A preliminary study of manufacture of cement from rice husk ash

Cement has been successfully produced from the agricultural waste, rice husk ash. For this production, rice husk was pre-carbonized in a pilot-plant and was further decarbonized in an electric furnace to produce rice husk ash. 24.5% rice husk ash was mixed with other raw materials (sourced locally) for producing white Portland cement and the cement produced was used to make a concrete slab. The formulated cement slab, commercial cement and slab were tested for their physical characteristics and chemical composition. The results of tests confirmed that produced cement was of similar standard to commercial cement. Based on the results, the production of cement from rice husk has been recommended for developing countries since it would help reduce problems of rice husks as farm wastes.