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Use of Brazilian sugarcane bagasse ash in concrete as sand replacement

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 Waste Management 30 (2010) 1114–1122

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Waste Management
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/wasman

Use of Brazilian sugarcane bagasse ash in concrete as sand replacement

Almir Sales *, Sofia Araújo Lima
Department of Civil Engineering, UFSCar, Via Washington Luis, km 235, Monjolinho, 13565-905 São Carlos, SP, Brazil

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Sugarcane today plays a major role in the worldwide economy, and Brazil is the leading producer of sugar
Accepted 16 January 2010 and alcohol, which are important international commodities. The production process generates bagasse
Available online 18 February 2010 as a waste, which is used as fuel to stoke boilers that produce steam for electricity cogeneration. The final
product of this burning is residual sugarcane bagasse ash (SBA), which is normally used as fertilizer in
sugarcane plantations. Ash stands out among agroindustrial wastes because it results from energy gen-
erating processes. Many types of ash do not have hydraulic or pozzolanic reactivity, but can be used in
civil construction as inert materials. The present study used ash collected from four sugar mills in the
region of São Carlos, SP, Brazil, which is one of the world’s largest producers of sugarcane. The ash sam-
ples were subjected to chemical characterization, sieve analysis, determination of specific gravity, X-ray
diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and solubilization and leaching tests. Mortars and concretes
with SBA as sand replacement were produced and tests were carried out: compressive strength, tensile
strength and elastic modulus. The results indicated that the SBA samples presented physical properties
similar to those of natural sand. Several heavy metals were found in the SBA samples, indicating the need
to restrict its use as a fertilizer. The mortars produced with SBA in place of sand showed better mechan-
ical results than the reference samples. SBA can be used as a partial substitute of sand in concretes made
with cement slag-modified Portland cement.
Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction gasse generates 25 kg of ash. This ash is used as fertilizer in the

Brazil has a tradition in sugarcane production since the 18th
century. However, it was only in the 20th century that the country
discovered that alcohol could be a viable energy source. Today,
Brazil produces about 60% of the ethyl alcohol (ethanol) consumed
worldwide and is the world’s largest sugar producer. Sugarcane
represents one of Brazil’s main agricultural activities, occupying a
total planted area of approximately 3 million hectares (MAPA,
2008; UNICA, 2009). Sugarcane production has been growing since
2000, with the 2008/2009 crop exceeding 572,000,000 tons,
according to the Department of Sugarcane and Agroenergy of the
Ministry of Agriculture, Cattle Raising and Supply.
The demand for sugarcane ethanol should continue to grow in
the next decade, according to the Ministry of Mines and Energy.
The electricity generated by burning bagasse and leaves may ex-
ceed the capacity of Brazil’s largest hydroelectric plant, Itaipu
(Journal Pesquisa FAPESP, 2009).
Nevertheless, the sugarcane industry is still seeking solutions to
dispose of the wastes generated by the sugar and alcohol produc-
tion processes. The ash remaining after bagasse is burned is the last
residue generated by the sugarcane chain. Each ton of burned ba-
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +55 16 33518262; fax: +55 16 33518259.
E-mail addresses: almir@ufscar.br (A. Sales), sofiaalima@yahoo.com.br (S.A.
Lima).
plantations, but it does not have adequate mineral nutrients for
this purpose. However, ash can be used in place of cement or sand
in civil construction (Cordeiro et al., 2009; Lima et al., 2009).
Sugarcane production in Brazil grew from 120 million tons in
1975 to 240 million tons in 1985, remaining at this level from
1985 to 1995. At this point, another cycle of agricultural expansion
began, driven by sugar exports. In 1990, sugar exports amounted to
1200 tons, which had increased to 19,600 tons by 2006 (Goldem-
berg et al., 2008).
International discussions about the expansion of biofuels and
food scarcity should not hinder the growth of sugarcane. In Brazil,
only 1% of arable land (0.5% of the country’s territory) is occupied
by sugarcane production, while almost 49% of this land is dedi-
cated to cattle ranching, as shown in Fig. 1 (Journal Pesquisa FA-
PESP, 2009).
Today, sugarcane plantations occupy a planted area of about 3
million hectares distributed over a large part of the country’s terri-
tory (Fig. 2). More than 60% of Brazil’s sugarcane plantations are lo-
cated in the state of São Paulo, which is responsible for 62% of the
country’s ethanol production (MAPA, 2008; UNICA, 2009).
Brazil generates approximately 320 billion liters of vinasse, 88
million tons of sugarcane filter cake, and 92 million tons of bagasse
in sugarcane processing at sugar mills. The final waste produced by
the sugarcane production chain is ash. The fly ash generated in the
process is collected by means of washing and decantation

0956-053X/$ - see front matter Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2010.01.026
 A. Sales, S.A. Lima / Waste Management 30 (2010) 1114–1122
Fig. 1. Area used for ethanol production. Source: Journal Pesquisa FAPESP (2009)
(adapted).
techniques and, together with the ash from the boilers (bottom
ash), constitutes the final waste of the industrial process, which
cannot be reduced (Jendiroba, 2006; Souza et al., 2007).
The international community today is concerned about certify-
ing the sugar and alcohol production process in order to ensure
better agricultural, environmental and social practices. Although
it generates large volumes of wastes in this process, the sugarcane
industry, led by Brazil, is preparing to propose a global certification
standard in response to pressures from the international commu-
nity (Jornal da Ciência, 2009).
The action known as Better Sugarcane Initiative (BSI), whose
development began three years ago, involves large sugar and alco-
hol producers and consumers as well as financing agencies and
nongovernmental organizations. The initiative also takes into ac-
count the guidelines of the European Union for the promotion of
renewable energy adopted in December 2008, which call for a
35% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, to be increased to
50% by 2017.
The practice of disposing of ash as a fertilizer mixed with sugar-
cane filter cake and/or vinasse is common in the sugarcane planta-
tions of the state of São Paulo. Producers claim that this takes
Fig. 2. Map of sugarcane distribution on Brazil. Fonte: UNICA, 2008.
1115
practice takes care of all the wastes inside the production chain.
Although it is treated as an ‘‘environmentally correct” initiative,
this practice ignores the use of agrochemicals on the plantations
and the persistence of these products in the soil when ash is used
as a fertilizer. Before it is used as fertilizer, SBA should be tested for
toxicity, as described by CONAMA Resolution 313 (CONAMA,
2002), based on the NBR 10004 standard, which deals with the
Classification of Solid Wastes.
2. Use of wastes as a substitute for natural sand
Several researches have been conducted concerning the feasi-
bility of replacing natural fine aggregate for wastes of several ori-
gins (Marzouk et al., 2007; Ismail and Al-Hashmi, 2008;
Limbachiya, 2009; Ferraris et al., 2009; among others).
Non-biodegradable plastic wastes (80% polyethylene and 20%
polystyrene) were used as a substitute of fine aggregate in contents
of 10%, 15% and 20% in the production of concretes (Ismail and Al-
Hashmi, 2008). Another study evaluated the substitution of sand
for waste glass (WG) in concretes. The results indicated that substi-
tuting up to 20% of sand for WG did not alter the values of com-
pressive strength of the concretes (Limbachiya, 2009).
Other wastes have also been studied as substitutes for natural
sand. The ash from burning municipal solid waste (MSW) was used
as a substitute for sand and Portland cement in the production of
concretes. The authors concluded that from both the economic
and technical standpoints, a substitution of 20% was the most indi-
cated (Al-Rawas et al., 2005).
The use of bottom ash in substitution of natural sand has shown
a good potential for use in the production of Portland cement-
based materials (Andrade et al., 2007). A problem in the use of
ash as an alternative binder, filler or mineral addition is the poor
reactivity of most types of ash. The process (industrial or agroin-
dustrial) that generates ash rarely has operational control over
the combustion temperature of wastes and the type of cooling of
ashes. These procedures tend to produce ashes without hydraulic
1116 A. Sales, S.A. Lima / Waste Management 30 (2010) 1114–1122

conductivity (Souza et al., 2007). The flame temperature of burning the chimney gases. The two types of ashes come together in a sin-
sugarcane bagasse with 50% humidity can vary from 850 °C to gle pipeline and are removed and taken by truck to the sugarcane
920 °C, and may reach up to 1000 °C when the humidity is lower fields. Fig. 3 shows the collection of SBA at the sugar mills. A large
than 35%. amount of sand was found to be mixed with the ashes. This sand
Sugarcane bagasse ash (SBA) has been studied as a mineral comes from the fields and is not completely removed when the
additive in cementitious materials (Hernández et al., 1998; Coim- sugarcane is washed, a fact also observed by Cordeiro et al. (2008).
bra and Morelli, 1999; Souza et al., 2007; Cordeiro et al., 2008;
among others), mainly due to the high production of ethanol and
3.1. Characterization of the SBA
sugar in recent years and the consequent increase in the genera-
tion of ash. Notwithstanding satisfactory results, some researches
The SBA samples were analyzed to determine their chemical
point out that high burn temperatures and incomplete combustion
composition, sieve analysis (NM 248, 2003), bulk density (NM 45,
in boilers reduce the reactivity of ash due to the high carbon con-
2004), specific gravity (NM 23, 2000) and X-ray diffraction. The
tent and the presence of crystalline silica (Hernández et al., 1998;
contaminants were analyzed by means of leaching and solubiliza-
Souza et al., 2007; Cordeiro et al., 2009). Even in a state of poor
tion tests (NBR 10004, 2004; NBR 10005, 2004; NBR 10006, 2004),
reactivity, SBA has proved to be a viable by-product for application
and the particle morphology was examined by scanning electron
in construction materials, with its intrinsic characteristics such as
microscopy (SEM). All the samples used in the characterization
high content of silica in the form of quartz, one of the principal ele-
phase were oven-dried at 100 °C for 12 h and ground for 3 min in
ments present in natural sand (Cordeiro et al., 2008). This alterna-
a mechanic mill (mortar/pestle) before the analyses.
tive for recycling SBA is the aim of this work, which evaluated the
X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (Philips PW 2400 spectrome-
reuse of the waste as a substitute of fine aggregate in mortars.
ter) was used in the chemical analysis of the samples. The granulo-
This paper discusses the suitability of the destination of sugar-
metric compositions of the natural aggregates were determined
cane wastes, the current environmental certifications, and the pos-
according to the NM 248 standard. The ash samples were sifted
sible uses for sugarcane bagasse ash (SBA) in mortars and
for 10 min through an automatic sieve, consisting of a series of
concretes as sand replacement material.
sieves with square mesh openings of 6.3 mm; 4.8 mm; 2.4 mm;
1.2 mm; 0.6 mm; 0.3 mm and 0.15 mm. The portions retained in
the sieves were weighed, and their fineness modulus, maximum
3. Experimental program
size and the accumulated retained percentages of each sample
were calculated.
This research collected samples of sugarcane bagasse ash (SBA)
The bulk density test of the SBA was performed according to the
at four sugar mills in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. An analysis was
NM 45 standard. The only modification introduced here was the
made of the physical and chemical characteristics of the ashes and
container, which in this research was changed to 3 l, differing from
their preliminary application in mortars as a substitute for sand.
the requirements of the standard. This change was necessary due
The SBA was collected in cities close to the municipality of São Car-
to the characteristics of SBA, which is not an aggregate but a pow-
los in a radius of 150 km. This region forms the perimeter of Ri-
dery material. The specific gravity test of the SBA was carried out
beirão Preto - Piracicaba - Barra Bonita, which encompasses the
following the recommendations of the NM 23 standard, using ker-
major part of sugarcane production in the state of São Paulo. The
osene as liquid and 50 g of fresh air-dried material.
SBA was collected from sugar mills belonging to the COSAN group.
Four samples of raw SBA were analyzed by X-ray diffraction
A COSAN is the largest individual group in the world in the produc-
(XRD), using a RIGAKU ROTAFLEX RU200B diffractometer operat-
tion of sugarcane derived products, and holds a 10.48% share of the
ing with the following parameters: Radiation – Cu Ka; voltage –
Brazilian market. The SBA samples were collected at the following
50 Kv; current – 100 mA; scan step of 0.02° 2h; scan time – 2°/
COSAN units: Usina Diamante in the city of Jaú (SBA-J); Usina Ta-
min; scan interval – 3–100°(2h).
moio in the city of Araraquara (SBA-A); Usina da Serra in the town
of Ibaté (SBA-I); and Usina da Barra in the town of Barra Bonita
(SBA-B). 3.2. Analyses of mortars
The SBA was collected directly from the boilers of the Diamante,
Da Serra and Tamoio sugar mills when their boilers were being The optimum SBA content to maintain the mechanical proper-
cleaned. The SBA was removed from the boilers at high tempera- ties of the cementitious matrix was determined. Six mixes were
tures and allowed to cool gradually in the open air. At the Usina prepared (3 samples each) and analyzed at the ages of 7, 14 and
da Barra, the method for disposing of ashes differs from that of 28 days. Table 1 lists the molding data of these samples.
the other sugar mills. The bottom ash is collected automatically The mortars were produced in an industrial mixer and were
by a conveyor belt and mixed with the fly ash from washing of molded into cylindrical test specimens (Ø 5 cm  10 cm height).

Fig. 3. (a) SBA collected from the boilers (left) and dried in the open air (right) at Usina Diamante; (b) and (c) SBA collected by a conveyor belt, at Usina da Barra.
 A. Sales, S.A. Lima / Waste Management 30 (2010) 1114–1122 1117

Table 1 density (NM 45, 2004) of 2040 kg/m3; and water absorption (NM
Data – compressive strength test – mortars. 30, 2001) of 0.88%. The sand met the requisites of the Brazilian
Groups Blend %SBA (mass) W/C ratio standard for aggregates (NBR 7211, 2005) and can be classified
Reference BA 0 0.55 as fine sand (zone 2). The SBA samples were ground for 3 min in
a mechanic mill (mortar/pestle) before the analyses.
Usina Tamoio - Araraquara SBA10-A 10 0.55
SBA15-A 15 The w/c ratio was determined based on a review of the litera-
SBA20-A 20 ture (Al-Rawas et al., 2005; Marzouk et al., 2007; Ismail and Al-
SBA30-A 30 Hashmi, 2008) on studies of the substitution of fine aggregate for
SBA50-A 50 wastes in cementitious matrices, in which a constant w/c ratio
SBA100-A 100
was used in all the mixtures. The test specimens were allowed to
Usina Diamante -Jaú SBA10-J 10 0.55 age for 24 h in the molds, after which they were unmolded, and ex-
SBA15-J 15
SBA20-J 20
posed to a constant temperature (24 ± 2 °C) and constant relative
SBA30-J 30 humidity (95 ± 5%) environment inside a humid chamber until
SBA50-J 50 the test age.
SBA100-J 100

3.3. Mixture, dosage and analysis of concretes

Table 2 For the composition of the concretes were used the following
Chemical and physical properties of cements. Source: Ciminas S.A.
materials: cement, sand, coarse aggregate of basalt origin, sugar-
Elements (%) CP V ARI RS CP II E 32 CP III 40 RS cane bagasse ash and water. Three types of cement were used
SiO2 19.65 21.41 26.06 with and design strength was determined for each one: CP V
Al2O3 4.99 5.88 8.46 ARI RS (high early strength Portland cement sulfate resisting),
Fe2O3 3.17 3.68 1.94 CP III 40 RS (blast furnace slag cement), and CP II E 32 (slag-mod-
CaO 64.03 58.44 53.81
ified Portland cement). The physicochemical composition of the
MgO 2.01 2.04 3.20
K2O 0.69 0.73 0.50 cements used in concretes is given in Table 2. The different types
LOI 1000 °C 2.30 5.92 2.37 of concrete were produced with the substitution of natural sand
Carbon dioxide - CO2 1.24 4.95 1.25 in the following percentages: 0%, 30% and 50%. The mix propor-
Insoluble residue 0.50 1.72 0.38 tions and slump test results are given in Table 3. The concrete de-
Sulphur trioxide - SO3 2.33 1.26 2.42
sign made with SBA was based on the ABCP method (ABCP –
Properties Brazilian Portland Cement Association) which was adapted from
Initial set (min) 167 184 191
ACI method (ACI – American Concrete Institute). This method is
Fineness indicated for plastic or fluid concretes. The cement consumption
Retained # 200 (%) 0.30 1.60 0.60
was maintained constant at 425 kg/m3 and the content of mortar
Blaine (cm2/g) 4600 4000 4550
was also maintained constant at 51.30%. Thus, a comparison be-
Compressive strength (Mpa)
tween the types of concretes and their mechanical performance
3 days 36.60 23.00 30.00
7 days 43.80 31.00 38.00 was possible.
28 days 52.00 40.00 48.00 For the analysis of the concrete properties on the hardened
state, cylindrical specimens with a diameter of 100 mm and height
of 200 mm were used. The samples were exposed to a constant
temperature (24 ± 2 °C) and constant relative humidity (95 ± 5%)
The materials used were Portland cement CP V ARI RS (high early environment inside a humid chamber until the test age. In the tests
strength Portland cement sulfate resisting), quartz sand, SBA-A on mechanical properties, the compressive strength (NBR 5739,
and SBA-J samples and water, using a constant 1:3 (weight basis). 1994) and the elastic modulus (NBR 8522, 1984) were obtained
Portland CPV cement was chosen because it is devoid of additives for all of the concrete samples produced, at ages of 3, 7 and 28 days
(pozzolans, limestone filler and slag), allowing for more accurate for compressive strength, and 28 days for the elastic modulus (Eci
results about the feasibility of applying SBA in cementitious matri- to 0.3 fc). The tensile strength (NBR 7222, 1994) was obtained at
ces. Table 2 lists the physicochemical composition of the cements 28 days with four samples per age. The analysis of water absorp-
used in mortars and concretes. tion by immersion, voids index and bulk density of concretes
The characterization of the fine aggregates showed the follow- (NBR 9778, 1987) was made with three samples at 28 days age.
ing results: specific gravity (NM 52, 2004) of 2450 kg/m3; bulk The Fig. 4 shows the development of SBA concretes in laboratory.

Table 3
Mix details of sugarcane bagasse ash concrete.

Type of cement Design strength Concrete Mix proportion for 1m3 of concrete (kg) Slump Content of
(fc28) (mm) mortar (%)
Cement Sand Gravel SBA Water
CP V ARI RS (high early strength Portland cement 51.60 CV-R 425.00 777.75 1143.25 – 221.00 65.00 51.30
sulfate resisting) CV-30 544.43 1143.25 233.33 225.25 65.00
CV-50 388.88 1143.25 388.88 229.50 75.00
CP III 40 RS (blast furnace slag cement) 38.60 CIII-R 425.00 901.00 1215.50 – 225.25 70.00 51.30
CIII-30 630.70 1215.50 270.30 229.50 65.00
CIII-50 450.50 1215.50 450.50 235.88 60.00
CP II E 32 (slag-modified Portland cement) 31.60 CII-R 425.00 854.25 1215.50 – 221.00 70.00 51.30
CII-30 597.98 1215.50 256.28 225.25 80.00
CII-50 427.13 1215.50 427.13 229.50 75.00
1118 A. Sales, S.A. Lima / Waste Management 30 (2010) 1114–1122

Fig. 4. SBA concretes development in laboratory; (a) slump test; (b) molding of the samples; (c) compressive strength test on a servohydraulic machine.

Table 4
Chemical analysis of SBA samples. Table 5
Physical analysis of SBA samples and sand.
SBA-J (%) SBA-I (%) SBA-B (%) SBA-A (%)
Properties SBA-J SBA-I SBA-B SBA-A Natural sand
SiO2 88.2 96.2 62.7 93.5
Fe2O3 5.1 1.7 8.8 2.6 Fineness modulus 1.23 1.46 0.52 1.46 2.11
Al2O3 2.3 0.2 4.5 1.2 Maximum diameter (mm) 0.60 0.60 0.60 1.20 2.40
K2O 1.3 0.3 1.8 0.8 Bulk density (g/cm3) 1.39 1.30 0.98 1.43 2.04
Na2O 0.1 – 0.1 <0.1 Specific gravity (g/cm3) 2.65 2.58 2.23 2.63 2.65
TiO2 1.0 0.2 3.1 0.5
CaO 0.6 0.1 0.9 0.4
P2O5 0.4 0.1 0.7 0.2
MgO 0.4 <0.1 0.6 0.3 Filho and Prabhu, 2002). Another source of silica in ash is sand
SO3 <0.1 0.1 0.2 <0.1 (quartz) from the field, which is not completely removed when
LOI 0.35 1.04 16.28 0.34 the sugarcane is washed prior to processing. This sand remains
in the bagasse and can be observed when the boiler rooms where
combustion takes place are being cleaned (Cordeiro et al., 2008).
4. Results and discussion The SBA-B sample differed from the others in terms of silica con-
tent and loss on ignition (LOI). This characteristic may be due to
All the samples showed high silica (SiO2) contents exceeding the ash collecting system, which mixes the bottom ash from the
75% (Table 4). Silica is absorbed from the soil through the roots boilers with the fly ash from the chimneys, which is very dark.
of sugarcane. Accumulated silica between the plant’s cuticle and The dark color of fly ash indicates a high carbon content, which
cell walls acts as a physical barrier against the penetration of path- is characteristic of incomplete combustion of bagasse (Cordeiro
ogenic fungi and reduces water loss through transpiration (Barboza et al., 2008).

Fig. 5. Diffractograms of SBA samples (Q = quartz).

 A. Sales, S.A. Lima / Waste Management 30 (2010) 1114–1122 1119

Fig. 6. Micrographs SEM of SBA particles (1000).

According to the results of the sieve analyses, SBA can be clas-
sified as fine sand with a fineness modulus of 0.6–1.2 (Table 5).
These values are compatible with those of the sand used in the city
of São Carlos. The values of specific gravity of the SBA samples
were very similar to that of fine aggregate. This information may
be important in defining the trace amounts in mortar and con-
cretes. The ash from burned municipal solid waste (MSW) pre-
sented a specific gravity of 2730 kg/m3, which is very close to
that of the SBA-J and SBA-A samples (Al-Rawas et al., 2005).
The crystallinity of the samples was determined by X-ray dif-
fractometry, which revealed the absence of an amorphous halo in
the diffractograms (Fig. 5). Quartz appeared as the principal ele-
ment of SBA, as was also observed by Cordeiro et al. (2008). This
finding reinforces the hypothesis of using SBA as a substitute for
fine aggregate – an inert material, and not Portland cement, which
has binding properties. The SEM analysis provided micrographs of
SBA particles (Fig. 6). The SBA samples were composed of grains
with varied shapes and sizes of up to 150 lm. Ash particles have
a lamellar aspect of superimposed layers with small particles
adhering to the surface. Fragments of unburned bagasse were vis-
ible in the images, especially in the SBA-B sample, which is also the
sample that contained the highest LOI content, up 6% (Table 4).
That ash behaves as a fly ash, for its high LOI content. The ASTM
C 618 Standard (ASTM, 2003) limits the LOI content in 6% for fly
ashes and the Brazilian standard (NBR 12653, 1992) also limits it
in 6%.

Table 6
Chemical elements found in the solubilized extract of CBC and standard limits of Brazilian NBR10004.

Compound Unit (mg) SBA-B SBA-A SBA-J SBA-I Limit on the extract (mg/L) Detection limit (DL)
Aluminium Al/L <DL 0.56 0.25 0.12 0.200 0.010
Cadmium Cd/L 0.032 <DL 0.028 0.008 0.005 0.0006
Plumb Pb/L 0.22 0.02 0.26 0.05 0.010 0.010
Total phenol C6H5OH 0.02 <DL <DL <DL 0.010 0.001

*Underlined values: up the accepted limit; SBA-B: ash collected at Usina da Barra; SBA-A: ash collected at Usina Tamoio; SBA-J: ash collected at Usina Diamante; SBA-I: ash
collected at Usina da Serra.
1120 A. Sales, S.A. Lima / Waste Management 30 (2010) 1114–1122

Table 6 shows the solubilization and leaching tests (NBR 10004, SBA100-A sample. The SBA20-A and SBA30-J samples showed the
NBR 10005 and NBR 10006 standards) performed on SBA samples highest values at 28 days, with 56.15 MPa and 58.70 MPa, respec-
indicated the presence of heavy metals exceeding the maximum tively. The effect of physically packing the ash particles may ex-
limit allowed (Lima et al., 2009). plain the fact that the mortars containing SBA reached values up
The results of the leach extract fell within the allowed limit for
the group of organic compounds, according to Appendix F of the
NBR 10004 standard. The solubilization test revealed chemical ele-
50
ments exceeding the level allowd by the NBR 10006 standard.
Therefore, all the SBA samples analyzed here were classified as

Compressive strength (Mpa)

‘‘Non-hazardous waste – Class II A – Non-inert”, according to the 40
NBR 10004 standard. Wastes with this classification can have prop-
erties of biodegradability, combustibility or water solubility.
According to the results of the characterization, two of the four 30
initial SBA samples were selected: SBA-A (collected in Araraquara)
and SBA-J (collected in Jaú). These samples were chosen for the fol-
lowing aspects: 1) have physical properties (specific gravity) closer 20
to the natural sand (Tables 5 and 2) have higher content of SiO2 CV-R CV-30 CV-50
(Table 4).
10
Fig. 7 presents the values of compressive strength of the mortar 0 7 14 21 28
test specimens. Almost all the samples prepared with SBA showed 50
higher values than the reference sample (BA), except for the
CIII-R CIII-30 CIII-50

Compressive strength (Mpa)

40

64
BA SBA10A SBA15A SBA20A
Compressive strength (MPa)

SBA30A SBA50A SBA100A 30

56

20
48

40 10
0 7 14 21 28
Araraquara mortars
32 50
0 7 14 21 28
64 CII-R CII-30 CII-50
Compressive strength (Mpa)
Compressive strength (Mpa)

Jaúmortars 40

56

30
48

20
40
BA SBA10J SBA15J SBA20J
SBA30J SBA50J SBA100J 10
32
0 7 14 21 28 0 7 14 21 28
Age (days) Age (days)

Fig. 7. Compressive strength of mortars. Fig. 8. Compressive strength of concretes at 7, 14 and 28 days.

Table 7
Results of the sugarcane bagasse ash concrete tests.

Concrete Fresh Air content – Compressive strength Elastic Tensile Voids index – Water Specific density –
density (kg/ fresh state (%) at 28 days (MPa) modulus strength hardened state (%) absorption hardened state (kg/m3)
m3) (GPa) (MPa) (%)
CV-R 2348.47 3.06 44.77 42.27 3.05 12.10 5.09 2378.48
CV-30 2338.88 3.22 42.67 41.20 3.02 12.06 5.06 2382.50
CV-50 2374.06 1.54 43.05 46.50 2.99 12.55 5.29 2374.47
CIII-R 2310.06 5.04 25.61 34.90 2.52 15.93 6.85 2327.07
CIII-30 2311.60 4.76 23.47 35.90 2.65 12.51 5.33 2349.29
CIII-50 2303.65 4.88 22.47 36.40 2.96 13.87 5.96 2328.95
CII-R 2311.68 5.17 23.78 38.00 2.89 12.16 5.14 2365.55
CII-30 2321.25 4.56 27.98 39.80 2.97 11.92 5.01 2379.85
CII-50 2332.47 3.74 28.72 39.50 3.36 13.16 5.58 2356.43

*Underlined values: best result of each series.

 A. Sales, S.A. Lima / Waste Management 30 (2010) 1114–1122
to 25% higher than the reference values (Cordeiro et al., 2008). The
workability remained very similar in all the samples, except in
mortars containing 100% of substitution of sand for ash (SBA100-
A and SBA100-J). This may be due to the smaller particle sizes of
SBA (Table 5), which requires more mixing water to maintain the
same workability.
For the concrete analyses, the sample SBA-J was selected in the
analysis of mortars by having the best results in tests of compres-
sive strength, specially the levels of sand replacement of 30% and
50%. Table 7 shows de resume of concrete tests.
The values of specific gravity vary from 2303.65 kg/m3 for con-
crete CIII-50 and 2374.06 kg/m3 for concrete CV-50. The lowest air
content was also found in the concrete sample CV-50. The best air
content for concretes for aggressive environment made with coarse
aggregate of 19 mm is 6% (ACI, 1977). Thus, none of the concretes
were higher than 6% air content. The best results were obtained for
the series CV, with the lowest values of air content and the highest
values of fresh density.
The results of compressive strength of concretes are given in
Fig. 8. In series CV and CIII, the reference values (CV-R and CIII-R)
were higher than the compressive strength values of concretes
made with SBA, after 28 days. The difference between CV-R and
CV-50 was 3.8% and for series CIII, the difference was in 12.22% be-
tween CIII-R and CIII-50. In the series CII, the concrete made with
SBA obtained values of compressive strength greater than the ref-
erence (CII-R). CII-50 samples obtained values 17.20% higher than
CII-R. The CIII concretes, made with the CP III 40, obtained the
worst results, less than 30 MPa, which it’s only 75% of the initial
design strength.
Values of Brazilian NBR 6118 (GPa) Elastic modulus test (GPa)
50
Elastic modulus (GPa)
40
30
20
CV-R CV-30 CV-50 CIII-R CIII-30 CIII-50 CII-R
SBA concretes
Fig. 9. Elastic modulus obtained in laboratory and the established values by
Brazilian NBR 6118.
3
Tensile strength (MPa)
0
CV-R
Tensile strength (MPa) 3.05
Ratio T/C (%) 6.81
Ratio T/C =Ratio between tensile and compressive strength
Fig. 10. Tensile strength and ratio between tensile and compressive strength.
1121
The Brazilian standard for design structural concrete (NBR 6118,
2004) presents
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffi the formula to calculate the elastic modulus:
Eci ¼ 5600 fck, where Eci = elastic modulus (MPa), and fck = ordin-
ary concrete strength (MPa). All values of elastic modulus obtained
in laboratory were higher than those established values by Brazil-
ian NBR 6118 (Fig. 9). The concretes CV-50, CIII-50 and CII-30 had
the best individual results in each series.
The results of tensile strength test are given in Fig. 10. The ten-
sile strength depends on the level of compressive strength and the
higher compressive strength, the lower the ratio between these
two properties (Mehta and Monteiro, 2006). Thus, the ratio be-
tween compressive and tensile strength is 10–11% for low-strength
concrete, 8–9% for medium-strength concrete, and 7% for high-
strength concrete. The CV concretes had the lowest ratio C/T values
and the series CII had the highest values for that ratio, in agree-
ment with Mehta and Monteiro (2006). The CIII concretes behaved
like CII concretes (low-strength concrete) even its design strength
was higher than it – 40 MPa (medium-strength concrete). The spe-
cific density on hardened state of concretes was about 2400 kg/m3
on average, which it’s the usual value for ordinary concretes.
5. Conclusions
Based on the results of the physicochemical characterization of
the samples of sugarcane bagasse ash (SBA) and mortars and con-
cretes made with SBA as sand replacement, it can be concluded
that:
 All the ash samples presented silica contents of more than 75%
(SiO2). The composition of the SBA-B sample presented a high
content of loss on ignition (higher than 6%) and fragments of
unburned sugarcane bagasse, which restricts its use in cementi-
tious matrices due to its high carbon content.
 The SBA-J and SBA-A samples presented physical properties
(specific gravity, bulk density and particle size) similar to those
of natural sand. SBA can be classified as fine sand, according to
the results of the sieve analyses, with a fineness module of
0.6–1.2.
 All the SBA samples presented a crystalline structure, as indi-
cated by X-ray diffractometry. This information reinforces the
hypothesis that SBA can substitute fine aggregate, an inert mate-
CII-30 CII-50 rial, but not Portland cement, which has binding properties.
 All the SBA samples analyzed here were classified as ‘‘Non-haz-
ardous waste – Class II A – Non-inert”. Wastes with this classi-
fication can have properties of biodegradability, combustibility
CV-30 CV-50 CIII-R CIII-30 CIII-50 CII-R CII-30 CII-50
3.02 2.99 2.52 2.65 2.96 2.89 2.97 3.36
7.08 6.95 9.83 11.27 11.29 11.29 12.64 14.93
1122 A. Sales, S.A. Lima / Waste Management 30 (2010) 1114–1122
or water solubility. Based on this finding, it is suggested that SBA
not be used as an aid in fertilizing sugarcane plantations, which
is the current practice.
 In the analyses of the mortars, the samples produced with 20%
and 30% of SBA in place of sand showed higher values of com-
pressive strength than the reference samples.
 The concretes of the series CII (cement CP II E) showed the best
results in tests.
 The CIII-series concretes (cement CP III 40) had, on average, the
lowest individual results and overall series. Thus, it is not rec-
ommended to use this type of cement for the development of
concretes with the SBA.
 In an overview, samples CII-30 and CII-50 have the best results
in tests. Cement CP II E (slag-modified Portland cement) is the
most used and cheapest in Brazil. It is recommended for the
manufacture of artifacts and ordinary structures with the SBA
in replacement of fine aggregate.
 SBA can be used as a partial substitute of sand in concretes made
with cement slag-modified Portland cement for design strength
up to 30 MPa.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge COSAN for supplying the sugarcane
bagasse ash; FAPESP for its financial support; the Laboratory of Ci-
vil Construction (LCC) of the Engineering School of São Carlos
(EESC/USP); and the MCT/CNPq.
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