Mechanical and Morphological Properties of Rice Husk Ash- Calcium Nitrate Blended Cement Concrete
Isaiah Oluwafemi OGUNTOLA, Taofiq BELLO, Caesar Msughter SHAWON, Oludayo Ajani AKINTOLA, Babatunde Emmanuel KOKU-OJOMU
Abstract. Blended cement concrete involves the use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) which have gained significant attention in recent years due to its potential to improve various properties of concrete. Rice Husk Ash (RHA) had been used as SCM in concrete and the properties are promising. This study investigates the mechanical and morphological properties of RHA-calcium nitrate (CN) with a view to enhance its properties. RHA was sourced from Hillcrest Rice Mill in Offa, Kwara State. CN was purchased in Osogbo, Osun State. Portland Limestone Cement (PLC), fine and coarse aggregates were purchased in Sango Ota, Ogun State. The chemical composition of RHA, CN and PLC were analyzed using XRF. RHA at 15% and CN at 1,2,3,4 and 5% were replaced by weight of PLC. Two control specimens were established: Control 1 comprised solely of PLC, while Control 2 incorporated RHA without the addition of CN. The compressive strength was assessed from 7 to 90 days of curing. Flexural and splitting tensile strength were evaluated from 7 to 28 days. Morphological evaluation was conducted using scanning electron microscopy. The SiO2, Al2O3 and Fe2O3 present in RHA were 69.32, 3.41 and 2.83%, respectively. The workability (slump and compacting factor) ranged from 14-34 and 0.72-0.84 mm, respectively. The compressive, flexural and splitting tensile strength of RHA-CN concrete varied from 20.84 to 45.8, 1.4 to 4.9 and 1.6 to 2.9 MPa, respectively. The microstructure displayed fewer pores as CN percentage increases. Further studies are recommended to increase the quantity of CN.
Keywords
Rice Hush Ash, Calcium Nitrate, Compressive Strength, Flexural Strength, Splitting Tensile Strength
Published online 4/2/2026, 9 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Isaiah Oluwafemi OGUNTOLA, Taofiq BELLO, Caesar Msughter SHAWON, Oludayo Ajani AKINTOLA, Babatunde Emmanuel KOKU-OJOMU, Mechanical and Morphological Properties of Rice Husk Ash- Calcium Nitrate Blended Cement Concrete, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 63, pp 103-111, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904053-12
The article was published as article 12 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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