THE USE OF RICE HUSK ASH AS A CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL: PHYSICAL AND ECONOMIC ANALYSIS IN MAZANDARAN PROVINCE, IRAN

This paper studies the potential use of rice husk ash (RHA) in cement manufacturing process regarding compressive strength of mortars and economic benefits. RHA is an agricultural waste, which is obtainedby burning rice husk in an approximate amount of 40 kg/ton of paddy. Considerable efforts are beingmade to make use of the waste materials rice husk ash as a partial replacement of cement. The present study investigates the methodologies to produce RHA which be compatible to cement manufacturingprocess. First, the potential replacement of RHA has been studied by analyzing compressive strength ofmortars. The results shows that the replacement of 25% of pozzolanic Portland cement by RHA producedin controlled incineration with presence of cement kept compressive strength unchanged compared to the ones with 100% of cement. Then, an economic analysis was carried out to obtain beneficial use of RHA in Mazandaran province. The analysis indicated that the use of RHA at an optimal scenario results in significant financial and environmental benefits. The results of this study are useful for Mazandaran Cement Company as the largest cement manufacturer in the region.