Application of cane molasses as concrete retarder admixture

Abstract

Cane molasses a local material, one of the four types of sugar by-product coming out of the factory among with bagasse, pressed mud, and discharging water containing mud. It contains sugar, non-sugar, and water. Despite the objective of sugar factories, which intended to produce molasses whose purity is as low as possible, most of the time it contains some amount of sugar which can be capable of acting as a retarder admixture. In Ethiopia, a considerable amount of molasses is being discharged as a by-product from sugar factories every year. Thus, this study aims to explore the potentiality of molasses material for concrete works. This study tried to establish a different mix ratio of molasses as a retarder for the concrete mix, while at the same time, the properties of C-25 Concrete were determined. It was found out that the presence of molasses in concrete had significantly extended the setting time and reduce the rate of strength development at early ages but enhance the compressive strength at the later ages. During the study, it became evident that the addition of molasses into cement paste has the capability to delay the setting time of cement paste with a minimum of 380 min and a maximum of 990 min and at the same time it increases the concrete compressive strength at the 28th days with a range of 4.5–16.52%. Therefore, molasses could be used as a conventional retarder admixture for concrete.