Properties of rice straw reinforced alkali activated cementitious composites

Abstract The paper investigates the characteristics of rice straw reinforced alkali activated cementitious composites (AACC). The untreated and NaOH treated rice straw at the proportion of 1%, 2%, 3% by weight of binder was added to the mixes. Characteristics of rice straw have been studied by using SEM and XRD. Mechanical properties, water absorption, drying shrinkage and durability under wet/dry cycling have been investigated to evaluate the performance of the AACCs. SEM was also used to investigate the mechanism of deterioration of the AACC. The results show that rice straw has very significant positive effects on the performance of AACCs including increase in flexural and compressive strength, durability under wet/dry cycling, large reduction in drying shrinkage, and water absorption. In addition, alkali treatment is an effective method for enhancing bond between the rice straw and the matrix leading to improved performance of AACCs.