Project outcome
- To assess whether there is an opportunity for the sugarcane processing industry to derive additional value from the boiler ash waste stream
Focus areas
- Classification of bagasse ash as a pozzolanic supplementary cementitious material
- Incorporation of bagasse ash into the soil mixture used to produce cement-stabilized earth masonry units
Considerable quantities of ash are produced during the combustion of bagasse in sugarcane factory boilers, and disposal of this ash is becoming more problematic and costly. This problem would increase should the opportunity for the industry to cogenerate more significant quantities of electricity materialize. It was recognized that an opportunity may exist to use this ash for low-cost building purposes. The outputs of this project could open opportunities for the industry to manage bagasse ash in a way that will generate revenue rather than being a cost, at the same time reducing the environmental impact of bagasse ash disposal.
The research conducted showed that bagasse ash can be a valuable addition to masonry blocks suitable for building purposes and data on the composition and structural characteristics of such blocks has been documented. This paves the way for development of a commercial opportunity to process sugarcane bagasse ash into such blocks.
Prof. Billy Boshoff
Unit for Construction Materials, Department of Civil Engineering, Stellenbosch University