Achieving strength and sustainability in ternary blended Concrete: Leveraging industrial and agricultural By-Products with controlled Nano-SiO2 content

Abstract

High-performance ternary mixed nano-concrete has been extensively utilized in high-rise structures due to its desirable strength, durability, and thermal insulation ability. Additionally, nano-concrete usage is the most current area of research in concrete components. This research investigates the compressive strength, flexural behavior, and micro-structure behavior of nano-SiO₂ concrete specimens. This study also evaluates the strength development of mixes combining binary and ternary combinations of agricultural by-products (rice husk ash, corncob ash, and bagasse ash) and industrial by-products (fly ash, ground granulated blast furnace slag, and metakaolin). The cost-efficiency, energy-efficiency, and eco-efficiency of ternary blended nano-concrete with various additives were considered when evaluating their sustainability capabilities. This study aims to improve sustainable high-performance concrete without overutilizing or underutilizing additives. Based on the findings, nano-SiO₂ concrete can achieve greater compressive strength ranges of 51 to 70 MPa with binary and ternary admixtures. Furthermore, ternary nano-SiO₂ concrete performs more sustainably than other mixes regarding cost-effectiveness, energy use, and CO₂ emissions, as do mixes made of sugarcane bagasse ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag.