Comparative Analysis of the Compressive Strength of Concrete Hollow Blocks Containing Different Treatments of Rice (Oryza sativa) Husk

• Main Authors: Bautista, Fj Mackenzie A., Manansala, Rene Alfonso V., Provido, Giuseppe Arlo C., Tan, Josef Nathaniel M.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2023
• Subjects: concrete hollow blocks; rice husk; compressive strength
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/conf_shsrescon/2023/paper_men/1; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/conf_shsrescon/article/1744/viewcontent/_EDITED__PP_MEN_Bautista_Manansala_Provido_Tan___Josef_Nathaniel_Tan__1_.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

Concrete hollow blocks (CHB) have proven their significance in the modern construction of various human architecture. Rice husk is an organic waste product and a major by-product of the agricultural biomass and rice milling industry. In the Philippines, utilizing this agricultural waste may potentially solve a disposal problem and serve as an economically and structurally viable partial replacement for cement in the production of CHBs. The aim of this study is to compare the compressive strength of CHBs containing untreated rice husk and powdered rice husk. The CHBs were produced by modifying the specifications of Aquino et al. (2021), replacing 15% of the weight of the cement with the different treatments of rice husk. A total of nine concrete hollow blocks were submitted for compressive strength testing, following the specifications of ASTM-C140. These comprised three control CHBs, three containing untreated rice husk, and three containing powdered rice husk. The results of the study found that adding untreated rice husk as a partial replacement for cement produces a CHB with a higher value of compressive strength as compared to commercially available CHBs in the Philippines. This implies that using CHBs containing untreated rice husk as a building material may produce more structurally stable buildings while also reducing the overall cost of production. However, due to the lack of data regarding the effects of untreated rice husk on the other mechanical properties of CHBs, it cannot be conclusively stated that its addition is beneficial for the overall quality of the CHBs produced.