Work

Experimental Study on the Valorization of Rice Straw as Fiber for Concrete

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Rice straw is an agricultural waste that is difficult to manage and has traditionally been burned or buried, leading to environmental problems. Because of this, the introduction of rice straw into concrete has been proposed to revalue this residue. This investigation shows experimental work carried out to prepare rice straw fibers and introduce them into a concrete mix as macrofibers. In addition, three fiber treatments were compared: two alkaline and one thermal. Four concrete mixes were studied: a reference mix, two concrete mixes with untreated rice straw fibers in two dosages, 10 kg/m3 and 15 kg/m3, and a fourth concrete mix with 10 kg/m3 of fiber treated with sodium hydroxide. The properties analyzed are workability, compression flexural strength, and shrinkage. The results show that the rice straw fiber used in this work improves concrete flexural strength at the peak but does not provide post-crack residual flexural strength. The sodium hydroxide treatment was effective in obtaining a more cohesive mix and lower setting time delay and slightly improved the performance of the rice straw fiber at the flexural strength peak. In summary, concrete can be used to encapsulate this agricultural waste material, providing enough strength for several engineering applications (>30 MPa).

Source: Fibers

DOI: 10.3390/fib13030028

Authors: Hesam Doostkami, David Hernández-Figueirido, Vicente Albero, Ana Piquer, Pedro Serna, Marta Roig-Flores

Institutions: Universitat Jaume I, Universitat Politècnica de València

Language: English

Topic: Innovative concrete reinforcement materials

Subfield: Civil and Structural Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Responsible consumption and production, Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,413