Utilization of Rice Husk Ash as a Partial Replacement material for Pozzolana and Clinker in Ordinary Portland Cement: A Sustainable Approach to Cost, lignocellulosic waste and Emission Reduction

Utilization of Rice Husk Ash as a Partial Replacement material for Pozzolana and Clinker in Ordinary Portland Cement: A Sustainable Approach to Cost, lignocellulosic waste and Emission Reduction | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Utilization of Rice Husk Ash as a Partial Replacement material for Pozzolana and Clinker in Ordinary Portland Cement: A Sustainable Approach to Cost, lignocellulosic waste and Emission Reduction Solomon Ongora, Ahamada Zziwa, Simon Savio Kizito, Hussein Kivumbi Balimunsu, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9236641/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study evaluates the use of rice husk ash (RHA) as a partial replacement for ordinary Portland cement (OPC) component to address the environmental and managerial challenges posed by underutilization of RHA and cement production. Therefore, RHA was subjected to slow-pyrolysis process to obtain amorphous ash and was subsequently mixed with cement in incremental steps of 5%, ranging from 0% to 25%. The objective is to determine the optimal RHA-based OPC blend that could substitute existing cement components while maintaining or enhancing performance. RHA was produced using pyrolysis kiln. Control sample were based on CEM IV 32.5N BP cement, while gypsum, pozzolana, and clinker used were sourced from Hima Cement Factory in Kasese District, Uganda. The materials were proportioned in varying ratios of clinker or pozzolana with RHA, then milled using a ball mill to produce different ash-based OPC blends. Each treatment was replicated three times and tested for Blaine fineness, compressive strength, setting time, water demand and durability. Tukey’s pairwise post hoc test revealed no significant differences in compressive strength for several RHA replacement in both pozzolana (P-values = 0.062, 0.486, 0.122, 0.880, 0.230, 0.292) and clinker (P-values = 0.999, 0.059, 0.458) scenarios. However, Blaine fineness and water demand generally increased with higher RHA replacement levels, while setting time showed a decreasing trend. The acid forming ions in all cement samples registered values well below the threshold limits. These findings suggest that RHA is effective supplementary cementitious material for sustainable and cost-effective cement production. Rice husk ash (RHA) ordinary Portland cement (OPC) pozzolana replacement clinker substitution supplementary cementitious materials compressive strength Blaine fineness water demand setting time durability and sustainable cement production Full Text Supplementary Files QueriesCompliance.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Apr, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 14 Apr, 2026 Editor invited by journal 14 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 10 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 06 Apr, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9236641","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":623190900,"identity":"b9de46fd-683f-4fdf-a4d0-7f69b9842e7d","order_by":0,"name":"Solomon 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Therefore, RHA was subjected to slow-pyrolysis process to obtain amorphous ash and was subsequently mixed with cement in incremental steps of 5%, ranging from 0% to 25%. The objective is to determine the optimal RHA-based OPC blend that could substitute existing cement components while maintaining or enhancing performance. RHA was produced using pyrolysis kiln. Control sample were based on CEM IV 32.5N BP cement, while gypsum, pozzolana, and clinker used were sourced from Hima Cement Factory in Kasese District, Uganda. The materials were proportioned in varying ratios of clinker or pozzolana with RHA, then milled using a ball mill to produce different ash-based OPC blends. Each treatment was replicated three times and tested for Blaine fineness, compressive strength, setting time, water demand and durability. Tukey\u0026rsquo;s pairwise post hoc test revealed no significant differences in compressive strength for several RHA replacement in both pozzolana (P-values\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.062, 0.486, 0.122, 0.880, 0.230, 0.292) and clinker (P-values\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.999, 0.059, 0.458) scenarios. However, Blaine fineness and water demand generally increased with higher RHA replacement levels, while setting time showed a decreasing trend. The acid forming ions in all cement samples registered values well below the threshold limits. 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