Potential of sugarcane bagasse ash as supplementary cementitious material and comparison with currently used rice husk ash

• A comprehensive review of the potential of bagasse ash as a pozzolan is presented. • Pozzolanic performance of SCBA and RHA is higher than the minimum requirement. • Reduction in workability is observed for SCBA and RHA blended concrete. • Better durability performance is witnessed for SCBA blended concrete than RHA. • Directions for future research for broader acceptance of SCBA are presented. Use of bagasse ash in the cement industry is hindered due to a lack of comprehensive information on its influence on concrete. Moreover, a comparison of the potential of bagasse ash with a well-known agricultural by-product, rice husk ash will increase the chance of its acceptance. Hence, physical, chemical, and morphological characteristics of bagasse ash are compared with rice husk ash. Strength of bagasse ash blended concrete, and rice husk ash blended concrete is higher than the control concrete up to 20% and 15% of cement replacement levels, respectively. Significant resistance against chloride, water, and air permeability was witnessed for bagasse ash, or rice husk ash blended concrete up to their optimum replacement levels.