RDT, Tavares LM, Cordeiro GC (2020) Effect of particle size, porous structure and content of rice husk ash on the hydration process and compressive strength evolution of concrete. Constr Build Mater 236:117

    Article  Google Scholar 

  65. Rumman R, Bari MS, Manzur T, Kamal MR, Noor MA (2020) A durable concrete mix design approach using combined aggregate gradation bands and rice husk ash based blended cement. J Build Eng 30:101303

    Article  Google Scholar 

  66. Das SK, Singh SK, Mishra J, Mustakim SM (2020) Effect of rice husk ash and silica fume as strength-enhancing materials on properties of modern concrete—a comprehensive review. Emerg Trends Civ Eng. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1404-3_21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  67. Meddah MS, Praveenkumar TR, Vijayalakshmi MM, Manigandan S, Arunachalam R (2020) Mechanical and microstructural characterization of rice husk ash and Al2O3 nanoparticles modified cement concrete. Constr Build Mater 255:119358

    Article  Google Scholar 

  68. Rattanachu P, Toolkasikorn P, Tangchirapat W, Chindaprasirt P, Jaturapitakkul C (2020) Performance of recycled aggregate concrete with rice husk ash as cement binder. Cement Concr Composites 108, 103533

  69. Kameshwar P, Athira G, Bahurudeen A, Nanthagopalan P (2020) Suitable pretreatment process for rice husk ash towards dosage optimization and its effect on properties of cementitious mortar. Struct Concr 1–13

  70. Fatriansyah JF, D Dhaneswara D, Khairunnisa SA, Kusumawardhani D (2019) The effect of adding synthesis silica from rice husk as cement substitution for high strength concrete. In: IOP conference series: materials science and engineering 547, 012034 IOP Publishing

  71. Anand SS, Nirmala R, Kumar DA, Srikanth V, Kumar MS (2020) An experimental and numerical investigation on flexural characteristics of wire mesh reinforced concrete beam blended with rice husk ash (RHA) and nano silica. Mater Today Proc. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.11.298

    Article  Google Scholar 

  72. ACI Committee 363 (1992) Report on high strength concrete (ACI 363R-92). American Concrete Institute, Farmington. Hills, Mich., 55 pp

  73. Committee European du Beton (1990) State-of the-art report on high strength concrete. CEB Bulletin 197 Aug. Lausanne, Switzerland, 61 pp

  74. ACI Committee 318 (1989) “Building code requirements for reinforced concrete and commentary (ACI 318–89/318 R-89)”, American Concrete Institute, Detroit, pp 353

  75. Egyptian Code of Practice: ECP 203-2017 (2017) Design and construction for reinforced concrete structures. Ministry of Building Construction, Research Center for Housing, Building and Physical Planning, Cairo, Egypt

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Structural Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt

    Ahmed M. Tahwia & Ola El-Far

  2. Civil and Architectural Constructions Department, Faculty of Technology and Education, Suez University, Suez, Egypt

    Mohamed Amin

Authors
  1. Ahmed M. Tahwia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ola El-Far
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mohamed Amin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mohamed Amin.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. The authors did not receive support from any organization for the submitted work. The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Ethical standards statement

This article does not contain any studies with human participants by any of the authors.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Tahwia, A.M., El-Far, O. & Amin, M. Characteristics of sustainable high strength concrete incorporating eco-friendly materials. Innov. Infrastruct. Solut. 7, 8 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41062-021-00609-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41062-021-00609-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation