Analysis of concrete behavior with addition of vegetable biomass ash subjected to the attack of sulfate ions

ABSTRACT

The negative impacts caused by civil construction to the environment are motivated mainly by the demand for natural resources. The cement industry stands out for being responsible for about 5% of global CO₂ emissions. Strategies have been used to reduce these emissions, such as increasing the performance of the binder by reducing its content in the production of concrete, through dosing methods with the particle packing. In this sense, the objective of the study was to evaluate the behavior of low-cement concrete, and addition of Plant Biomass Ash (PBA), exposed to sodium sulfate. An experimental study was carried out characterizing the materials used, an evaluation of the dimensional changes of mortar specimens and analysis of the cracking of the pieces, physical and mechanical tests on concrete submitted to two curing processes (sodium sulfate solution or conventional curing). The mix was developed with the aid of the EMMA packaging software and spreadsheet available in the literature, in which the cement content was reduced by 10, 15 and 20% by weight, replacing with PBA. The reference material showed a significant reduction in expansion when exposed to sulfate solution compared to samples submitted to conventional curing. As for mixtures added with PBA, they showed a reduction in strength when exposed for conventional curing and better behavior when exposed to the aggressive sulfate medium, both in strength and in expansion for the mixes with 10 and 15% cement reduction, the latter being considered efficient for aggressive environments.

Keywords
Packing; Plant biomass ash; Sodium sulphate