Pozzolanic binder constituted by lime and cane sugar straw ash: the granulometric influence of its components in the agglomerate activity

Abstract

The present study carried out a characterization of the components of a binary blend comprised of lime-cane sugar straw ash by means of the analytic techniques of ray-x diffraction, chemical, and granulometric analysis. The evolution of the setting process of this binary blend was assessed, and it appears as an alternative mineral active addition to cement. The statistical parameters of granulometric curves of the lime, the cane straw ash and the pozzolanic blend (lime: ash = 3:7) provide criteria for mixing the blend components fitting the small grains (<9µm) in the voids formed by bigger grains (45 µm). The right size combination can create a space of enhanced reactivity providing compressive strengths of 13 MPa at the age of 28 days.