Carbonatação natural de protótipos de concreto com cinza de casca de arroz sem moagem

Abstract

Cement is the construction building material with higher responsibility by carbon dioxide emission of all industrial human activities, besides be a considerably expensive material, more than the rice husk ash in nature. Environmental benefits are generated in its utilization, because rice husk ashes are industrial process residues of the grain processing, that are discarded in the environment without none care. The using of these ashes in partial cement substitution in structural concrete, beside of the economical and environmental benefits, proportionate, in general, a higher useful life to the reinforced concrete structures. Based in theses environmental principles, this work aims at to study the technical and economical viability of the RHA utilization, substituting the cement partially, in concrete mixtures for conventional concrete. concrete prototypes with 20 x 20 x 70 cm, with and without ground and non-ground RHA, in 0%, 15% and 25% contents of cement substitution, with water/binder ratios of 0,45, 0,55 and 0,65. Exposed in natural environmental conditions (0,3 0,4% of CO2) the concrete prototypes were analyzed at 18, 24 and 30 months, to the axial compressive strength and carbonation by means of extraction of specimens perpendicularly cut to the casting direction, with 10 x 20 cm dimensions. The axial compressive strength at 18 months of the ground RHA mixtures were higher to the reference concrete, while the natural RHA ones were lower than the latter, with higher decreases for the 25% content than for 15%. The natural carbonation coefficients of reference concrete were the smallest ones, followed by the ground RHA with 15% and 25% and, after, with natural RHA, 15% and 25%. The results show that is possible substitute until 15% of cement by natural rice husk ash without pronounced strength losses (around 20%) and with carbonation coefficients between 4 and 5 mm.ano-0,5, values considered adjusted for conventional concrete.