Republic of the Philippines

ISABELA STATE UNIVERSITY

ILAGAN CAMPUS

City of Ilagan, Isabela

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, ARCHITECTURE & TECHNOLOGY

CORN COB ASH AS A PARTIAL REPLACEMENT FOR PORTLAND CEMENT

In Partial Fulfillment for the Requirements in

CE 55 – CE PROJECT

SUBMITTED TO:

ENGR. ALEX M. BALUBAL

SUBMITTED BY:

Aaron Y. Balmaceda

Cherrie Ann G. Cabanilla

John Mark A. Mendoza

Judy Ann E. Mendoza

BSCE V-A

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 Chapter I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Philippines is a developing country. As our economy is progressing, the population

slowly increases. Raise of demands for goods, and other structures follows to it. Construction of

roads, bridges and many other infrastructures. However, infrastructure projects cannot be

immediately executed without sufficient funds especially for wide scale projects. And also,

Philippines is highly exposed to natural hazards because it lies along the Pacific Typhoon Belt

which leads the Filipinos to face calamities with their homes being destroyed by typhoons. So

they need to have a much stronger houses. To meet this kind of demand, planning for the budget

and strength of a structure are being considered.

Concrete is one of the most widely used materials in the world. It is an essential material

used for construction for any kinds of structure. The strength of an establishment depends on the

mixture of concrete used. If there is only a strengthening factor that can be added to a type of

concrete mixture that will make it a much stronger than before, it will be a big help for the

stability of a structure. With the presumptions, the researchers would like to study the effects of

corn cob ash (CCA) in concrete, finding out whether this corn cob ash can be a strengthening

additive.

Philippines is an agricultural land with corn as one of the top five major crops in terms of

production most specifically in Ilagan City, Isabela which is known as the Corn Capital of the

Philippines. Agriculture has become an important sector in economy of the Philippines. It

provides foods and essential raw materials consumed by people and therefore exchanged in the

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market which makes the economy moving. But not all parts of an agricultural product are being

used. They are being processed or removed leaving a waste and these are unwanted materials

that need to dispose or utilize. If a factor is to be added in a concrete mixture, it must be

economical, eco-friendly and useful. It will also calibrate the mindsets of the farmers that some

of their wastes can also be a source of profit. For these reasons, the researchers would like to

utilize corn cob ash (CCA) into something marketable and profitable.

Statement of Problem

The main objective of the research is to study the effects of corn cob ash as a partial replacement

of cement in concrete mixture. Specifically, this study aims to answer the following questions:

1. What is the optimum percentage of CCA with respect to compressive strength of

concrete?

2. What is the optimum percentage of CCA with respect to flexural strength of concrete?

3. Is there a significant difference between the compressive strength of concrete with corn

cob ash and plain concrete?

4. Is there a significant difference between the flexural strength of concrete with corn cob

ash and plain concrete?

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

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 Specimens will be tested at Isabela State University – Ilagan City Campus, compressive

and flexural strength has been tested using the Universal Testing Machine (UTM). The materials

used are available around the locality.

Significance of the Study

The purpose of this study is to determine the differences in compressive and flexural strength of

a plain concrete with corn cob ash. It also aims to help the farmers in taking care of their

agricultural wastes by utilizing corn cobs for construction.

Research Paradigm

The experimental group will be compared to control group with respect to compressive strength

and flexural strength. The control group will be made up of Class A concrete mixture while the

experimental group will be Class A except that a certain portion of portland cement will be

replaced with Corn Cob Ash in two different proportions: 4%, 8% and 10%.

CONTROL GROUP EXPERIMENTAL GROUP

Plain Concrete Concrete with Corn Cob Ash

 Compressive Strength  Compressive Strength

 Flexural Strength  Flexural Strength

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 OUTCOME

Comparison of Concrete with Corn Cob Ash and Plain Concrete

Figure I. Research Paradigm

Definition of Terms

 Corn Cob Ash – It refers to the ash derived from burning the hard center part of a

corn where the corn kernels are attached and burned into ash at 600-800 degree

centigrade for 8 hours.

 Plain Concrete – A mixture of sand, gravel, cement and water with a proportion

of 1:2:4.

 Concrete with Corn Cob Ash – A plain concrete where portion of ordinary

Portland cement was replaced with corn cob ash.

 Compressive Strength – The average of three cylindrical sample output recorded

by the UTM.

 Flexural Strength – The average of three beam sample output recorded by the

UTM.

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 Chapter II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Review of Related Studies

According to John Kamau, et. al, 2016, in their study titled, “Suitability of corn cob ash a

supplementary cementitious material”. This study investigated the ability of corncob ash (CCA)

to be used as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM) by testing for pozzolanic or

hydraulic properties and performance in sulfate environments. Experiments were carried out by

supplementing cement by weight in concrete mixes with CCA at 5%, 7.5%, 10%, 15%, 20%,

25% and 30% steps at the point of need. Results were compared with a control specimen, which

was made with 100% cement. Durability was tested using the sulfate elongation test. The results

showed impressive compressive strengths that were suitable for structural applications. It was

concluded from the sulfate elongation test that CCA supplemented concrete could be used in

aggressive environments with an advantage. The results showed good repeatability and highlight

the potential of CCA as an effective pozzolan, which could enhance the sustainability and

economic aspect of concrete, as well as improve its properties in both the wet and hardened

states.

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 According to Adesanya, 2009, in his study titled, “Development of corn cob ash blended

cement”. In an attempt to convert waste product into useful material for the construction

industry, this research considered the use of corn cob ash (CCA) as a pozzolan in cement

production. The study investigated the chemical composition of CCA. Factory production of the

CCA – blended cement was carried out by replacing 0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, 10%, 15%, 20% and

25% by weight of Ordinary Portland Cement clinker with CCA. The 0% replacement serves as

the control. The results showed that CCA is a suitable material for use as a pozzolan as it

satisfied the minimum requirement of combined SiO2 and Al2O3 of more than 70%, which a

good pozzolan for manufacture of blended cement should meet. The blended cements produced

also satisfied both NIS 439:2000 and ASTM C 150 requirements especially at lower levels

(<15%) of CCA percentage replacement. Based on the test results, it was concluded that CCA

could be suitably used in blended cement production.

According to Adesanya, 2009, in his study titled “A study of the workability and

compressive strength characteristics of corn cob ash blended cement concrete”. The study

investigated the workability and compressive strength characteristics of corn cob ash (CCA)

blended cement concrete. Nine classes of CCA-blended cements were employed with the CCA

content ranging from 0% to 25%. The 0% CCA replacement involved the use of normal ordinary

Portland cement and it served as the control. The mix proportions of cement: sand: granite used

were 1:1½:3, 1:2:4 and 1:3:6 with 0.5, 0.6 and 0.7 water-to-cement ratios, respectively. The

concrete cubes were tested at the curing ages of 3, 7, 28, 60, 120, and 180 days. Slump and

compacting factor tests were carried out to check the effect of CCA on the workability of

concrete. The results showed that the concrete slump and compacting factor decreased as the

CCA content increased indicating that concrete becomes less workable (stiff) as the CCA

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percentage increases. The compressive strength of CCA-blended cement concrete was lower than

the control at early ages, but improves significantly, and outperforms the control at later ages

(120 days and above). The optimum compressive strength of 57.10 N/mm2, 40.30 N/mm2 and

28.07 N/mm2 for 1:11/2:3, 1:2:4 and 1:3:6 mix proportions, respectively at 180 days were

obtained at 8% CCA replacement level. It was concluded that only up to 8% CCA substitution is

adequate where the blended cement is to be used for structural concrete.

Synthesis

Adesanya’s findings show that corn cob ash is a suitable material to be used in blended

cement production as it satisfied the minimum requirement of a good pozzolan and his another

study and this present study have significant relationship in a sense that both used the corn cob

ash as a partial replacement for Portland cement but with different proportions and percentages.

Kamau’s investigation of the ability of corn cob ash to be used as a supplementary cementitious

material proved that CCA is an effective pozzolan which could enhance the sustainability and

economic aspect of concrete. These studies support the possibility of corn cob ash as a partial

replacement for portland cement.

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 Chapter III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND MATERIALS

This chapter deals with the design methodology and testing procedure of the various

experimental investigations.

Research Design

The study is designed to determine the difference in flexural and compressive strength of

mixture proportion of Class A concrete with corn cob ash compared to a plain Class A concrete.

4%, 8% and 12% amount of Portland cement in each specimen will be replaced by Corn Cob

Ash. Each specimen will be tested for its compressive and flexural strength which will determine

the optimum amount of CCA as a replacement of Portland cement in a Class A concrete.

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Methodology

In this study, CCA will be used as a replacement material for cement. Raw corn cob will

be obtained in City of Ilagan.

 Corn cobs collected will be crushed.

 Crushed corn cob will be placed in close container and will burn at 600 degree centigrade

-800 degree centigrade for 8 hours.

 Cement, gravel and sand will be weight based on 1:2:4 mixture.

 After weighing cement, sand and gravel will mixed with water and will be placed to

molds for the control group. The dimension of each specimen for the test of compressive

strength is 6” in diameter and 12” in height while for the test of flexural strength is 6” in

width, 21” in length and 6” in depth fabricated in cylindrical and rectangular mold

respectively with Class A mixture.

 Same procedure will be carried out in experimental group, the only difference is that 4%,

8% and 12% of weighed cement will be replaced with CCA.

Testing Procedure

After removing the specimen from the molds, the specimen will be placed in the curing

area which is filled with water and will be cured for 28 days before testing its compressive and

flexural strength. The specimen will be tested using the Universal Testing Machine.

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