Investigation of Concrete Compressive Strength with Partial Cement Replacement Using Timber Ash

The increasing demand for sustainable construction materials has intensified research into biomass-derived
supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) capable of reducing ordinary Portland cement (OPC) consumption
(Andrew, 2018; Scrivener et al., 2018). This study experimentally investigates the influence of timber ash
incorporation on the compressive strength performance of concrete. Concrete cubes (150 mm × 150 mm × 150
mm) were produced using a nominal mix ratio of 1:2:4, with timber ash replacing cement at 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%,
35%, and 40% by weight. Specimens were cured for 28 days and subjected to compressive strength testing. The
control concrete achieved the highest compressive strength of 23.96 MPa, while replacement levels of 10%, 20%,
30%, 35%, and 40% produced 13.09 MPa, 14.13 MPa, 9.02 MPa, approximately 8.45 MPa, and 8.59 MPa,
respectively. The findings indicate that timber ash incorporation reduces compressive strength at the investigated
replacement levels, although moderate replacement around 20% demonstrated better performance compared with
higher substitution levels. The results suggest that timber ash has potential as a sustainable cement replacement
material for applications where moderate strength requirements are acceptable, while further chemical activation,
particle size optimisation, and durability studies are required before structural adoption.

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