Performance characteristic of sugarcane fiber and bagasse ash as cement replacement in sustainable concrete

Due to limited natural resources, high production costs, and environmental concerns, researchers are studying Portland cement alternatives for the built environment. This study employed finely powdered sugarcane bagasse ash to partially substitute cement in concrete with sugarcane fiber. The percentage replacement of cement by bagasse ash was 5, 10, and 15%, with 0.5 and 1% addition of sugarcane fiber was by weight of cement. Mechanical and durability properties were investigated on bagasse ash-cement-sugarcane fiber concrete. To measure concrete compressive and split tensile strength, cube and cylindrical specimens were cast, cured, and tested at 7, 28, and 90 days. Acid and Sulphate resistance were additionally investigated in this study. The compressive strength and split tensile strength of the concrete specimen in which bagasse ash is partially substituted with cement exhibited significantly higher values when compared to normal concrete. The correlation ship was also stablished between split tensile and compressive strength of concrete (Fcr = 0.0924 Fck + 0.851) with an R2 value of 0.977. The specimens of concrete were also determined to have durability properties similar to conventional concrete.