The Influence of Sugarcane Bagasse Ash and Superplasticizer on the Compressive Strength of Concrete
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70028/mssi.v1i1.101Keywords:
Sugarcane Bagasse Ash, Compressive Strength, Cement Concrete, Superplasticizer, SustainableAbstract
This study investigates the influence of sugarcane bagasse ash (SBA) and superplasticizer on the compressive strength of Portland cement concrete. The increasing interest in sustainable cementitious materials has driven the partial replacement of cement with agro-industrial by-products; however, their influence on mechanical performance remains highly dependent on replacement level and mixture optimization. Concrete mixtures were designed with SBA replacement ratios of 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% by weight of cement, incorporating 1% superplasticizer to enhance workability. Control specimens and superplasticizer-only mixtures were also evaluated for comparative analysis. All specimens were cast in cylindrical molds with a diameter of 150 mm and a height of 300 mm, and tested under uniaxial compression at 28 days of curing. The results indicate that the incorporation of SBA showed a non-linear influence on compressive strength. The control concrete achieved 28.99 MPa, while the addition of 1% superplasticizer without SBA resulted in 28.31 MPa. SBA-modified concretes exhibited compressive strengths of 28.65 MPa (5%), 31.48 MPa (10%), 30.12 MPa (15%), and 21.06 MPa (20%). The optimum performance was observed at 10% SBA replacement, indicating a synergistic effect between pozzolanic activity and particle packing enhancement at low-to-moderate substitution levels. Beyond the optimal threshold, dilution of cementitious content and insufficient reactivity of SBA contributed to strength degradation. These findings confirm that SBA can function as a supplementary cementitious material when properly optimized, with significant implications for low-carbon concrete design.
Downloads
References
P. V. Andreão, A. R. Suleiman, G. C. Cordeiro, and M. L. Nehdi, "Sustainable use of sugarcane bagasse ash in cement-based materials," Green Materials, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 61-70, 2019.
M. M. Zaheer and M. Tabish, "The durability of concrete made up of sugar cane bagasse ash (SCBA) as a partial replacement of cement: a review," Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering, vol. 48, no. 4, pp. 4195-4225, 2023.
K. P. Alvarenga and G. C. Cordeiro, "Evaluating sugarcane bagasse fly ash as a sustainable cement replacement for enhanced performance," Cleaner Engineering and Technology, vol. 20, p. 100751, 2024.
W. M. Shaban, A. M. Heniegal, M. Amin, A. M. Zeyad, I. S. Agwa, and H. H. Hassan, "Effect of agricultural wastes as sugar beet ash, sugarcane leaf ash, and sugarcane bagasse ash on HP properties," Journal of Building Engineering, vol. 98, p. 111359, 2024.
N. Wu, T. Ji, P. Huang, T. Fu, X. Zheng, and Q. Xu, "Use of sugar cane bagasse ash in ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) as cement replacement," Construction and Building materials, vol. 317, p. 125881, 2022.
F. L. Barbosa and G. C. Cordeiro, "Partial cement replacement by different sugar cane bagasse ashes: Hydration-related properties, compressive strength and autogenous shrinkage," Construction and Building Materials, vol. 272, p. 121625, 2021.
Y. Bayapureddy, K. Muniraj, and M. R. G. Mutukuru, "Sugarcane bagasse ash as supplementary cementitious material in cement composites: strength, durability, and microstructural analysis," Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society, vol. 57, no. 5, pp. 513-519, 2020.
T. A. Abdalla, D. O. Koteng, S. M. Shitote, and M. Matallah, "Mechanical properties of eco-friendly concrete made with sugarcane bagasse ash," Civil Engineering Journal, vol. 8, no. 6, pp. 1227-1239, 2022.
D.-H. Le, Y.-N. Sheen, and K.-H. Nguyen, "Enhancing compressive strength and durability of self-compacting concrete modified with controlled-burnt sugarcane bagasse ash-blended cements," Frontiers of Structural and Civil Engineering, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 161-174, 2022.
E. Althaqafi et al., "Evaluating the combined effect of sugarcane bagasse ash, metakaolin, and polypropylene fibers in sustainable construction," Scientific Reports, vol. 14, no. 1, p. 26109, 2024.
N. Yaseen, U. Sahar, A. Bahrami, M. M. Saleem, M. A. Iqbal, and I. Siddique, "Synergistic impacts of fly ash and sugarcane bagasse ash on performance of polyvinyl alcohol fiber-reinforced engineered cementitious composites," Results in Materials, vol. 20, p. 100490, 2023.
V. N. Chau, V. Q. Dang, and K. Kawai, "Mechanical properties, sorption characteristics, and microstructure of Portland cement concrete containing sulfate-resistant mineral admixture and sugarcane bagasse ash," Science Progress, vol. 108, no. 2, 2025.
N. Makul, "Introduction to the principles of cement and concrete composites," in Principles of Cement and Concrete Composites, vol. 18(Structural Integrity, Cham: Springer, 2021, pp. 1-25.
M. Bustillo Revuelta, "Concrete," in Construction Materials (Springer Textbooks in Earth Sciences, Geography and Environment, Cham: Springer, 2021, pp. 415-468.
S. Chaiyaput, J. Ayawanna, P. Jongpradist, H. Poorahong, R. Sukkarak, and P. Jamsawang, “Application of a cement-clay-air foam mixture as a lightweight embankment material for construction on soft clay,” Case Studies in Construction Materials, vol. 19, p. e02188, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cscm.2023.e02188
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Meillyta Meillyta, Munawir Munawir, Riski Rudiansyah, Aldina Fatimah, Haris Saputra (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
