Effect of incorporating Sugarcane Bagasse Ash (SCBA) in mortar to examine durability of sulfate attack

Utilization of various supplementary cementitious materials significantly influences fresh and hardened properties of mortar. Sugarcane bagasse ash is a by-product from sugar industries and can be used as supplementary cementitious material in concrete. In the present work an experimental research was carried out to investigate the influence of residual sugarcane bagasse ashes in the mechanical properties of mortar and durability. The aim of this study is to optimize the quality of sugarcane bagasse ash (BA) and to evaluate sulfate resistance of mortars containing bagasse ash (BA). In this study, the optimum temperature and duration of burning were determined. Then various experiments were carried out to get sulfate resistance of mortars containing 0, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30% bagasse ash to examine durability. Tests included measuring concrete samples weight loss and compressive strength loss for 6 months, and length change of mortar prisms in sulfate solution. Moreover, since exposure conditions significantly affect the resistance of cements to sulfate attack, plain and blended cement mortar specimens were stored in three different conditions of exposure to Na2So4 and MgSo4, separately and simultaneously. Results show that mortar containing BA had higher compressive strength at various ages compared to control samples. In addition, results show that BA as an artificial pozzolanic material enhanced the durability of BA mortar, and reduced the detrimental effects of sulfate attack.