Synergic effect of cathodic protection and mineral admixture on the corrosion resistance of reinforcements in concrete

The use of agricultural wastes rich in pozzolanic materials such as Fe2O3, SiO2 and Al2O3 is an active area of research in concrete technology. This improves the mechanical and durability properties along with sustainability. One such waste is the Sugar Cane Bagasse Ash (SCBA) generated by sugar mills and usually dumped in open space. The main purpose of the study is to investigate synergic effect of cathodic protection and using SCBA blended cement concrete on the corrosion resistance of embedded reinforcement and compare it with control concrete. The approach involved construction of eight slabs (1 m X 0.1 m X 0.1 m) and monitoring the half cell potential (HCP) for 270 days. In order to simulate the marine atmosphere, two slabs were constructed with 3.5% NaCl by weight of cement and two others were reference slabs. The pure Magnesium anodes 22 mm diameter and 250 mm long were used. The experimental results indicated that the corrosion of embedded reinforcement in slab containing SCBA was more as compared to slab containing both SCBA and anode.