The Effects of Sugarcane Waste and Bagasse Ash Additives

on Concrete Block Mechanical Properties with Non-

Destructive Test Methods
Nasruddin1,a), Victor Sampebulu1,b), Hartawan1,c), Imriyanti1,d), Pratiwi Mushar1,e),
Muhammad Yogi Raditya1,f), and Lili Natalia Palulun1,g)
1
Laboratory of Building Material, Structure and Construction, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering,
Universitas Hasanuddin, Makassar, Indonesia.

Corresponding author: nasruddin@unhas.ac.id

a)
b)
victorsampebulu@unhas.ac.id
c)
hartawan@unhas.ac.id
d)
imrianti@gmail.com
tiwiarch19@gmail.com
e)

f)
muhyogiradityabosowa@gmail.com
g)
palulunnatalia@gmail.com

Abstract. One of the main problems in providing housing in Indonesia is the high cost of building construction and
materials. So far, various studies have been carried out, but alternatives to efficient construction techniques and the
provision of building materials in large quantities have not been found. This can provide an alternative to utilizing
industrial wastes that are left unattended. Industrial waste which is used as a mixture for concrete, bricks, concrete block,
etc. is able to increase the compressive strength. One of the raw materials that can be used is bagasse waste. In Indonesia,
a lot of bagasse waste comes from sugar factories. For the factory, bagasse is a waste that is quite troublesome because
when the dry season arrives, the bagasse can burn. In addition, the utilization of bagasse waste is still not optimal. Thus,
there is a need for research on the utilization of bagasse waste. The objectives of the discussion were: 1) to analyze the
effect of bagasse ash with variations of 0%, 5%, 15%, 25% and bagasse fiber with 10% variation; 2) to determine the
optimum value of using bagasse fiber ash and bagasse fiber. The research method in this research was quantitative
research through experimental. Analysis of test result data was carried out using comparative method and quantitatively.
The result of this research was the UPV and Hammer tests show some of the same phenomena. One of them was the
difference in the compressive strength value of normal concrete blocks with other variations that are not too far from each
other. However, for the bagasse ash variation of concrete block, the bagasse ash concrete block compressive strength was
the highest at 5% variation (UPV), while in the Hammer test, its highest value was in the 15% of bagasse ash variation at
28 days-old testing.

INTRODUCTION
From year to year, the community's need for housing has always increased which is due to the increasing of
population. One of the main problems in providing housing in Indonesia is the high cost of building construction and
materials. So far, various studies have been carried out, but alternatives to efficient construction techniques and the
provision of building materials in large quantities have not been found. This can provide an alternative to utilizing
industrial wastes that are left unattended. Industrial waste which is used as a mixture for concrete, bricks, concrete
block, etc. is able to increase the compressive strength.
One of the raw materials that can be used is bagasse waste. In Indonesia, a lot of bagasse waste comes from
sugar factories. For the factory, bagasse is a waste that is quite troublesome because when the dry season arrives, the
bagasse can burn. In addition, the utilization of bagasse waste is still not optimal. Thus, there is a need for research
on the utilization of bagasse waste. Based on data from the Indonesian Sugar Plantation Research Center (Pusat
Penelitian Gula Indonesia-P3GI), bagasse waste generated as much as 32% of the weight of milled sugarcane. 60%
of the bagasse waste is used by sugar factories as fuel, raw material for paper, the mushroom industry, and others.
Therefore, it is estimated that 45% of the waste has not been used, which causes the bagasse waste value is still very
low.
Bagasse waste contains 48-52% water, 3.3% sugar, and 47.7% fiber on average. The fiber is insoluble in water
and consists mostly of cellulose, pentosan, and lignin. According to Husin [1], the chemical composition of bagasse
waste consists of cellulose (37.65%), lignin (22.09%), pentosan (27.97%), SiO2 (3.01%), ash (3.82%), and essence
(1.81%).
From the results of previous research conducted by Naibaho, Rohanah, and Panggabean in 2015 [2], their
research concluded that the use of bagasse fiber ash as a substitute for cement in the manufacture of concrete block
increased in compressive strength at the 25% bagasse fiber ash mixture of 5,167. There is another research
conducted by Bambang Sujatmiko and Faishal Nizarsyah in 2015 [3] which concluded that the use of bagasse fiber
as a substitute for fine aggregate has increased compressive strength by 299% in 10% variation substitution when
compared with 0% variation. From the two studies above, we tried to combine the use of bagasse ash as an additive
material for cement and bagasse fiber as a substitute for fine aggregate in a concrete block mixture. Based on this
background, this research was conducted to find out the sugarcane waste and bagasse ash additives effects on a
concrete block mechanical properties by using non-destructive test method.

LITERATURE REVIEW
According to SNI 03-0349-1989 (page 1) [4], concrete block (conblock) is a building component made from a
mixture of Portland cement or pozzolan, sand, water and/or without other additives, created in such a way as to meet
the requirements and it can be used as a material for walls. In accordance with the Technical Guidelines issued by
the Department of Public Works in 1986, the ratio of sand, cement, and water used in the conblock mixture is
75:20:5.
The minimum compressive strength requirements for solid concrete blocks as a building material for walls can be
seen in Table 1.

TABLE 1. Minimum compressive strength requirements for solid concrete block

Minimum Compressive
Class Application
Strength (Kg/cm2)

Class IV concrete block is used only for constructions that do not bear loads,
IV 25 insulating walls, and other constructions that are always protected from outside
weather.

Class III concrete block is a conblock which is used only for such things as type A1.
III 40 This type means that only the surface of the wall/construction of the concrete block
may not be plastered.

Class II concrete block is used for construction that bear loads. But their use is only for
II 70
constructions protected from outside weather (for construction under roofs).

Class I concrete block is used for load-bearing construction and it can also be used for
I 100
unprotected construction.
Source: General Indonesian Building Materials Regulations [3]

Apart from the water-cement ratio and the compaction rate, the crushing strength of the concrete blocks is
influenced by a number of factors. Other important factors include [4]:
1) Type of cement and its quality
2) Types and curves of the aggregate surface area.
3) The efficiency of curing. Loss of strength about 40 percent can occur when drying is held prematurely.
4) Temperature. In general, the speed of conblock hardening increases with increasing temperature.
5) Age. Under normal circumstances, the conblock strength increases with its age. At the start of hydration, the
chemical reaction takes place only on the outside of the cement particles. Then the particles that have not
been hydrated continue to absorb water from the air even though the mixing water has dried. This continuous
chemical process gradually increases the strength and density of the conblock, which is a process that lasts
for several years. The speed at which strength increases depends on the type of cement. For example, cement
with high alumina content can produce a 24-hours old conblock that has a compressive strength equivalent to
ordinary Portland cement at 28-days old.

Sugarcane
Sugarcane is classified as a shrub with the Latin name Saccharum officinarum. Sugarcane is a plant that
produces sugar which is a source of carbohydrates. The plant is really needed so that its needs continue to increase
along with the population growth (Putri et al., 2013). Sugarcane is the main source of sweetener in the world and
almost 70% of the source of sweetener comes from sugarcane while the rest comes from sugar beets [5].
Sugarcane is a type of sugar-producing plant and it only grows in areas that have a tropical climate. The milling
of sugarcane stalks into sugar produces some solid waste including bagasse and blotong (sugarcane waste). Bagasse
is the residue of sugarcane grinding and milking in the form of soft flakes of sugarcane stalks that are obtained in
large quantities. The yield of bagasse reaches about 30-40% of the total weight of sugarcane that goes into the
milling process. Meanwhile, blotong is produced from the process of refining sap with an amount of about 3.8% of
the sugarcane weight. Until now, bagasse is widely used as the main fuel for steam boilers during the milling season,
the manufacture of organic fertilizers, pulp, particleboard, animal feed ingredients, and brake pads. Several studies
on the use of bagasse include raw materials for amylase, citric acid, and cellulose acetate production [6].

Bagasse Fiber
Bagasse fiber is the remaining fibrous material from sugarcane stalks that has undergone sap extraction in the
sugar processing industry. Bagasse fiber can also be said to be a companion product because bagasse is mostly used
directly by sugar factories as boiler fuel to produce the energy needed during the sugar-making production process,
which is around 10.2 million tons per year (97.4%). The bagasse fiber have many compositions (Table 2).
The fiber is the sugarcane stalks residual part in the sugarcane extraction process which has a 46-52% moisture
content, a 43-52% fiber content, and about 2-6% dissolved solids.

TABLE 2. Chemical composition of bagasse fiber [1]

Chemical Composition Percentage (%)

SiO2 (silica) 3.01

Ash 3.82

Essence 1.81

Lignin 22.09

Pentosan 27.97

Cellulose 37.65

Bagasse fiber has various uses. In some countries, this mill waste is needed in various industrial fields. For
example, bagasse is made into plastic, paper and partition boards. In general, sugar mills in Indonesia use bagasse as
a fuel for the factories after the bagasse has dried [7].

Bagasse Ash

Ashes from burning bagasse or also called bagasse ash is the result of chemical changes from burning pure
bagasse (Table 3). The bagasse is used as fuel to heat the boiler with temperatures reaching 550°-600°C and every 4-
8 hours of burning process, transporting or removing the ashes from the boiler was carried out. If it is left without
cleaning, there will be a buildup that will interfere with the next burning process of bagasse.
The process for the bagasse ash occurrence is as follows:
1) After the sugarcane is cut down, it is then transported to the sugar mill.
2) Then, the sugarcane stalks are milled to produce the sugar water so that the dry bagasse is left behind.
3) The bagasse is then transported by mechanical equipment to the steam boilers.
4) When the bagasse has been burned out or burned to a fine texture, the ash is removed from the steam boilers to
the mixing plant.

TABLE 3. Chemical composition of portland cement and bagasse ash [8]

Portland Cement Bagasse Ash

Content
(%) (%)

Silica (SiO2) 20.9 55.0

Alumina (Al2O3) 4.7 5.1
Iron (Fe2O3) 3.4 4.1
Calcium (CaO) 65.4 11.0
Magnesium (MgO) 1.2 0.9
Alkali (K2) + Na2O) 0.5 1.4
Sulfur (SO3) 2.7 2.2

Concrete Block Compressive Strength

The compressive strength of a material is the maximum load ratio that can be held with the cross-sectional area
of the material experiencing this force [9]. The concrete blocks compressive strength identifies the quality of a
structure. The higher the structural strength desired, the higher the quality of the conblock produced.
Concrete blocks must be designed in proportion to their sizes in order to produce a required average compressive
strength. At the construction stage, the mixtures of conblocks that have been designed must be produced in such a
way as to minimize the frequency of conblocks with a lower compressive strength than what has been required. To
calculate the amount of compressive strength, the following mathematical equation is used:

(1)
where,
Fc = Compressive Strength (MPa)
P = Maximum Load (N)
A = Material Cross-Sectional Area (mm2)

METHODS

The type of the research is quantitative with experimental methods in which to obtain data and research results,
testing and researching process were carried out in the laboratory. Data analysis was carried out by comparison and
tabulation of the compressive strength values for each testing age by using the UPV (fig.1 and fig.2) and hammer
test (fig.1). The experiment was carried out by replacing/substituting cement with the bagasse ash and sand with
sugarcane waste/fiber where the variation compositions were predetermined. The variations in the bagasse ash
additive percentage are 0%, 5%, 15%, and 25% to the cement mixture and the sand substitution as a control variable
with a variation of 10%. Treatment with dry curing method was carried out at 7, 14, and 28 days-old concrete
blocks.

(a) (b)
FIGURE 1. (a) Type of hammer test that was used (CONTROL Model 58-C0181/N); (b) UPV

The testing result with UPV is wave velocity (m/s) which will then be converted to compressive strength (MPa)
using the following graph:

FIGURE 2. The empirical relationship between the velocity of the UPV results with the concrete's
compressive strength from the compressive test (crushing) results [10]

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

Mix Design

The calculation of material requirements for each variation of concrete block mix can be seen in Table 4.
 TABLE 4. Calculation of concrete block (conblock) mix design

Type of Normal Variation 5% 15% 25%

No
Conblock (0%) Variation Variation Variation

Material (ml) (ml) (ml) (ml)

1 Sand 10597.5 9537.75 9537.75 9537.75

2 Cement 2826 2826 2826 2826

3 Sugarcane Waste 0 1059.75 1059.75 1059.75

4 Ash 0 141.3 423.9 706.5

5 Water 706.5 706.5 706.5 706.5

Material Preparation
After calculating the mix design of the concrete block mix variations, the next stage is to prepare the materials
(fig 3). Starting from washing the material to ensure that there is no dirt/sludge that can affect the strength value of
the sample, then proceed to the drying stage of the material by drying it at room temperature and with the aid of an
oven. The last stage is the weighing process of the material according to what each variation requires.

FIGURE 3. Material preparation stages

Mixing
In the material mixing stage (Fig. 4), the mixing was carried out 4 times, consisting of a variation of 0% normal
mixed concrete block and three variations of concrete blocks with bagasse ash (5%, 15%, and 25%).

FIGURE 4. Mixing process

Casting and Treatment

 After the mixing process, the next stage is to cast the mixture into a cylindrical mold and then release the sample
from the mold when it dries (Fig. 5). Then, the test specimen treatment with dry curing method was performed
during three time periods (7 days, 14 days and 28 days).

0% 5% 15% 25%
FIGURE 5. Samples in the mold with 0%, 5%, 15%, and 25% variations

Non-Destructive Compressive Strength Test

The tests were conducted on day 7, 14 and 28 of the sample treatment age (Fig. 6 and Fig. 7). The tests were
carried out with the UPV by measuring 2 times for each sample and then taking the average value. While testing
with a hammer test was carried out by taking 3 points of pressure (the upper plane, the lower plane, and the middle
of the cylinder).

FIGURE 6. Conblock’s compressive strength testing using the UPV with the direct velocity method

FIGURE 7. Conblock’s compressive strength testing using the hammer test tool

From the testing results, the results shown are as follows:

Compressive Strength Test Result with UPV

The result of compressive strength at 7-days of curing in Table 5, at 14 days of curing in Table 6, and at 28 days
of curing in Table 7. Based on the results of the concrete block compressive strength test (Table 5-7 and Figure 8),
the direct velocity results on the concrete block show that the AAT variation conblocks has not been able to pass the
normal conblock velocity. However, it is clear that the AAT conblocks velocity value is close to the normal
conblock and the conblock with AAT variation which has a higher value is the 5% AAT variation conblock with a
value of 1784 m/s which is equivalent to 16.5 Mpa at 28-days-old conblock.
 TABLE 5. 7-days-old concrete block's compressive strength test result (UPV)

Direct Average
Height Diameter Weight Mpa
Cylinder Code Velocity Direct
(m) (m) (kg) Conversion
(m/s) Velocity

AAT-0-7-1 0.200 0.106 3.250 1080

AAT-0-7-2 0.201 0.107 3.310 1833 1578 14

AAT-0-7-3 0.200 0.107 3.310 1821

AAT-5-7-1 0.197 0.107 3.110 1705

AAT-5-7-2 0.200 0.107 3.100 1707 1704.67 16

AAT-5-7-3 0.201 0.106 3.115 1702

AAT-15-7-1 0.198 0.108 3.010 1658

AAT-15-7-2 0.197 0.108 3.040 1665 1661.33 15.5

AAT-15-7-3 0.198 0.107 3.025 1661

AAT-25-7-1 0.199 0.108 2.965 1610

AAT-25-7-2 0.196 0.107 2.980 1587 1611 15

AAT-25-7-3 0.197 0.108 2.980 1636

AAT (Sugarcane waste and Bagasse ash)

TABLE 6. 14-days-old concrete block's compressive strength test result (UPV)

Height Diameter Weight Direct Velocity Average Mpa

Cylinder Code
(m) (m) (kg) (m/s) Direct Velocity Conversion

AAT-0-14-1 0.200 0.105 3.195 1902

AAT-0-14-2 0.201 0.107 3.265 1937 1923 17

AAT-0-14-3 0.202 0.107 3.285 1930

AAT-5-14-1 0.203 0.107 3.000 1811

AAT-5-14-2 0.201 0.106 2.965 1795 1796 16.5

AAT-5-14-3 0.199 0.107 2.945 1782

AAT-15-14-1 0.200 0.107 2.895 1795

AAT-15-14-2 0.198 0.107 2.905 1788 1787.67 16.5

AAT-15-14-3 0.199 0.107 2.915 1780

AAT-25-14-1 0.196 0.106 2.800 1721

AAT-25-14-2 0.198 0.107 2.860 1721 1723.33 16

AAT-25-14-3 0.198 0.106 2.875 1728

 TABLE 7. 28-days-old concrete block's compressive strength test result (UPV)

Direct
Height Diameter Weight Avergae Mpa
Cylinder Code Velocity
(m) (m) (kg) Direct Velocity Conversion
(m/s)

AAT-0-28-1 0.201 0.108 3.235 1951

AAT-0-28-2 0.202 0.108 3.275 1978 1959.33 17.5

AAT-0-28-3 0.201 0.109 3.235 1949

AAT-5-28-1 0.199 0.108 2.920 1839

AAT-5-28-2 0.199 0.108 2.945 1793 1784.67 16.5

AAT-5-28-3 0.200 0.108 2.905 1722

AAT-15-28-1 0.201 0.107 2.885 1793

AAT-15-28-2 0.199 0.107 2.900 1760 1779 16.5

AAT-15-28-3 0.201 0.108 2.925 1784

AAT-25-28-1 0.198 0.105 2.865 1751

AAT-25-28-2 0.199 0.108 2.860 1751 1761.33 16.5

AAT-25-28-3 0.198 0.106 2.850 1782

FIGURE 8. Graph of direct velocity concrete block results in all variations of treatment age

Compressive Strength Test Result with Hammer Test

Based on the concrete block compressive strength test results (Tables 8-10 and fig 9), all rebound results
obtained are below 20, which means that if we refer to the tool value graph (Fig. 10), it shows that the compressive
strength of the conblock is at the range of 10 Mpa and below. The same phenomenon occurs in the two testing tools
which is the AAT conblock in the hammer test. The test results show that the value is close to normal concrete
block, but on the other hand, the 15% AAT variation has a fairly high average rebound value or equivalent to ≥ 10
MPa (fig 8) even though the difference in rebound value is very slight with the 5% AAT variation.
 FIGURE 9. Hammer test to Mpa rebound conversion chart (Source: personal documentation)

28 days
14 days

7 days

FIGURE 10. The average rebound value for concrete blocks with AAT variation

 7-days-old

TABLE 8. 7-days-old concrete block's compressive strength test result (Hammer test)

Rebound Value Average Estimated Conblock

Sample Code T1 (Upper) T2 (Lower) T3 (Middle) Rebound Compressive
90º 90 º 0º Value Strength (Mpa)

AAT-0-7 (1) 10 10 5

AAT-0-7 (2) 10 11 3
7.9 <5
AAT-0-7 (3) 9 11 2

Mean 9.7 10.7 3.3

AAT-5-7 (1) 9 5 3

AAT-5-7 (2) 10 10 4
7.2 <5
AAT-5-7 (3) 10 9 5

Mean 9.7 8 4

AAT-15-7 (1) 9 3 5

AAT-15-7 (2) 10 8 5
6.2 <5
AAT-15-7 (3) 7 5 4

Mean 8.7 5.3 4.7

 Rebound Value Average Estimated Conblock
Sample Code T1 (Upper) T2 (Lower) T3 (Middle) Rebound Compressive
90º 90 º 0º Value Strength (Mpa)

AAT-25-7 (1) 9 5 3

AAT-25-7 (2) 8 9 9
6.5 <5
AAT-25-7 (3) 3 3 9

Mean 6.7 5.7 7

 14-days-old
TABLE 9. 14-days-old concrete block's compressive strength test result (Hammer test)

Rebound Value Conblock’s

Sample Code T1 (Upper) T2 (Lower) Average Compressive Strength
T3 (Middle) 0º (Mpa)
90º 90º

AAT-0-14 (1) 11 13 12

AAT-0-14 (2) 16 15 11
12.8 5>x<10
AAT-0-14 (3) 13 12 12

Mean 13.3 13.3 11.7

AAT-5-14 (1) 11 13 10

AAT-5-14 (2) 10 11.5 8

10.8 5>x<10
AAT-5-14 (3) 11 13 10

Mean 10.7 12.5 9.3

AAT-15-14 (1) 13 9 11

AAT-15-14 (2) 14 11 11
11.1 5>x<10
AAT-15-14 (3) 12 11 8

Mean 13 10.3 10

AAT-25-14 (1) 12.5 13 5

AAT-25-14 (2) 11 10 10
10,2 5>x<10
AAT-25-14 (3) 11 10 9

Mean 11.5 11 8
NB. x = number of Mpa

 28-days-old
 TABLE 10. 28-days-old concrete block's compressive strength test result (Hammer test)

Rebound Value Conblock’s

Sample Code T1 (Upper) T2 (Lower) T3 (Middle) Average Compressive Strength
90º 90º 0º (Mpa)

AAT-0-28 (1) 15 13 11

AAT-0-28 (2) 17 14 13
14 ≥10
AAT-0-28 (3) 16 15 12

Mean 16 14 12

AAT-5-28 (1) 15 14 11

AAT-5-28 (2) 12 13 12
12.4 ≥10
AAT-5-28 (3) 13 12 10

Mean 13.3 13 11

AAT-15-28 (1) 14 15 12

AAT-15-28 (2) 12 12 11
12.7 ≥10
AAT-15-28 (3) 13 14 11

Mean 13 13.7 11,3

AAT-25-28 (1) 13 13 13

AAT-25-28 (2) 13 12 12
12.4 ≥10
AAT-25-28 (3) 11 12 13

Average 12.3 12.3 12.7

CONCLUSION

Non-destructive testing of the concrete block compressive strength using the UPV and Hammer tests show some
of the same phenomena. One of them is the difference in the compressive strength value of normal concrete block
(0% AAT variation) with other variations that are not too far / almost close to each other. However, for the conblock
with AAT variation, the AAT concrete block compressive strength was the highest at 5% variation (using UPV),
while in the Hammer test, its highest value was in the 15% AAT variation at 28 days-old testing. Due to the very
slight difference, it can be concluded that the test results between the two concrete block compressive strength
measurement tools show that the results were not too significant, which indicates that the quality range of the
conblock was in the class I category (100 kg/cm 2). It is in accordance with SNI 03-0349-1989 standards regarding
solid concrete blocks. The optimum value for the three AAT variations was at a variation of 15%.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Authors wishing to acknowledge assistance or encouragement from colleagues, special work by technical staff
and financial support from Faculty of Engineering Universitas Hasanuddin in the research scheme of Lab Based
Education (LBE).

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