Utilization of Agricultural Waste Ash in Sustainable Cementitious Materials

Agricultural waste ashes derived from residues such as rice husk, sugarcane bagasse, palm oil fuel and wheat straw offer a promising route to reduce the environmental footprint of cementitious binders. When properly processed by controlled combustion and grinding, these ashes exhibit pozzolanic reactivity, consuming calcium hydroxide to form additional calcium silicate and aluminate hydrate phases. Incorporation of such ashes as partial cement replacements can lower clinker demand, cut CO₂ emissions and enhance durability through refined microstructure. Beyond Portland cement systems, these materials have been exploited in alkali-activated blends and geopolymer matrices to produce high-performance binders with reduced embodied energy. Variations in ash chemistry and physical properties—governed by temperature, residence time and milling—determine both early-age strength development and long-term resistance to chemical attack. The global availability of agricultural residues and their valorisation into supplementary cementitious materials supports circular-economy principles, alleviates landfill pressure and advances more sustainable construction practices.

Research from Nature Portfolio

No recent Nature Portfolio content available.

Utilization of Agricultural Waste Ash in Sustainable Cementitious Materials publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in utilization of agricultural waste ash in sustainable cementitious materials across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Pozzolanic activity: The capacity of a siliceous or aluminous material to react with calcium hydroxide in the presence of water, forming cementitious hydrates.

Supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs): Fine powders of industrial or agricultural origin that partially replace Portland cement to improve performance and sustainability of concrete.

Alkali-activated binder: A cementitious system produced by activating aluminosilicate precursors with alkaline solutions, yielding robust matrices without Portland cement.

Geopolymer: A class of inorganic polymers formed by polycondensation of aluminosilicate networks, often using industrial or agricultural wastes as feedstock.

References

1. Characteristics and Applications of Sugar Cane Bagasse Ash Waste in Cementitious Materials. Materials (2018).
2. Use of Slag/Sugar Cane Bagasse Ash (SCBA) Blends in the Production of Alkali-Activated Materials. Materials (2013).
3. Agricultural Solid Waste as Source of Supplementary Cementitious Materials in Developing Countries. Materials (2019).
4. On the Utilization of Pozzolanic Wastes as an Alternative Resource of Cement. Materials (2014).
5. Possibilities for the application of agro-industrial wastes in cementitious materials: A brief review of the Brazilian perspective. Cleaner Materials (2022).
6. The Utilization of Agricultural Waste as Agro-Cement in Concrete: A Review. Sustainability (2020).