Effect of Rice Husk Ash (RHA) on Cement Concrete

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 byproducts are very constructive. Rice 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 rice 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. Thus in the present investigation a realistic approach has been made using different techniques such as Compressive strength, Flexural strength using different percentage of RHA and varying curing period