The usage of the Sugarcane Bagasse Ash in Sudanese Sugar Company as Pozzolanic-Cement Binder

Abstract

The utilization of industrial and agricultural waste produced by industrial processes has been the focus of waste reduction research for economical, environmental, and technical reasons. Sugar-cane bagasse is a fibrous waste-product of the sugar refining industry, along with ethanol vapor. This waste product (Sugare-cane Baggase Ash) is already causing serious environmental pollution, which calls for urgent ways of handling the waste. Bagasse ash mainly contains aluminum ion and silica. The objective of this study is to benefit from the fibrous waste-product of the Sugar refining industry i.e. Sugar Cane Bagasse Ash (SCBA). It is very valuable Pozzolanic material if carbon free and amorphous ash could be obtained by further combustion (1). This SCBA waste can be mixed with either lime or OPC to produce material that has Pozzolanic properties. SCBA for this study was brought from Sudanese Sugar Company (Three samples were brought from Asalaia, Sinnar and Guneid Sugar Companies). The samples were grounded firstly and tested for the chemical contents and physical properties and after that mixed with partial replaced in the ratio of 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30% by weight of OPC to form concrete to detect the fresh and hardened properties of the mix. The results recorded were showed that the SCBA produced a reactive material relatively free from carbon and other organic matter. The better strength tests were reached with ideal mixes of 10% of SCBA with OPC, which gave 0.96% comparing to pure OPC mix. The recommendation is that SCBA can be mixed with OPC in the above proportions to be used in the manufacturing of blocks and mortars or plasters.