Mechanical and environmental performance of sugarcane Bagasse Ash from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in sustainable concrete

Abstract In recent decades, the partial substitution of cement with sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA) has received attention for construction applications because of its pozzolanic characteristics. However, regional-scale studies are encouraged to increase the use of SCBA at the industrial level. Limited literature is available on the effect of SCBA on concrete Alkali-silica reactivity (ASR), CO2 emissions and economic feasibility. In the current study, the influence of adding 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15% locally available SCBA from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on the consistency, mechanical strength, ASR, N2 adsorption, mineralogy, microstructure, and elemental compositions of concrete was investigated. In addition, CO2 emissions and cost analysis were conducted for all the concrete mixes. Experimental findings revealed that consistency increased with the addition of SCBA percentages, whereas a delay in the setting time was recorded. The Compressive strength (CS) and split tensile strength for all SCBA-based mixtures increased with ageing, due to the finer particles and higher surface area of SCBA. Additionally, SCBA effectively reduces the expansion resulting from the alkali-silica reaction. The incorporation of SCBA significantly improved the microstructure with no sign of cracks, resulting in higher reactivity and the formation of additional CSH gel than the control mix. The findings confirmed that incorporating 10% of SCBA resulted in eco-friendly construction material with enhanced strength and cost savings. Furthermore, this study is beneficial to promote the use of locally available SCBA in concrete instead of disposal in landfills.