Measurement of pozzolanic activity index of scoria, pumice, and rice husk ash as potential supplementary cementitious materials for portland cement

Abstract

This work investigated the properties of scoria and pumice as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) for Portland cement and compared to those of rice husk ash (RHA). X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, and pozzolanic activity index (PAI) tests confirmed the suitability of these two materials as potential SCMs. Scoria and RHA samples achieved over 75% PAI at 7 days whereas pumice did this after 28 days. Initial and final mean setting times observed for the composite cement blended with these materials were 166 and 285 min, respectively. These setting times are longer than that of ordinary Portland cement but shorter compared to that of common Portland pozzolana cement. The ultimate mean compressive strengths achieved at 28 days of curing were 42.5, 44.8, and 43.0 MPa for scoria, pumice, and RHA, respectively, signifying that these materials are good SCMs. Higher fineness yielded higher ultimate mean strength. For instance, a scoria sample with a fineness of 575 m2/kg achieved the strength of 52.2 MPa after 28 days.