The effect of Microwave Incinerated Rice Husk Ash on foamed mortar

Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials in the world such as for
building project or bridge construction. However, the production of portland cement, an
essential constituent of concrete, leads to the release of significant amount of C02
, a
greenhouse gas. In recent trends, the enhancements of the properties of concrete are made
by incorporating huge amount of wastes particularly the solid wastes such as rice husk as
partial cement replacement material. This phenomenon has turned wastes to value. The
main objectives of this research are to determine the optimum of MIRHA content in
foamed concrete mix proportion and to establish the effect of MIRHA on the properties
of foamed concrete. The scope of study comprises test and analysis conducted on
MIRHA as cement replacement material in concrete, strength and density of foamed
mortar. In this study, mix proportion parameters of foamed concrete are analyzed by
using the Taguchi's experiment design methodology for optimal design. For that purpose,
mixtures are designed in a L16 orthogonal array with five factors, namely, MIRHA
content; Water to cementitious materials ratio (W/C); sand to cementitious materials ratio
(s/c); Superplasticizer content (SP); Foam agent content (FC). The mixtures are
extensively tested, both in fresh and hardened states and to meet all of the practical and
technical requirements of foamed concrete. The experimental results are analyzed by
using the Taguchi experimental design methodology. The best possible levels for mix
proportions are determined for maximization of ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV),
compressive strength and splitting tensile strength. It is hoped that this research will help
the construction industry in Malaysia to be more successful.