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I. Constandache, R.R. Choudhury & I. Rhee. (2010) “Towards Molasses as Retarding Admixture
mobile phone localization without war-driving,” in IEEE
INFOCOM, San Diego, CA, USA, March 2010.
Luyang Li; Yun-Hui Liu; Kai Wang. (2013). “An adaptive algorithm
for localizing mobile robots using omnidirectional vision
system and odometry sensors,” Robotics and Biomimetics
(ROBIO), 2013 IEEE International Conference on, vol., no.,
pp.1131,1137, 12-14 Dec.
Mizell, D. (2005). Using gravity to estimate accelerometer
orientation. Wearable Computers, 2003. Proceedings. Seventh
IEEE International Symposium on, vol., no., pages 252, 253,
18-21
Pierleoni, P., Belli, A., Palma, L., Pellegrini, M., Pernini, L. &
Valenti, S. “A High Reliability Wearable Device for Elderly Fall
Detection,” Sensors Journal, IEEE, vol. PP, no.99, pp.1,1
Yamaguchi, S., Tanaka, T. (2006). GPS Standard Positioning using
Kalman filter. SICE-ICASE, International Joint Conference.
Volume number. pages 1351, 1354, 18-21 Oct. 2006
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for Concrete in Road Construction
Leigh Dee S. Galvez, Joselle A. Gorro,
Honiedel V. Taotao and Jilljun D. Trinidad
University of the Immaculate Conception, Davao City, Philippines
ABSTRACT
Industrial pollution continued to be a major factor causing the
degradation of the environment around us. It affects the water we use,
the air we breathe and the soil we live on. Also, it is reported that Shree
Renuka Sugars LTD in India which is one of the largest sugar producers
in the world discharged fluids into the Belgaum fields. The farmers
claimed that it damaged their crops. They also claimed that the ground
water about two kilometers around the sugar factory had also been
contaminated. Molasses on the other hand is a viscous by-product of
sugar industry, which used sugarcane in the production.
The growing problem in pollution due to those waste prompted the
researchers to look for the possibility that the so called waste product
can be used as a retarding admixture for concrete. This study sought
to answer the following questions; what are the flexural strength of
concrete with molasses and stuccotard 80 on the fourteenth day and
thirty-fifth day? What are the initial and final setting time of the cement
paste with molasses and stuccotard 80?
The researchers investigated the usage molasses as a retarding
admixture for concrete by comparing it to the conventional retarder
specifically stuccotard 80. The same ratio of the retarders was used
which is 300ml of retarder is to 100kg of cement, concrete mixture used
in this study and both followed a ratio of 1:2:4 for cement, sand, and
gravel respectively. Five samples each were produced and were cured
for fourteen days and thirty-five days.
Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded molasses can be
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a retarding admixture; which could delay the initial and final setting
time of concrete and at the same time it could increased the flexural
strength of concrete.
KEYWORDS: Molasses, retarding admixture, road construction
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Concrete has been the most commonly used material for
construction particularly in making architectural structures,
foundations, dams, and road constructions. It has been used
for over a century and has been an important part to the modern
development. Decades after the concrete was invented, innovative
studies in additive mixtures for the performance enhancement of
concrete began to advance for later usage, which are now called
admixtures. According to Juan Rodriguez from his article Seven Must-
Use Concrete Admixtures (Additives), concrete quality, acceleration,
manageability and retardations of setting time are some properties
that can be improved by adding admixtures. Admixtures are classified
as air entrainments, plasticizers, corrosion, bonding agents, pumping,
and retarder.
Retarder, the second most commonly used admixture, delays
the setting rate of the concrete resulting in reduced moisture content
and reduced shrinkage possibility. The use of retarder is mostly
advisable whenever the batching plant of concrete cement is far from
the construction site where it is needed. It reduces the effect of high
temperature that produces the faster initial setting time of concrete,
which is very helpful in the condition of the concrete while placing it in
road construction (Khan and Ullah, 2004).
Stuccotard80 is a concrete admixture product of Borcheme
Industrial Sales and it is known to be used as a retarder for concrete
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mixture. Since it is costly and made of chemicals, the researchers would
find other product which can be possibly used as a retarder that is
natural, cheap and widely available.
One possible natural product is the molasses. Molasses is a by-
product of sugar industry, which uses sugarcane in the production. Like
lignosulphonate, which is a by-product of paper industry, molasses also
shows plasticizing properties in concrete. Due to the existence of sugar
in molasses, it exhibits retarding effect in fresh concrete (Yildirim &
Altun, 2012).
This study aimed to test the effect of molasses as retarding
admixture in concrete as to be applied on road construction. The
effect was tested and studied particularly in the concrete’s flexural
strength, initial, and final setting time. Flexural strength is defined
as material’s ability to resist deformation under load. Initial Setting
Time is the time when the paste starts losing its plasticity. It can also
be defined as “time taken by paste to stiffen to such an extent that
the Vicat’s needle is not permitted to move down through the paste
through 25mm”. Final Setting Time can be defined as the time after
which the paste becomes so hard that Vicat’s 5mm needle doesn’t sinks
visibly and leave no impression. The success of this study provides
more economical retarding admixture for concrete.
The researchers believed that the positive result of this study would
be beneficial to the sugar industry and road construction industry. The
positive result of this study would make the sugar producers realized
the possibility of using the by-product of sugar as a retarder in concrete
mixture. With this they could optimize the use of their byproduct and
they could introduce their byproduct in the markets which makes them
increase their economy. In addition, the positive outcome of this study
would make the contractors realized that using molasses as a retarding
admixture for concrete is possible. With this the road construction
industry would be able to help utilize the byproduct produced by the
sugar industries thus helping the environment.
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Research Objectives
The study intended to enrich and upgrade the retarding of concrete.
Specifically, the study sought to answer the following queries:
1. What are the flexural strength of the concrete with molasses
and the concrete with stuccotard80 on:
1.1 the 14th day
1.2 the 35th day
2. What is the initial and final setting time of the following:
2.1 Cement paste with molasses
2.2 Cement paste with stuccotard80
3. Is there a significant difference between the flexural strength
of the concrete with Stuccotard 80 and concrete with molasses,
cured for
3.1 Fourteen days
3.2 Thirty-five days
4. Is there a significant difference between the cement paste with
Stuccotard 80 and with molasses in their:
4.1 Initial Setting Time
4.2 Final Setting Time
Review of Related Literature
Molasses has been used in many industries as raw material, like
animal food industry, in the production of alcohol, ferment and glycerin.
Molasses consist of 50% sucrose, 30% of other sugars (ash and nitrous
materials) and 20% water approximately. About 4-8% of beet remains
molasses after process. The composition of molasses differs depending
on the source it has been obtained, such as from reed or beet. Pigments
of molasses are surfactants and electronegative colloids that contain
unsaturated groups, hydroxyl groups, and carboxyl groups. Pigments
of molasses contain 63.1-81.3% products of alkaline hydrolysis of
inverted sugar, 4.0-18.7% melanoidins, and 9.5-17.8% caramels. These
components have an important effect on the plasticizing property of
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molasses. The MBAs at 0.4% dosage reduced the water 5-7%. The same
retardation effect is expected from molasses due to its sucrose content.
Molasses-based admixtures are delaying final setting times up to 16:30h
while control paste has only 5h (Yildirim & Altun, 2012).
Girdhar 2005, an Associate Professor of K.S.R.M. College of
Engineering, Kadapa, A.P, India made a research paper on Sugar and
Jaggery as admixture. He concluded that sugar and jaggery having
binding properties and used as plasticizer to reduce the water content
and increase the workability and compressive strength of the concrete.
The result of workability and compressive strength are discussed in
this review.
Workability of Concrete with Sugar and Jaggery Concrete has
been prepared with addition of two different admixtures (Sugar and
Jaggery) with three different percentages as 0 %, 0.05% and 0.1%.
All test results were compared with conventional concrete and results
were tabulated in table 1. Based on the experimental results, as the
percentage of admixtures increased, consequently both slump and
compaction factor also increased. Addition of Sugar and Jaggery to the
concrete greatly influenced the setting property and clear collapse of
slump witnessed during the experimentation. Setting of cube specimens
after 24 hours was difficult. During the de moulding after 24 hours, cube
specimens were exhibited cracks. So, de moulding of specimens carried
out after 48 hours for 0.05% of admixture and 72 hours for 0.1%.The
basic reason for extending the setting of time is adsorption of sugar and
jaggery acted as thin layer over the cement particles and it slows down
the hydration process. Formation of calcium ions would increase the
solubility and discouraging the formation of calcium hydroxide. By this
reason setting property of concrete has been improved.
Khan and Ullah, 2002 made a research paper entitled Effect of
a Retarding Admixture on the Setting Time of Cement Pastes in Hot
Weather. “Retarding admixtures are mainly based on materials having
lignosulfonic acids and their salts, hydroxy-carboxylic acids and their salts,
sugar and their derivatives and inorganic salts such as borates, phosphates,
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zinc and lead salts. The basic reason for extending the setting of time is
adsorption of molasses acted as thin layer over the cement particles and it
slows down the hydration process. Formation of calcium ions will increase
the solubility and discouraging the formation of calcium hydroxide. By this
reason setting property of concrete has been improved.
According to the first mechanism, a retarding admixture is
adsorbed on the surface of cement particles. This layer of retarding
admixture around the cement particles acts as a diffusion barrier. Due
to this diffusion barrier, it becomes difficult for the water molecules
to reach the surface of the unhydrated cement grains and hence the
hydration slows down, and the dormant period (period of relatively
inactivity) is lengthened. Due to the slow hydration, no considerable
amount of the hydration products giving rigidity to the cement paste
will be formed and thus the paste remains plastic for a longer time.
Later, when the admixture is removed from solution by reaction with
C3A from cement or by some other way it is removed and incorporated
into the hydrated material, further hydration is eliminated.
On first contact of water with cement grains (C3S and C2S)
calcium ions and hydroxyl ions are rapidly released from the surface
of the cement grains. When concentration of these ions reaches
a critical value (at which the solution becomes saturated), the
hydration products calcium hydroxide and calcium silicate hydrate
start to crystallize from the solution and then hydration proceeds
rapidly. According to the second mechanism, a retarding admixture
incorporated into cement paste is adsorbed on the calcium hydroxide
nuclei and prevents its growth until some level of super saturation
is reached during the induction period of hydration. Thus, retarder
lengthens the induction period by causing an increase in the level of
calcium hydroxide super saturation before crystallization begins. This
is analogous to the poisoning of crystal growth of calcium hydroxide
by the retarding admixture as both calcium and hydroxyl ions are
present in the solution but unable to precipitate as a result of poisoning
of the calcium hydroxide nuclei.
According to the third mechanism, a retarding admixture
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incorporated into cement paste forms some kind of complexes with
calcium ions released by the cement grains during the first few minutes.
Formation of the complexes increase the solubility of cement, i.e.,
increased concentration of Ca2+, OH, Si, Al and Fe in the aqueous
phase of the cement pastes will occur when hydrated in the presence
of the retarding admixture. Thus the calcium ions and hydroxyl ions
will accumulate in solution and will be unable to precipitate to form
calcium hydroxide. For example, when ordinary Portland cement is
hydrated in sucrose solution, lime is solubilised and a sucrose calcium
complex (R - -O –Ca+ - -OH) is formed in which Ca+ - -OH group
is attached to the five membered ring (R) of the sucrose molecule.
Such sucrose–calcium complex will be able to become absorbed
on the growing calcium hydroxide nucleus. The adsorption of the
complex on the calcium hydroxide nucleus will inhibit its growth as
the calcium and hydroxyl ions will not be able to precipitate. In this
way, hydration is retarded.
The fourth mechanism is similar to the first but here some kind
of insoluble derivatives of retarder are formed by reaction with the
highly alkaline solution as pH of the solution rises to over 12 within
few minutes after first contact of water with cement. For example,
inorganic salt admixtures (borates, phosphates, zinc and lead salts etc.)
give insoluble hydroxides in alkaline solution. The cement hydration
is suppressed through the precipitation of protective coatings of these
insoluble derivatives around the cement grains.”
According to ASTM Designation: C 191-04a, these test methods
determine the time of setting of hydraulic cement by means of the
Vicat needle. Two test methods are given; Method A is the Reference
Test Method using the manually operated standard Vicat apparatus,
while Method B permits the use of an automatic Vicat machine that
has, in accordance with the qualification requirements of this method,
demonstrated acceptable performance. Another ASTM Designation: C
78-02 covers the determination of the flexural strength of concrete by
the use of a simple beam with third-point loading.
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Conceptual Framework Research Locale

This study was conducted at the University of Immaculate

Independent Variable Dependent Variable Conception Bonifacio Campus where the Civil Engineering laboratory
is located. University of Immaculate Conception is a Roman Catholic
• Initial Setting Time University and has three campuses in Davao City: the main campus
• Concrete with • Final Setting Time located at Fr. Selga St., Bankerohan, and the annex campus located at
Stuccotard80 • Flexural Strength on Bonifacio St., and the Elementary and High School campus at Bajada,
• Concrete with the 14th and on the Davao City.
Molasses 35th day

Figure 1. Framework of the study Data Collection

The researchers asked permission from the Program Dean of the

Figure 1 shows the conceptual framework of the study, it illustrates
the independent and dependent variable approach. The concrete
with conventional retarder and concrete with molasses served as the
independent variables and the concrete’s setting time both initial and
final as well as flexural strength on the fourteen and thirty-fifth day as
the dependent variables.
METHOD
Research Design
An experimental method was used for this study to determine the
result of adding molasses on concrete mixture as retarding admixture.
It is define as a systematic and scientific approach to research in which
the researcher manipulates one or more variables, and controls and
measures any change in other variables (Blakstad, 2008). In this
study, Stuccotard80 is the control material while the molasses is
the experimental material and a comparison will be made if there is
significant difference between the concrete with Stuccotard 80 and the
concrete with molasses as a retarder.
Engineering and Architecture Program, the Directress of the laboratories,
and the CE laboratory in-charge to conduct the study and to allow
the researchers to use the equipment and apparatus inside the Civil
Engineering Laboratory. All the materials and equipment were prepared
for the experiment such as Portland cement, molasses, conventional
retarder, water, coarse aggregates, fine aggregates, shovels, Vicat
Apparatus, slump cone and six by six by twenty-four inches rectangular
molds. The molds were coated with oil for the concrete be easy to remove.
The equipment and apparatus were cleaned as it should be to
avoid unnecessary substances in the mixture. The required amount of
cement, fine aggregates, and coarse aggregates were weighed and the
amount of molasses and conventional retarders were measured based
on the dosage of the conventional retarder, 300ml per 100kg of cement.
There were two types of concrete mixture used in this study and
both followed a ratio of 1:2:4 for cement, sand, and gravel respectively
which was Class A type mixture commonly used for road construction.
First, the concrete mixture with Stuccotard80 and the other one is with
molasses. All the materials were prepared for mixing and were mixed
manually. Afterwards a slump cone was prepared and filled with the
mixed concrete by three layers; each layer was rod with twenty-five

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strokes. The strokes were uniformly distributed over the cross-section
of each layer. After the top layer has been rod, the surface was stroke
by means of rolling motion of the tampering rod.
The mold was removed immediately and was inverted; a meter
stick was placed that extends over the slumped concrete. The distance
was immediately measured from the bottom of the meter stick to the
center of the surface of the sample.
The concrete mixture was placed in a rectangular mould six by
six by twenty-four inches in dimension using a shovel. The mould was
filled in three equal layers and each layer was rod twenty-five times
uniformly. After every layer has been rod, the top layer was smoothened
by a triangular pallet. The number of samples used in this study were
five per independent variable to give reliable results. After twenty-four
hours the moulds were removed and the concrete samples were cured
for fourteen and thirty-five days.
On the fourteenth and thirty-fifth days the concrete samples
were tested based on its flexural strength at Qualitest Solutions and
Technologies Inc. (QSTI), at Diversion Road, Ma-a, Davao City.
In the course, to determine the setting time, cement paste mixture
that contains molasses and another samples of cement paste mixture
with Stuccotard 80 with the same dosage, 300ml per 100kg of cement
were mixed, placed, and smoothened in the mould of the Vicat
apparatus using a triangular pallet. ASTM C191-04a standard was used
in this experimentation.
Allow the time of setting specimen to remain in the moist cabinet
for 30 minutes after molding without being disturbed. Determine the
penetration of the 1-mm needle at this time and every 15 minutes
thereafter (every 10 minutes for Type III cements) until a penetration of
25mm or less is obtained. Perform the penetration test by lowering the
needle, D, of the rod B until it rests on the surface of the cement paste.
Tighten the set screw, E, and set the indicator, F, at the upper end of
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the scale, or take an initial reading. Release the rod quickly by releasing
the set screw, E, and allow the needle to settle for 30 seconds; then take
the reading to determine the penetration. At the option of the tester, if
the paste is obviously quite soft on the early readings, retard the fall of
the rod to avoid bending the 1-mm needle, but when actual penetration
measurements to determine the time of setting are made, release the
rod only by the set screw. Make each penetration test at least 5mm
away from any previous penetration and at least 10mm away from
the inner side of the mold. Record the results of all penetration tests
and, by interpolation, determine the time when a penetration of 25mm
is obtained. The elapsed time between the initial contact of cement
and water and the penetration of 25mm is the Vicat time of setting or
Vicat initial time of setting. Determine the Vicat final time of setting
end point to be the first penetration measure that does not mark the
specimen surface with a complete circular impression. Verify final set
by performing two additional penetration measurements on different
areas of the specimen surface. Obtain verification measurements within
90’s of the first “final set” measurement. The elapsed time between the
initial contact of cement and water and the end point determination
above is the Vicat final time of setting.
Data Analysis
The gathered data were interpreted by the following statistical
method. First is Mean, this was used to find out the average flexural
strength and average setting time of the concrete samples with
Stuccotard 80 and concrete samples with molasses as retarders.
Second, Paired T-test was suitable for this study because there were
only two variables that were compared and analyzed. It was used
to measure if there was a significant difference that exists in the
flexural strength of concrete samples and setting time of cement
pastes between the conventional retarder and molasses, these were
performed using statistical software called IBM SPSS Statistical Data
Editor; the software analyzes the p-value for each comparison. All the
interpretations were based at ρ = 0.05 level of significance.
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Ethical Consideration Table 2. Results of the flexural strength of concrete samples with
stuccotard80 and with molasses after 35 days of curing
The study provided no sensitive ethical issues and the researchers
Flexural Strength (psi)
did strictly follow the guidelines to assume scientific soundness. The
researchers also did not use animals, biologics and human participants Stuccotard 80 Molasses

during the experimentation or in any part of the methodology. This Sample 1 254.78 357.82
study was submitted to the UIC Research Ethics Committee (UIC REC) Sample 2 222.94 284.76
for the review of the measures that the researchers should follow. Sample 3 215.44 314.73
Sample 4 337.21 340.96
Sample 5 254.78 325.97
RESULTS Mean 257.03 324.85

The results and interpretations of the gathered data from the

study are presented in this section. The items that were analyzed and
interpreted were supported with tables to describe the comparison of
flexural strengths of concrete mixtures with different number of curing
days, and the initial and final setting time between cement paste with
Stuccotard 80 and molasses.
Table 2 shows the results of the flexural strength test of the concrete
samples with Stuccotard80 and with Molasses after thirty-five days of
curing. The mean flexural strength of the concrete with Stuccotard80
and with Molasses is 257.03 psi and 324.85psi, respectively.

Table 1. Results of the flexural strength of concrete samples with Table 3. Results of the initial setting time of cement paste samples with
stuccotard80 and with molasses after 14 days of curing stuccotard80 and with molasses

Flexural Strength (psi) TIME (minutes)

Stuccotard 80 Molasses Stuccotard 80 Molasses

Sample 1 211.70 269.77 Sample 1 53.10 66.80

Sample 2 196.71 267.90 Sample 2 51.40 65.60
Sample 3 228.56 254.78 Sample 3 47.50 64.50
Sample 4 207.95 236.05 Sample 4 45.00 62.50
Sample 5 196.71 237.92 Sample 5 50.00 61.90
Mean 208.326 253.284 Mean 49.40 64.26

Table 1 shows the results of the flexural strength test of the concrete Table 3 shows the results of the initial setting time of the cement
samples with Stuccotard80 and with Molasses after fourteen days of paste with Stuccotard80 and with Molasses. The mean initial setting
curing. The mean flexural strength of the concrete with Stuccotard80 time of the cement paste with Stuccotard80 and with Molasses is
and with Molasses is 208.326psi and 253.284psi, respectively. 49.40mins and 64.26mins, respectively.

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Table 4. Results of the final setting time of cement paste samples with the two variables were incomparable and far different from each other.
stuccotard80 and with molasses This further means that the flexural strength of the concrete samples
with molasses is significantly higher that of the concrete samples with
TIME (minutes) Stuccotard80.
Stuccotard 80 Molasses

Sample 1 386 472

Sample 2 375 460
Table 6. Significant difference between the flexural strength of concrete
Sample 3 350 455 samples with stuccotard80 and concrete samples with molasses for 35
Sample 4 335 450 days of curing
Sample 5 370 440 ⨱
Mean 363.20 455.40 p-value Decision
Stuccotard 80 Molasses

257.03 324.85 0.02 Significant

Table 4 shows the results of the final setting time test of the
cement paste with Stuccotard80 and with Molasses. The mean final
setting time of the cement paste with Stuccotard80 and with Molasses Table 6 presents the results of the flexural strength test after thirty-
is 363.20mins and 455.40mins, respectively. five days curing of concrete samples with Stuccotard80 with the mean
value of 257.03 psi and concrete samples with molasses with the mean
value of 324.848psi.
Table 5. Significant difference between the flexural strength of concrete
samples with stuccotard80 and with molasses after 14 days of curing The table also shows the significant difference between the two
variables in terms of their flexural strength after thirty-five days of
⨱ curing, with the p-value of 0.02 which is less than 0.05. It implies that
p-value Decision the two variables were incomparable and far different from each other.
Stuccotard 80 Molasses
This further means that the flexural strength of the concrete samples
208.326 253.284 0.01 Significant with molasses is significantly higher that of the concrete samples with
Stuccotard80.

Table 5 presents the results of the flexural strength test after

fourteen days curing of concrete samples with Stuccotard80 with the Table 7. Significant difference between the initial setting time of
mean value of 208.326psi and concrete samples with molasses with the cement paste samples with stuccotard80 and cement paste samples
mean value of 253.284psi. with molasses
⨱
The table also shows the significant difference between the two p-value Decision
Stuccotard 80 Molasses
variables in terms of their flexural strength after fourteen days of
curing, with the p-value of 0.01 which is less than 0.05. It implies that 49.40 64.26 0.00 Significant

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Table 7 presents the results of the initial setting time test of cement
paste samples with Stuccotard80 with the mean value of 49.40mins and
cement paste samples with molasses with the mean value of 64.26min.
The table also shows the significant difference between the two
variables in terms of their initial setting time, with the p-value of 0.00
which is less than 0.05. Resulting to zero p-value is possible and it
indicates that the two variables were very incomparable. It was due to
the big difference on their initial setting time. This means that the initial
setting time of the cement paste samples with molasses was significantly
longer that of the cement paste samples with Stuccotard80. Molasses
caused a great retarding effect on the cement paste.
Table 8. Significant difference between the final setting time of cement
paste samples with stuccotard80 and cement paste samples with
molasses
⨱
p-value Decision
Stuccotard 80 Molasses
363.20 455.40 0.00 Significant
Table 8 presents the results of the final setting time test of cement
paste samples with Stuccotard80 with the mean value of 363.20min
and cement paste samples with molasses with the mean value of
455.40min.
The table also shows the significant difference between the two
variables in terms of their final setting time, with the p-value of 0.00
which is less than 0.05. Resulting to zero p-value is possible and it
indicates that the two variables were very incomparable. It is due to
the big difference on their final setting time. This means that the final
setting time of the cement paste samples with molasses was significantly
longer that of the cement paste samples with Stuccotard 80. Molasses
caused a great retarding effect on the cement paste.
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DISCUSSION
The analysis of the data that had been gathered from the results are
discussed in this section. Findings, conclusions, and recommendations
are also included in this part for further understanding.
Findings
The study was conducted to determine whether molasses can be a
retarding admixture for concrete.
There were five samples each for two different variables and for
two different number of curing days and were tested. In terms of the
flexural strength, the concrete samples with molasses that are cured
for thirty-five days obtained the highest strength. Unfortunately, all
results gathered were not able to reach the standard strength for
road construction which is 650 psi based on the third point loading
as specified in the ASTM C78. Manual mixing was different from
thorough mixing using concrete mixer; it affected the quality of the
concrete mixture.
The paired-sample t-test showed results of the significant difference
of the flexural strengths of concrete samples after fourteen and thirty-
five days of curing. There is a significant difference between flexural
strength of concrete samples with Stuccotard80 and with molasses
cured for fourteen days and thirty-five days. The two variables were
incomparable in terms of their strength and it was in favor for molasses
because it exceeded the strength of the Stuccotard 80. Based on the
Indian Journal of Engineering & Materials Sciences, 2015 entitled Usage
of molasses in concrete as water reducing and retarding admixture;
“The increase of the flexural strength of the concrete samples with
molasses is because of the decreasing of water-cement ratios of the
concrete.”
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There is a significant difference between initial and final setting
time of the cement paste with stuccotard80 and molasses as retarding
admixture. The initial and final setting time of the cement pastes
with molasses were greater than of the cement paste with Stuccotard
80. Based on the study of Khan and Ullah, 2002 entitled Effect of a
Retarding Admixture on the Setting Time of Cement Pastes in Hot
Weather; “The basic reason for extending the setting of time was
adsorption of molasses acted as thin layer over the cement particles
and it slowed down the hydration process. Formation of calcium
ions would increase the solubility and discouraging the formation of
calcium hydroxide. By this reason setting property of concrete has
been improved.”
Conclusions
Based on the findings of the study, it could be concluded that there
is a significant difference between the following:
Flexural strength of the concrete with Stuccotard 80 and concrete
with molasses cured for fourteen days.
Flexural strength of the concrete with Stuccotard 80 and concrete
with molasses cured for thirty-five days.
Initial setting time of the cement paste with Stuccotard 80 and
cement paste with molasses.
Final setting time of the cement paste with Stuccotard 80 and
cement paste with molasses.
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Recommendation
Based on the findings and conclusion of the study, the researchers
recommend the following:
The use of molasses as retarding admixture may be explored.
The use of clean containers for the curing process to avoid any
impurities to the samples may be implemented.
Instead of fine aggregates, crushed coarse aggregate is
recommended to be used for a higher result in the flexural strength of
the concrete due to its physical and mechanical properties
A similar study be conducted using different dosage of molasses to
determine if there is a great effect on the setting and flexural strength
of the concrete.
For the batching plant companies, the use of molasses as retarding
admixture wherein a mixer will be used for the thorough mixing of
concrete and to determine its strength if there is a difference between
manual mixing and concrete mixer.
The flexural strength of concrete with molasses must be compared
to the standard strength for roads.
 
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THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING RESEARCH
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