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By: Saurav Kar, Puja Basu Chaudhuri, Rajdeep Das, Arghya Ganguli, and Moumita Sinha.
Department of Civil Engineering, Heritage Institute of Technology, Kolkata
Abstract
With the boom in construction industry, demand for sustainable construction materials have come into a high demand. Compared to traditional construction materials, which caused enhanced pollution to the environment, new-age industry is more focussed on adopting sophisticated, innovative and sustainable building processes, materials and products. Concrete is the most widely used construction material globally, but its environmental burden—particularly from Portland cement production—contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, and resource depletion. Rice husk ash (RHA), an agricultural by-product obtained from controlled combustion of rice husk, has emerged as a promising supplementary cementitious material (SCM) for sustainable construction. This paper compares the sustainability performance of conventional concrete and RHA-based concrete using a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. Environmental indicators such as global warming potential (GWP), cumulative energy demand (CED), and resource efficiency are evaluated on a functional unit basis (1 m³ of concrete). With a new mix proportioning technique in this experimental study, the simulation study shows that incorporating 10–30% RHA as partial cement replacement can reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 25–40%, lower energy consumption, and improve durability properties. The findings highlight that RHA concrete represents a sustainable alternative to conventional concrete, provided that the ash is processed under controlled conditions and sourced locally to minimize transport impacts.
Citation:
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