Baggas Ash Description - Article Example

Bagasse Ash Name Date Course Bagasse Ash Bagasse ash description Bagasse is a product that remains after the extraction of sugar from the sugar canes. The bagasse is considered as a waste product and has led to environmental concerns. In the construction industry, bagasse has been used as a substitute for Portland cement (Thangavel 2007). This is because it has a high silica content which is the same as the Portland cement. On the other hand, it is considered to be less costly and can easily be obtained as opposed to the Portland cement. How it is manufactured Bagasse ash is manufactured by burning the bagasse in a controlled environment leads to the production of bagasse ash which has various applications. The baggase is usually burned at 600-800 degrees Celsius in order to obtain the bagasse ash (Payá 2002). Properties Bagasse ash has a density of 2.52grams per cubic centimeters with a blane surface area of 5140 cubic centimeters per gram (Rukzon 2012). The density of bagasse ash is high due to its mass which is also high while at the same time the volume is low. The particle size of bagasse ash is quite small and it is 28.9 micrometers. Its color is reddish grey which is due to the chemical composition that it posses. The physical properties of bagasse ash are quite unique from the ordinary Portland cement although it can perform the same function. Bagasse ash is characterized by a high composition of silicon dioxide. The composition of silicon dioxide in the bagasse ash is 62.43. Other chemical components are also present in bagasse ash. Calcium oxide is also present with a composition of 11.8. The chemical composition of bagasse ash is also attributed to the burning effect while leads to the deposition of carbon as well as the oxides. This is also different from the ordinary Portland cement which has a high amount of calcium oxide. The composition of sulphur trioxide is however very low in bagasse which is 1.48. Bagasse ash develops strength after it has been mixed with water and it settles slowly. The hardening of the bagasse ash also talks place slowly after it has been mixed with water. Advantages Bagasse has some advantages in the construction industry in terms of workability. It has a high percentage of workability and thus making it useful in the construction of structures that requires high strength. Its strength is also high as compared to the ordinary Portland cement and hence ensuring the durability of the structures built. On the other hand, it requires small amount of water for mixing it and hence making it economical to use in terms of water. This also makes it suitable for use in areas with water scarcity. The compressive strength of bagasse is also high which makes it suitable for the construction of buildings that requires strength concrete. The performance of bagasse ash is also good in terms of its tensile strength. The high tensile strength is an advantage that makes the building strong in terms of resisting tension. The high compressive as well as the tensile strength of bagasse ash is also high as compared to the ordinary Portland cement. This also means that structures that are built using the bagasse ash may not require a high number of reinforcements. The flexural strength of bagasse ash is also high and hence its suitability in terms of construction. The rising cost of construction is also due to the high price of ordinary Portland cement. Bagasse ash therefore acts a good substitute and may lower the general cost of construction of the building. This is due to its availability as compared to the materials that are required in the manufacture of the ordinary Portland cement. The ability of concrete to withstand corrosion is important in terms of the lifecycle of the building. Bagasse ash has the ability to resist corrosion caused by chloride and hence its advantage in terms of construction in areas that are prone to corrosion (Chusilp 2009). Disadvantages Although the bagasse ash has a lot of advantages in the civil engineering works, it also has some disadvantages. Although it is known for high strength, its rate of achieving the strength is low. This means that it may take longer for the building constructed with addition of bagasse ash to be completed. This also has implications on the curing time of the concrete. The curing time increases when bagasse ash is used in concrete which may also lead to consumption of more resources during the curing period incase water is used. The porosity of bagasse ash is also low and hence negative impacts on the buildings that are constructed in areas with high water content (Thangavel 2007). The high rate of porosity may also reduce the life of a building. The bagasse ash therefore has some weaknesses in terms of the duration that it may take in terms of completing a civil engineering project. It is also important to note that the increased time in completing a project also translates to increase in costs. This is because more resources will be required during the delay period. Application The bagasse ash is used in the construction of buildings that require high density concrete. Due to its properties, the bagasse ash is used in the road construction due to its strength. The roads that are constructed by the use of bagasse ash are durable although it may take a lot of time before the construction of the road is completed. The manufacture of the curbs is usually done through the use of bagasse ash (Akram 2009). The bagasse ash is economical and it also produces high quality curbs. On the other hand, bagasse ash is used for the purposes of constructing gutters that are useful in the process of rainwater harvesting. This is therefore an indication that bagasse ash has a lot of applications in the construction industry. The storm water drains are also constructed through the use of bagasse ash and it is increasingly gaining popularity. This is because of its low cost and its strength in terms of tensile strength that it has. However, it cannot be used for the construction of the structures that are meant to retain water due to the porosity issues. The building of ordinary structures can also be achieved through the use of bagasse ash. The ordinary structures like houses or pump houses can be constructed with the bagasse ash. However the foundations of such buildings should not be constructed by bagasse ash. The construction of sidewalks cam also be enhanced through the use of bagasse ash. This is also due to its strength and efficiency. The low cost also makes it more preferred as compared to the use of ordinary Portland cement. Cost As compared to the ordinary Portland cement, the cost of bagasse ash is relatively low. The price of ordinary Portland cement is $101.88 per tone (McLeod 2005). However, the price of bagasse ash is $50 per tone. This is quite low considering that bagasse ash is a perfect substitute for the ordinary Portland cement. The use of bagasse ash during the construction plays an important role in terms of reducing the total cost of construction by a huge percentage. The low cost of bagasse ash is attributed to the method of manufacture which is easy as compared to the method of manufacture for the ordinary Portland cement. On the other hand, the materials for manufacturing bagasse ash are readily available as compared to that of the ordinary Portland cement. Table of comparison between ordinary concrete and bagasse ash concrete Sample design Percentage of bagasse ash Workability Compressive strength (Mpa) Tensile strength (Mpa) Modulus of elasticity (Mpa) Flexural strength (Mpa) Slump (mm) Compaction factor Ordinary concrete 0 60 0.95 13.80 0.983 22800 3.63 Concrete with bagasse ash 5 187 0.96 15.83 0.97 23100 3.35 List of References Thangavel, K, 2007, Evaluation of bagasse ash as supplementary cementitious material, Cement and Concrete Composites, 29, pp. 515-524. Chusilp, N, 2009, Utilization of bagasse ash as a pozzolanic material in concrete, Construction and Building Materials, 23(11), 3352-3358. Akram, T, 2009, Production of low cost self compacting concrete using bagasse ash, Construction and Building Materials, 23(2), 703-712. Rukzon, S, 2012, Utilization of bagasse ash in high-strength concrete, Materials & Design, 34, 45-50. McLeod, R, 2005, Ordinary Portland cement, BFF Autumn, 30-33. Thangavel, K, et al, 2007. Evaluation of bagasse ash as supplementary cementitious material, Cement and Concrete Composites, 29, 515-524. Payá, J, et al, 2002, Sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA): studies on its properties for reusing in concrete production, Journal of Chemical technology and Biotechnology, 77, 321-325. Read More