Strength Performance Evaluation of Wood Ash Concrete Infused with Nanosilica
Abiodun Ebenezer AKINWALE, Elsaigh A WALIED, Akeem Ayinde RAHEEM
Abstract. Concrete is among the most extensively employed construction materials globally, with an annual production estimated at 27.3 billion tonnes. Approximately 80% of all CO2 emissions from concrete technology are attributable to the production of Portland cement, the essential binder in concrete, which accounts for 5 – 7% of global CO2 emissions. Consequently, reducing cement utilization is vital for decreasing carbon dioxide levels. Nonetheless, the strength properties of cement are essential for achieving the desired strength of structures. Therefore, the development of cost-effective additives and alternatives to cement to produce environmentally friendly binding supplements for concrete becomes imperative. In pursuit of this, a 0.5 water/binder (w/b) ratio mix was formulated to evaluate the impact of nanosilica on the compressive strength of wood ash concrete and ascertain the optimal percentage for a partial replacement. The mix design was modified by incorporating wood ash into the cement fraction in proportions of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25% with nanosilica additions of 0, 0.5, 1.1, and 1.7% based on mixing water percentage. The wood ash was produced by thoroughly burning firewood from wattle trees (Acacia pycnantha). Concrete samples were cast in cube moulds with a w/b ratio of 0.5, and compressive strength testing was conducted on the samples at 3, 7, 14, 28, 56, 90, and 120 days, respectively. Results indicated that, in comparison to the control sample, the wood ash containing nanosilica decreased proportionally, regardless of the percentage of Nanosilica (NS) inclusion. However, the compressive strength of the wood ash (WA5%) group samples, including those without NS, gained 3% of the target strength of 50 MPa within just 14 days. At 28 days, this strength exceeded the target by 6%. This strength increase continued to rise by 6–13% from 28 to 120 days. Samples containing 10% WA with 1.1 and 1.7% NS surpassed the target strength of 50 MPa by 0.6% and 1.3%, respectively, at 28 days. This enhancement was also observed in other samples from 56 to 120 days.
Keywords
Concrete, Compressive Strength, Wood Ash, Nanosilica
Published online 4/2/2026, 11 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Abiodun Ebenezer AKINWALE, Elsaigh A WALIED, Akeem Ayinde RAHEEM, Strength Performance Evaluation of Wood Ash Concrete Infused with Nanosilica, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 63, pp 1-11, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904053-1
The article was published as article 1 of the book Advances in Cement and Concrete Research
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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