Influence of Agricultural Waste as a Partial Substitute for Cement in Flowing Concrete for a Sustainable Environment

Abstract

Large quantities of corn cobs, rice husks, and sugarcane bagasse are often burned or left to decay, contributing to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in many rural areas of Indonesia. However, earlier studies indicated that the ashes from those agricultural wastes have the potential to serve as partial substitutes in the making of concrete, reducing environmental pollution. Because of their rich silica composition, the pozzolanic properties of corn cob ash (CCA), rice husk ash (RHA) and sugarcane bagasse ash (SBA) contribute significantly to the extended performance of concrete. This research investigated the use of rice husk ash, sugarcane bagasse ash, and corn cob ash as alternative materials substituting part of cement, focusing on their effects on the flowing concrete with the addition of Sika-Viscocrete as a superplasticizer. This study examined the properties of flowing concrete, including unit weight, compressive strength, and the efficiency of cement utilization. The unit weight of concrete was tested following SNI 1973:2008, while its compressive strength was evaluated in accordance with SNI 1974:2011. Experimental findings showed that the measured unit weight values were consistently within the interval of 2300-2500 kg/m³ and according to the measured unit weight, the concrete is considered normal-weight concrete, the highest compressive strength obtained is 35,22 MPa at variation 7% of corn cobs and the highest efficiency in cement utilization was observed in flowing concrete with corn cob ash substitution. This is because among the alternatives, corn cob ash achieved the greatest strength improvement per unit of cement at 1.13 kg/m³ and employing agricultural waste ash as partial cement substitutes provides a sustainable pathway toward reducing overall cement consumption