Determination of amorphous silica in rice husk ash by a rapid analytical method

A rapid analytical method for evaluating amorphous silica in rice husk ash (RHA) is provided and therefore an assessment of its potential pozzolanic a ctivity. The method is based on bringing the siliceous non-crystalline frac tion of the pozzolan into solution as glycerosilicate by treating the test material with glycerol. The titration of the resulting solution is performe d with an aqueous glycerol solution of barium hydroxide. Data are compared to those obtained using a standard method and a good concordance is achieve d. It is demonstrated that the proposed method can be a useful tool for eva luating amorphous silica in RHA. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.