Enhancement of the reactivity of sugarcane bagasse ash for Pozzolan-Lime Paste: Effect of particle size

The aim of this study is to produce Sugar Cane Bagasse Ash (SCBA) with an improved pozzolanic reactivity. Inert particles and impurities present in the initial SCBA were removed by sieving. Resulting sieved SCBA was mixed with hydrated lime to obtain SCBA-lime binders. These prepared alternative SCBA-lime binders were physically, chemically and mechanically characterized. Their thermal conductivity and moisture buffer values were compared to cement, concrete and other metakaolin-lime binders ones.Selection of SCBA particle size leads to (1) an increase of 50 % of pozzolanic reaction kinetics between ash and lime compared to un-sieved SCBA, to (2) an increase of 30 % of SCBA-lime binder compressive strength and to (3) a decrease of alkalinity of the interstitial solution present in SCBA-lime binders. Indeed, their alkalinity is around 3 % lower than the cement binder interstitial solution one after 10 days of hydration at 55 ?.Thermal conductivity lambda of studied SCBA-lime binders is 0.8 to 2.2 times lower than cement-based or lime -based mortar materials of the literature. More, the ability of SCBA-lime binders to regulate relative humidity is excellent, that is to say 2 to 10 times better than concrete materials, which present negligible to moderate capacity to regulate.

Automated summary

The aim of this study is to improve the pozzolanic reactivity of Sugar Cane Bagasse Ash (SCBA). Sieving was used to remove inert particles and impurities in the initial SCBA, and the sieved SCBA was mixed with hydrated lime. The study found that selecting the appropriate particle size of SCBA can increase the reaction kinetics and compressive strength, while reducing alkalinity and thermal conductivity. Furthermore, SCBA-lime binders have excellent ability to regulate humidity, surpassing concrete materials.