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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
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
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
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
material. This pozzolanic material contains fine amorphous silica that is needed in constructing
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.
Vinzons, Camarines Norte utilized rice husk as an alternative fuel. Unaware of its importance in
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.
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
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
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
Generally, this study will be conducted to determine the water permeability of concrete in
1. To determine the properties of the aggregates that will be used in the study.
3. To determine the proportions of the materials that will be used in the design mix.
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
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%
Ho: There is no significant difference between the water permeability of concrete with
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
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,
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
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
Seepage. Pertains to the process by which a liquid leaks through a porous substance.
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
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
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
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1516-14392010000200011