Use of bagasse ash in cement and its impact on the mechanical behaviour and chloride resistivity of mortar

In this investigation bagasse ash from the sugar industries of Khyber Pakhtoon Khwa was utilised in high-strength Portland cement mortar. The effects of bagasse ash content on the physical and mechanical properties of hardened mortar were studied, which include compressive strength, consistency, setting time and chloride diffusion. The results indicated that bagasse ash was an effective mineral admixture and pozzolan. The optimum replacement ratio of bagasse ash was found to be 20% of the cement, which reduced the chloride diffusion effectively up to more than 50%, without any adverse effects on other properties of the hardened cement mortar.