article · Discover Concrete and Cement
Slow strength gain and poor durability often limit the use of lime-pozzolana binders in sustainable building. Testing chemical activation on mortars made with a 50:50 ratio of lime and corn cob ash demonstrates clear performance improvements. Corn cob ash contains over 61% silica and displays moderate pozzolanic reactivity. Activating the mixture with chemical solutions significantly enhances mechanical properties. Compressive strength rises from 2.91 MPa in unactivated mortars to 5.92 MPa with sodium sulphate and 7.77 MPa with sodium hydroxide. Porosity decreases alongside these strength gains. When subjected to sulfuric acid, activated mortars suffer lower mass and strength loss than unactivated mixes, with sodium hydroxide providing the highest resistance while pure lime mortar disintegrates completely. Chemical activation establishes corn cob ash as a viable material for low-carbon, non-structural construction.
Using agricultural waste such as corn cob ash helps create low-carbon alternatives to conventional construction binders. Finding practical ways to speed up strength gain and boost resistance to acid attack makes sustainable, lime-based materials far more practical for non-structural construction, supporting environmental goals while turning farming waste into functional building supplies.
This research is at an applied laboratory stage targeted specifically at low-carbon, non-structural construction applications. Potential users include manufacturers of sustainable building materials seeking lime-pozzolana alternatives to conventional cement. Further development would require moving from laboratory-prepared samples to scaled manufacturing, evaluating field performance in real masonry systems, and analysing the economic feasibility of using sodium hydroxide and sodium sulphate activators at commercial scale.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
The slow rate of strength gain and the relatively poor durability of lime–pozzolana binders limit their broader use in sustainable construction applications. This study examined how chemical activation influences the physicochemical characteristics, compressive strength, porosity, and sulfuric acid resistance of lime–corn cob ash (CCA) mortars. CCA was analyzed using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and electrical conductivity tests to evaluate its pozzolanic behavior. Mortars containing a 50:50 lime–CCA ratio were prepared using water, 0.5 M NaOH, and 0.5 M Na₂SO₄ as mixing media. The results indicated that CCA is rich in silica (61.61% SiO₂), with a combined SiO₂ + Al₂O₃ + Fe₂O₃ content of 72.19%, confirming its suitability as a pozzolanic material. The reduction in electrical conductivity of about 28.1% after 240 min suggests moderate pozzolanic reactivity of CCA. Chemical activation markedly enhanced performance. Compressive strength increased from 2.91 MPa in the non-activated system to 5.92 MPa and 7.77 MPa for Na₂SO₄ and NaOH-activated mortars, respectively. Porosity showed a decreasing trend from L100–H₂O to LCCA50–0.5 M NaOH. Under sulfuric acid exposure, activated mortars experienced lower mass and strength losses than non-activated ones, with NaOH activation providing the best resistance. In contrast, pure lime mortar fully disintegrated under acidic conditions. The results confirm that chemical activation significantly improves the mechanical performance and durability of lime–CCA binders. The study demonstrates the viability of corn cob ash as a sustainable pozzolanic material for low-carbon, non-structural construction applications and highlights the effectiveness of different chemical activators in enhancing lime-based systems.
This page summarises published work. The authoritative version sits with the publisher.
DOI: 10.1007/s44416-026-00112-1
Is something wrong with this record? Report it or request removal.
Discussion
Have you built on this work, tried to replicate it, or seen it applied in practice? Share what you know. Verified researchers and MARATTO™ domain experts can open a discussion, and any member can reply. Contributions are reviewed before they appear.
No discussion yet. Open the first thread.
New to MARATTO™? Create a free account.
