Open Journal of Civil Engineering, 2024, 14, 65-81 https://www.scirp.org/journal/ojce ISSN Online: 2164-3172 ISSN Print: 2164-3164 DOI: 10.4236/ojce.2024.141003 Mar. 7, 2024 65 Open Journal of Civil Engineering The Influence of Rice Husk Ash on Mechanical Properties of the Mortar and Concrete: A Critical Review Md Jahangir Alam 1* , Mithun Biswas 1 , Mohammad Biplab Mia 1 , Shahin Alam 2 , Md Mosabber Hossain 1 1 College of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, China 2 School of Civil Engineering, Chang’an University, Xi’an, China Abstract Increasing the population and infrastructure in both emerging and developed countries requires a considerable amount of cement, which significantly af- fects the environment. The primary materials of concrete (‘cement’) produc- tion emit a large quantity of CO 2 into the environment. Also, the cost of con- ventional building materials like cement gives motivation to find geopolymer waste materials for concrete. To reduce harmful effects on the environment and cost of traditional concrete substance, alternative waste materials like rice husk ash (RHA), ground granulated blast-furnace (GGBS), fly ash (FA), and metakaolin (MK) can be used due to their pozzolanic behavior. RHA waste material with a high silica concentration obtained from burning rice husks can possibly be used as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM) in the manufacturing of concrete, and its strong pozzolanic properties can contri- bute to the strength and impermeability of concrete. This review paper high- lights a summary of the positive effect of using RHA as a partial substitute for cement in building construction, as well as its optimal inclusion of enhanced mechanical properties like compressive strength, flexural strength, and split tensile strength of mortar and concrete. Keywords Cement, Rice Husk Ash, RHA Properties, Mechanical Properties, Carbon Dioxide Emission and Greenhouse Gas 1. Introduction In the building industry, concrete and mortar are used widely and globally. They How to cite this paper: Alam, M.J., Bis- was, M., Mia, M.B. and Alam, S. and Hos- sain, M.M. (2024) The Influence of Rice Husk Ash on Mechanical Properties of the Mortar and Concrete: A Critical Review. Open Journal of Civil Engineering, 14, 65-81. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojce.2024.141003 Received: January 22, 2024 Accepted: March 4, 2024 Published: March 7, 2024 Copyright © 2024 by author(s) and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Open Access