Characterization of rice husk ash obtained from five rice producing companies in Nigeria
Ayinde Akeem RAHEEM, Taofiq BELLO
Abstract. This study analyzed Rice Husk Ash (RHA) from five large rice mills in Nigeria using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to determine their chemical composition and suitability for construction. The collected samples were ground and tested. XRF results showed that all samples contained over 70% silica (SiO₂), specifically at 70.11%, 81.14%, 78.65%, 77.51%, and 78.05% for SP1, SP2, SP3, SP4, and SP5 respectively. Given the content of SiO₂ and Loss on Ignition (LOI), only SP2 aligns with the conditions of class N pozzolan as described in ASTM C 618 (2019). XRD analysis indicated that all samples contained an amorphous phase at different compositions, most of which is beneficial for use as supplementary cementitious material (SCM). According to the XRD results, all samples exhibited the presence of quartz, which corroborates the siliceous nature of these materials as indicated by the XRF results. Despite the variations observed from characterization results, the RHAs demonstrated good pozzolanic properties according to ASTM C 618 (2019). The study concluded that rice processing mills offer RHA as a ready-made pozzolan material that may be applicable in the construction industry for cement production; this can potentially reduce carbon footprints in this sector. This also provides a viable waste management option for RHA disposal while improving cement properties.
Keywords
Rice Husk Ash, Rice Processing Mill, Chemical Composition, Silica, Pozzolan, Nigeria
Published online 3/25/2025, 10 pages
Copyright © 2025 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Ayinde Akeem RAHEEM, Taofiq BELLO, Characterization of rice husk ash obtained from five rice producing companies in Nigeria, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 51, pp 10-19, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644903537-2
The article was published as article 2 of the book Advances in Cement and Concrete
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
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