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Articles | Sustainable Environmental Insight | Volume 2 - Issue 2 - 2025 | 51-60 | https://doi.org/10.53623/sein.v2i2.636
© 2025 by the author(s), and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License

Strength Evaluation of Palm Oil Fuel Ash and Rice Husk Ash as Partial Cement Replacement in Concrete for Sustainable Construction

Author(s): Muhammad Hakim Abd Razak 1 , Najeeha Mohd Apandi 2 ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7055-7985 , Mohd Syafiq Syazwan Mustafa 1 ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3848-7614 , Noor Kamalia Abd Hamed 3 ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5406-768X , Muhammad Rafi Azmi 1
Author(s) information:
1 Department of Civil Engineering Technology, Faculty of Engineering Technology, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 84600, Pagoh, Johor, Malaysia
2 Sustainable Engineering Technology Research Centre (SETechRC), Faculty of Engineering Technology, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Pagoh Education Hub, 84600, Pagoh, Muar, Johor, Malaysia
3 Department of Electrical Engineering Technology, Faculty of Engineering Technology, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 84600, Pagoh, Johor, Malaysia

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Sustainable Environmental Insight

Volume 2 - Issue 2 - 2025

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The construction industry's dependence on Portland cement considerably increased global carbon emissions, which highlighted the need for environmentally friendly alternatives. This research explored the application of rice husk ash (RHA) and palm oil fuel ash (POFA), two common agricultural byproducts in Malaysia, as partial cement replacements in concrete. The study examined the mechanical performance and durability of several POFA–RHA concrete mix designs with the goal of reducing environmental impact while maintaining structural integrity. A systematic approach was applied for material characterization, which included advanced methods such as Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM). The workability, compressive strength, and water absorption of concrete samples with varying POFA and RHA proportions were assessed. The findings showed that a mixture containing 25% POFA and 5% RHA achieved notable improvements in strength and durability while reducing water absorption. In contrast, higher replacement levels reduced workability and performance due to increased water demand and particle aggregation. Overall, the combination of 25% POFA and 5% RHA delivered substantial enhancements in strength, durability, and water absorption.

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SUBMITTED: 11 June 2025
ACCEPTED: 12 August 2025
PUBLISHED: 25 August 2025
SUBMITTED to ACCEPTED: 62 days
DOI: https://doi.org/10.53623/sein.v2i2.636

Cite this article
Abd Razak, M. H. ., Mohd Apandi, N., Mustafa, M. S. S. ., Abd Hamed, N. K. ., & Azmi, M. R. . (2025). Strength Evaluation of Palm Oil Fuel Ash and Rice Husk Ash as Partial Cement Replacement in Concrete for Sustainable Construction. Sustainable Environmental Insight, 2(2), 51–60. https://doi.org/10.53623/sein.v2i2.636
Keywords
Partial cement replacement Palm oil fuel ash Rice Husk Ash Compressive strength
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