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WATER PROOFING OF CONCRETE BLOCK WITH RICE HUSK ASH AS PARTIAL

CEMENT REPLACEMENT

A Thesis Proposal
Presented to
The Faculty of the College of Engineering
Camarines Norte State College
Daet, Camarines Norte

In Partial Fulfilment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering

By

Karl Paulo S. Tagala


Mark Joseph M. Balce
Marianne C. Geromo

ENGR. PRECIOUS PRINCESS T. SABA


RESEARCH ADVISER

S.Y. 2017-2018, 2nd Semester


CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Concrete is being widely used for the construction of most of the buildings, bridges etc.

Hence, it has been properly labeled as the backbone to the infrastructure development of a nation.

But by the presence of moisture or seepage through a concrete structure is a major problem and it

cause degradation of concrete structure and also the rate of corrosion is higher in presence of

moisture in the reinforced concrete structures.

One of the manifestations of this phenomena, is the thorough research of natural pozzolans

that is small in particle size, high in silica, more effective, less expensive, and environmentally

friendly. Among various raw materials in the Philippines with continuous and sustainable supply

that will satisfy this study is RHA (rice husk ash).

Rice husk is the outermost layer of paddy-grain that is separated from the rice grain during

the milling process (IRRI-RKB, 2016). This husk contains about 75 % organic volatile matter and

the balance 25 % of the weight of this husk is converted into ash during the firing process, is known

as rice husk ash (RHA). In the Philippines, rice husk is being develop as an alternative source of

energy. Recently the Department of Agriculture promotes its own rice husk gasifier engine system

that converts biomass into different applications such as thermal (cooking, baking drying, and

steam generation), mechanical (irrigation pump and rice mill), and electrical power (lighting and

power supply infrastructures).


Several studies shows that the ash produce after burning the rice husk contains a pozzolanic

material. This pozzolanic material contains fine amorphous silica that is needed in constructing

building materials. This RHA in turn contains around 85 % - 90 % amorphous silica.

Concrete on the other hand, is a material used in construction, composed of aggregate (i.e.

different types of sand and gravel), cement, and water. Researches have shown that it is possible

to use recycled materials to replace some of the traditional mixture components in concrete

products and produced more sustainable building material. The particle size of the cement is about

35 microns. There may be formation of void in the concrete mixes, if curing is not done properly.

This reduces the strength and quality of the concrete. RHA is finer than cement having very small

particle size of 25 microns, so that it easily fills the interstices in between the cement in the

aggregate. And that is why it can reduce the amount of cement in the concrete mix.

A processing plant named La Suerte Copra Industries Corporation in Sto. Domingo,

Vinzons, Camarines Norte utilized rice husk as an alternative fuel. Unaware of its importance in

the construction industry, its by-product RHA is dumped as a waste product.

With these knowledge and availability of raw materials in the province of Camarines Norte,

the researchers were inspired to determine the design mix of concrete with rice husk ash that may

open the possibility to lessen the presence of moisture or seepage through a concrete structure.

Background of the study

This idea and concept emanate from what material can be used as partial cement

replacement to reduce the seepage through concrete structure. For this, the proponents gathered

information and related research studies regarding the beneficiation of RHA (rice husk ash).
Rice husk was long considered a waste in the rice milling process and has often dumped

or burned. Because it can be easily collected and is cheap, some Filipinos used it as a solid fuel.

The remaining by-product after the combustion is the rice husk ash. The ash produce is found to

have a high source of amorphous reactive silica or silicon oxide. When burnt completely the rice

husk ash can have a Blaine number of as much as 3,600 compared to the Blaine number of cement

between 2,800 and 3,000 meaning it is finer than cement (Rice Husk, 2013). Its fineness makes it

a very good candidate for sealing fine cracks in civil structures where it can penetrate deeper than

the conventional cement and mixture. It is also a very good thermal insulation material.

According to S. Faiziev (2003), the use of RHA as a highly reactive pozzolan contributes

in making high strength concrete. It is also being utilized as a replacement of cement and silica

fume or as a mineral admixture in manufacturing of low cost concrete blocks.

On the other hand, cement has been an extremely important construction material since

then. It is used in the production of many structures that make up the modern world including

roads, bridges, buildings, runways and harbors. It is also used for facades and other decorative

features on buildings. The constant demand for all of these structures, increasingly from the

developing world, means that cement is the second most consumed commodity in the world after

water.

Because concrete is the most widely used of all construction materials in the world today,

the manufacture of cement is widespread. Each year almost one ton of concrete is poured per capita

in the developed countries.

This study presents benefits resulted from various ratios of rice husk ash (RHA) on

concrete indicators through 5 mixture plans with proportions of 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25% RHA by
weight of cement in addition to 10% micro- silica (MS) to be compared with a reference mixture

with 100% Portland cement. And it will be undergone permeability test.

Objective of the Study

Generally, this study will be conducted to determine the water permeability of concrete in

different proportion of rice husk ash (RHA) by weight of cement.

This research study is also aims to meet the following objectives:

1. To determine the properties of the aggregates that will be used in the study.

2. To determine the chemical composition of the rice husk ash (RHA).

3. To determine the proportions of the materials that will be used in the design mix.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to determine the water permeability of concrete in different proportion of

rice husk ash (RHA) by weight of cement. Specifically, sought to answer the following questions:

1. What are the properties of the aggregates used in the study in terms of?

a) Specific Gravity

b) Unit Weight

c) Fineness Modulus

2. What is the chemical composition of the rice husk ash (RHA)?

3. What are the water permeability of concrete in different proportion of rice husk ash (RHA)

by weight of cement?

a) 5%

b) 10%
c) 15%

d) 20%

e) 25%

Hypothesis of the Study

This study has the following hypothesis:

𝑯𝒂 : There is a significant difference between the water permeability of concrete with

various rice husk ash RHA and cement ratio.

Ho: There is no significant difference between the water permeability of concrete with

various rice husk ash RHA and cement ratio.

Significance of the study

The result of this study will be significantly important particularly to the following:

The public. As this research observed issues and challenges of public importance like the green

projects construction industry, human and environmental safety aspects of construction materials

are under intensive study planning for sustainability of resources and contributing to efforts

directed towards addressing global warming.

The Farmers. For the use of rice husk will maximized not only for waste product of cultivation,

but it may also be used as a construction material, especially as a partial replacement to cement,

thus motivating them to increase production due to increasing demand.

Engineers and future researchers. Since this study will guide them to continue the motive of

this research; also, this will serve as a basis for production and other construction material. The

result of this study may serve as a reference for further studies to occur.
Scope and Delimitation

In this study the researchers will compare the water permeability of concrete with different

proportions of rice husk ash (RHA) and cement in the design mix of concrete.

Rice husk ash will be obtain from the municipality of Vinzons since according to Philippine

Information Authority (PIA) this town is the major rice grower in the province of Camarines Norte

with 3,502.0 hectares of area harvested. Hence, a processing plant named La Suerte Copra

Industries Corporation in Sto. Domingo, Vinzons, Camarines Norte utilized rice husk as an

alternative fuel.

To realize the study, the proportioned materials available will be tested and compared.

Likewise, the process of determining whether rice husk ash (RHA) can be a partial cement

replacement in concrete block depends on its properties and design compared to normal concrete.

The study is limited in using only rice husk ash (RHA) which is composed of at least 85%

of silica as a mixture in concrete block. Moreover, this study limits its purpose not to take over the

components of cement, rather, to introduce an effective material that can improve the water

permeability of concrete.

Definition of Terms

These terms are defined operationally for clarification of this study.

Blaine Number. Pertains to the measurement of the fineness of rice husk ash and cement.

Fineness Modulus. Pertains to empirical figure obtained by adding the total percentage of

the sample of an aggregate retained on each of a specified series of sieves, and dividing the

sum by 100.

Rice husk. Rice hull which is the outermost layer of the rice grain.
Rice husk. Rice hull which is the outermost layer of the rice grain.

Rice husk ash. Pertains to the powdery substance that is left when the rice husk was

completely burned which is the source of silica in this study.

Seepage. Pertains to the process by which a liquid leaks through a porous substance.

Silica. Defined as a white or colorless crystalline compound which was used to

manufacture a wide variety of materials, especially glass and concrete.

Specific Gravity. Pertains to the ratio of the density of a substance to the density of a

reference substance; equivalently, it is the ratio of the mass of a substance to the mass of a

reference substance for the same given volume.

Unit Weight. Pertains to the weight per unit volume of a material. Also known as specific

weight.

Water Permeability. Defined as the volume of water that passes through a membrane per

unit time, per unit area and pre unit of transmembrane pressure.
End Notes

S. A. Zareei, et al. (December 2017) Vol.7. Case Studies in Construction Materials. Retrieved

from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214509516300924

The Constructor, Civil Engineering Home. Rice Husk Ash in Concrete – Properties, Advantages

and Uses in Construction Retrieved from https://theconstructor.org/concrete/rice-husk-ash-

concrete-construction/15725/

The Institute of Concrete Technology. (No. 55, Autumn 2004). Rice Husk Retrieved from

http://www.ricehuskash.com/UK%20-%20ICT%20News%2055%20-%20Nov%20Edition.pdf

FAO Regional Rice Initiative Pilot Project. Philippines. (2013). Retrieved from

http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/agphome/scpi/Document_pdfs_and_images/Presentation

_RRI-Philippines.pdf

G.A. Habeeb., et. al. (June 2010) Vol. 13. No. 2. Study on Properties of rice husk ash and its use

as cement replacement material. Retrieved from

http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1516-14392010000200011

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