Structural properties of sustainable concrete developed using rice husk ash and hydrated lime

Sustainability in construction encourages the incorporation of rice husk ash in concrete. While the properties of such concrete have been sufficiently established in the literature, the properties of concrete incorporating blended rice husk ash and lime as partial replacement for cement in concrete has not been reported. This study seeks to fill the identified research gap. In this study, RHA and lime were blended and used to replace conventional cement at different percentages to form RHA-Lime concrete. Results from strength test showed that RHA-Lime concrete exhibited higher early strength in comparison to the control. However, the early strength development was impaired by lime leaching. Also, RHA-Lime cement mixes were found suitable for use in structural concrete and can replace conventional cement up to 25%. The inclusion of lime enhanced pozzolanic reaction, hence the strength properties of RHA-Concrete. RHA-Lime mixes can therefore serve a viable alternative to conventional cement in concrete.