Thermochemical pre-treatments on corn stover ash to boost its reactivity

When treated properly, corn stover ash (CSA) is known to be an effective source of supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) for use in concrete. The influence of thermochemical pre-treatments on the reactivity of CSA was studied in this project. The result shows that acid pre-treatment was effective and necessary in the removal of organic and inorganic compounds from the corn stover. The pre-treatment conditions including type and concentration of acid used, temperature, pre-treatment duration, and the acid/ash (A/A) ratio are important factors that affect the reactivity of the final product. This study shows that a proper pre-treatment condition will lead to a CSA with high amorphous silica content, high surface area and low loss on ignition (LOI).