Performance of ecological cement-based composites containing sugarcane bagasse ash – A review

In recent years the sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA) has been used to produce environmentally-friendly cement-based composites. The SCBA is an agricultural waste which is obtained as by-product from the combustion of sugarcane bagasse in sugar mills. This ash is available in large quantities in emerging countries such as Brazil, India, Thailand and Mexico, and its disposal in open dumps is causing different environmental issues. A number of researchers report that the SCBA from sugar mills needs a post-treatment such as recalcination, grinding, sieving or the combination of these methods in order to enhance its pozzolanic activity. After processing, up to 30% of SCBA can be used as a partial Portland cement replacement in composites. This replacement may cause microstructural changes in the cementitious matrix and the improvement of the mechanical properties in composites containing it. However, studies on the durability of such composites are required. This paper focuses on the performance of cement-based composites containing treated SCBA. The microstructural, mechanical and some durability properties of those composites are discussed. This literature review is useful to carry out further researches about the durability of reinforcement embedded in cement-based composites containing SCBA (SCBAC).