Concrete is a composite material which has relatively high compressive

strength, but significantly lower tensile strength. At present, for a variety of reasons,
the concrete construction industry is not sustainable. Firstly, it consumes huge
quantities of virgin materials which can remain for next generations. Secondly, the
principal binder in concrete is Portland cement, the production of which is a major
contributor to greenhouse gas emissions that are implicated in global warming and
climate change. Thirdly, many concrete structures suffer from lack of durability
which may waste the natural resources. A major component of concrete is cement
and it is one of the three primary producers of carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse
gas. Recycling of waste components contributes to energy savings in cement
production, to conservation of natural resources and to protection of the
environment. The most widely used fine aggregate for the making of concrete is the
natural sand mined from the riverbeds. However, the availability of river sand for
the preparation of concrete is becoming scarce due to the excessive nonscientific
methods of mining from the riverbeds, lowering of water table, sinking of the bridge
piers,etc. Therefore, it is necessary to find the alternative materials. Although it
cannot be replaced fully, partial replacement can be made. The choice of substitute
materials for cement and sand in concrete depends on several factors such as their
availability, physical properties, chemical ingredients etc, Rice husk ash and fly ash,
are major players which already proven to be effective mineral admixtures to cement
at various percentages. Wood ash (WA) is also a similar waste materials produced
from wood burning industries which is mainly used as a fertilizer for soil. Significant
quantities of wood ash is currently land filled near the industries that uses wood as
a fuel partially or fully which poses a threat to the environment in many ways to life
stock around. Chemical analysis of wood ash shows that it has pozzolanic property,
and using it as a partial replacement to cement may be one of the best application in
the current environment scenario. Saw dust is an organic waste resulting from the
mechanical milling or processing of timber (wood) in to various shapes and sizes.
The dust is usually used as domestic fuel. It is an excellent material for partial
replacement of fine aggregate. In the present work, cement is partially replaced by
Wood Ash (5% by weight of cement) and fine aggregate by Wood Powder (5%, 10%
and 15% by weight of fine aggregate).