Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering (Dec 2023)
Experimental study of geopolymer concrete with recycled fine aggregates and alkali activators
Abstract
In the atmosphere, greenhouse gas concentration has rapidly increased due to anthropogenic activities which cause global warming. However, the existing technique has a lot of fuel and energy consumption and is involved in CO2 emission. To overcome this issue Geopolymer Concrete (GPC) produced by using Alternate Aggregate and Chemical Activators has been used. Thus, Tandur Tone Slurry Powder is used in place of cement and quarry dust as the fine aggregate in this Geopolymer Concrete, which increases the material's strength and efficiency while lowering energy demand and fuel usage. Experimental investigation highlighting mechanical properties and durability performance of geopolymer concrete mixes. In this work, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) methods were used to examine the microstructure of geopolymer concrete. By an orthogonal design, nine GPC pastes with varying mole ratios of SiO2/Al2O3, Na2O/Al2O3, and H2O/Na2O were chosen to study the effects on mechanical strength and microstructure. In comparison to conventional concrete, the findings show that when the concentration of Tandur stone slurry powder increases up to 20% Tandur stone slurry powder & 6% quarry dust concrete (Mix 2), the concrete's tensile strength and compressive strength improve at the age of 28 days. GPC with different aggregate and chemical activators has a 25% lower production cost than Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC). Microscopic examination revealed structural traits like gels with a network made of SiO4 and AlO4 tetrahedra. Hence the experimental study of Geopolymer Concrete produced by using Alternate Aggregate and Chemical Activators using natural aggregates is widely tested and reported by analyzing fresh and mechanical properties along with microstructure estimation.
