Rice Husk Ash Concrete: A Circular Economy Framework Integrating Material Performance, Management and Accounting for Sustainable Construction

Abstract

The increasing environmental concerns associated with cement production have encouraged the development of sustainable cementitious materials utilizing agricultural waste products. This study investigates the performance of Rice Husk Ash (RHA) as a partial replacement for Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) in concrete. Concrete mixes containing 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% RHA were prepared and tested after 7, 14, 28, and 56 days of curing. The mechanical property such as compression strength, flexural strength, split tensile strength, durability parameters like water absorption, chloride penetration and acid resistance were examined. The results showed that strength has been improved with curing ages for all the mixes, where the RHA-10 mix has the highest compressive strength value of 53.1MPa, flexural strength value of 6.38 MPa and split tensile strength value of 4.70 MPa at 56 days. The durability performance was also greatly enhanced characteristics such as water absorption (3.90%), chloride penetration (10.8 mm) and minimum acid induced weight loss (3.5%) at 56 days were obtained. Microstructural analysis showed that a denser matrix was formed because the pozzolanic activity was enhanced. In addition, RHA incorporation resulted in a decrease in energy demand, production costs, CO₂ emissions and cement use. Hence, the present results showed that RHA can be employed in the concrete sector as a potential source of income for the development of sustainable high-performance concrete. This research evaluates the technical, economic, and environmental viability of Rice Husk Ash concrete by integrating experimental data with management accounting and supply chain approaches. Laboratory results reveal that 20% cement replacement with RHA provides the highest compressive strength. At this level, material expenses decrease by 11.2% and carbon emissions drop by 24.2%, with no compromise in structural performance. For practical implementation, a 4-stage RHA management model is proposed covering husk procurement, controlled incineration and milling, quality testing per IS 456, and delivery to ready-mix concrete units. Centralized purchasing and inventory practices ensure uniform quality and minimize supply disruptions. Economic assessment was carried out using Life Cycle Costing and Activity-Based Costing, while logistics were examined for feasibility. A decision support system for RHA mix proportioning was also developed. The findings offer guidance for construction managers to adopt circular economy models by converting agricultural waste into valuable building material.