Abstract:
This research investigates the potential of utilizing properties with various rice straw treatment methods as a fibrous coarse aggregate. The substantial volume of rice straw generated annually as agricultural waste presents a significant environmental concern, contributing substantially to air pollution and PM2.5 emissions through prevalent burning practices. This study addresses this environmental challenge while simultaneously exploring the potential for resource recovery and value addition by incorporating this waste material into a construction-relevant composite. Given the inherent presence of waxy coatings on natural fibers, which compromise their compatibility with cementitious binders, pretreatment is a critical step in this process. Three distinct pretreatment methods were implemented: alkaline treatment (immersion in 1 M and 5 M sodium hydroxide solutions), weak acid treatment (immersion in 3.6% hydrochloric acid solution), and thermal treatment (boiling in water for 30 minutes). A rigorous analysis was conducted to determine the influence of these pretreatment methods on both the mechanical properties of the treated fibers and the overall performance characteristics of the resulting concrete. From the research results, it was found that mixing rice straw at a ratio of 1% resulted in only a slight decrease in flexural strength and compressive strength due to the small amount of fibers used in the mixture. However, it could reduce the unit weight of concrete and significantly increase its deflection. The tests showed that rice straw with a length of 1 - 2 cm was most suitable for increasing the deflection and toughness of the concrete composite. The methods of fiber treatment by boiling in 1M NaOH and HCl yielded comparable good property results. However, using 1M NaOH is more suitable in terms of practicality and industrial application. Based on the test data of concrete properties using rice straw treated with different methods as a fibrous coarse aggregate, this is another alternative method that is environmentally friendly and also helps to add value to waste materials.