Republic of the Philippines

Misamis University
College of Engineering & Technology
Department of Civil Engineering
5R2R+386, H.T. Feliciano St, Ozamiz City, 7200 Misamis Occidental

CE 323C: Construction Methods and Project Management

S.Y. 2022-2023, 2nd Semester

Activity No. .

A review on Fly Ash Characteristics - Towards Promoting

High Volume Utilization in Developing Sustainable Concrete

Summary of the Paper

The use of fly ash to Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) offers several benefits and enhances
the performance of the concrete in both its fresh and hardened states. The use of fly ash in
concrete enhances both the strength and durability of hardened concrete.

In this study, the characteristics of fly ash was reviewed for the promotion of a higher volume
utilization to develop a sustainable concrete. The aim of this study is to consolidate the results
from the studies that have been previously reported in order to better understand the
physicochemical and mechanical characteristics of fly ash in both its native and modified forms.
The use of fly ash in concrete, according to the environmental protection agency (EPA, 2008),
cuts greenhouse gas emissions by the same amount as emissions from 2.5 million vehicles on the
road annually. So, by using more FA in concrete, considerable reductions in greenhouse gas
emissions can be made. For these reasons, the study's goal is to compile all available information
on FA utilization in cement concrete into a single document that may act as a reference guide for
researchers employing fly ash as a substitute for cement.

The results shows that most of the properties (strength/durability) of FA concrete are proven
to be dependent on the alkali concentration of the pore solution, which is controlled by the
consumption of CH produced during cement hydration, the presence of soluble alkalis,
amorphous phases, and other factors. While theuUse of significant volumes of FA is still not
achievable because to issues like high carbonation, poor strength development, increased
shrinkage, etc., despite the fact that current techniques and procedures are well-established for
producing concrete with large amounts of fly ash to achieve satisfactory results. However, in
addition to the restrictions on the use of large amounts of fly ash in concrete, appropriate
techniques (high temperature curing, mechanical grinding, chemical activation), materials (by
adding nano silica/nano carbonate), and materials (by addressing these restrictions) have been
investigated and have proven effective.

Details and Results in the Paper that Captured my Attention

The results of this study are commendable, but there are some that captured our attention.
First, the statement “Along with the limitations in the use of high volumes of fly ash in concrete,
suitable methods (high temperature curing, mechanical grinding, chemical activation) and
materials (by adding nano silica/nano carbonate) to address these limitations have been explored
and found to be successful. With the progress in the current research along with the findings

ID NO.: NAME: DATE: SHEET:

 Republic of the Philippines
Misamis University
College of Engineering & Technology
Department of Civil Engineering
5R2R+386, H.T. Feliciano St, Ozamiz City, 7200 Misamis Occidental

CE 323C: Construction Methods and Project Management

S.Y. 2022-2023, 2nd Semester

reported so far, the next couple of years would see the replacement of FA to a maximum of 60%
by mass, which may

pave the way for amendments in various codes for high volume utilization of fly ash.” In this
result, it gives a motivation and hope to future researchers to enhance studies relating to the use
of fly ash as a replacement of concrete, and hopefully to find more effective methods to increase
the percentage of fly ash to the concrete’s volume.

Second, the possibility that altering one component in FA concrete may have an impact on
other characteristics. Reduced water-to-binder ratio, for example, may increase strength but also
cause early-age cracking. This emphasizes the requirement for a comprehensive strategy to
handle the combined influence of many elements when creating a combination that maximizes
the advantages of FA. To effectively utilize FA, though, there are a few challenges that the study
also brought to light. Further study is necessary, for instance, to address differences in shrinkage,
water use, and rapid curing. To optimize the advantages of FA, it is crucial to take into account
the combined influence of many components while constructing a blend.

Lastly, is that the study shows how the replacement of fly ash as a cement replacement is
effective and interesting, as the study concluded that a 30MPa compressive strength is required
for the majority of structural engineering applications, and this can be achieved with FA's high
volume replacement. FA concrete can be suggested in applications where early age strength is
not critically important because its long-term strength is higher than that of cement concrete.

Possible Challenges and Improvements in the Context of the Reading

As what the researchers concluded, even after trying various methods to use FA in higher
volumes, 100% utilization of produced FA is still not achieved due to the existence of certain
grey areas discussed in this study which needs to be given attention in future to improve the
utilization of FA as a cement/sand substitute material. However, there have been claims that
there are tendencies emerging in the creation of a substance known as geopolymer, which uses
100% fly ash. Nevertheless it lacks the designed fly ash's strength and durability. Furthermore,
since those issues are what are preventing that from happening, they must be fixed in order for
the problems identified in the study to be addressed.

As for the improvement, in order to address issues with shrinkage, water demand, and rapid
curing, future study may concentrate on creating more accurate classifications of FA to maximize
its utility as a cement and sand replacement material. The study also implies that in order to
optimize the advantages of FA, mix designers may want to take into account the combined
influence of several elements. Moreover, further classifications of fly ash apart from the existing
ASTM classifications is recommended.
 Republic of the Philippines
Misamis University
College of Engineering & Technology
Department of Civil Engineering
5R2R+386, H.T. Feliciano St, Ozamiz City, 7200 Misamis Occidental

CE 323C: Construction Methods and Project Management

S.Y. 2022-2023, 2nd Semester

Supporting/Opposing Literature Review

According to Banerjee et al. (2016), experiments on different times suggest that the

ID NO.: NAME: DATE: SHEET:

compressive strength of concrete mixes decrease with increased presence of Fly Ash. It should be
kept in mind that the optimum limit of mixing of Fly Ash is 45 % and more than that may not be
safe for different concrete mixes. Moreover, the increase of fly ash there is steep increase in
strength from 7 to 28 days which is indicative that early strength of concrete is reduced with
increase in proportion of fly ash. Above all the variation in early strength is more than that of in
later strength. Hence the fact remains that Fly Ash has an adverse effect on early strength of
concrete.

In the study of Thomas (2007), he stated that “The optimum amount of fly ash varies not only
with the application, but also with composition and proportions of all the materials in the
concrete mixture (especially the fly ash), the conditions during placing (especially temperature),
construction practices (for example, finishing and curing) and the exposure conditions. Thus, the
optimum fly ash content will vary on a case-bycase basis.” In his study, Thomas concluded that
fly ash contents of up to 50% may be suitable for most elements provided the early-age strength
requirements of the project can be met and provided that adequate moist-curing can be ensured.

Conclusion

Generally, the study provided various significant information relating to the replacement of
fly ash to concrete. Goals of the study has aimed accordingly. Although the goal of utilizing
100% replacement of produced FA, researchers fulfilled the promotion of higher volume of fly
ash utilized in replacing the concrete.

Reference:

1. Chakraborty, Jayanta & Banerjee, Sulagno. (2016). Replacement of Cement by Fly Ash
in Concrete. International Journal of Civil Engineering. 3. 58-60.
10.14445/23488352/IJCE-V3I8P110.
2. Michael Thomas, Ph.D. (2007). Optimizing the Use of Fly Ash in Concrete. University of
New Brunswick.