Application of Taguchi approach to optimize the waste glass powder in developing eco-friendly ternary blended aluminosilicate matrix

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of incorporating varying proportions of waste glass powder (WGP) and fly ash (FA) on the strength characteristics of ternary blended ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) based geopolymer matrix. The examination was conducted to explore the impact of different levels of substitution of WGP (ranging from 25 % to 40 %) and FA (ranging from 20 % to 35 %) in GGBS-based geopolymer concrete under conditions of ambient curing, employing Taguchi L16 optimization. An investigation into the influence of various input parameters on the compressive strength and workability results was carried out through the utilization of analysis of variance (ANOVA). The analysis based on signal to noise ratio (SNR) revealed that the most effective mix composition consisted of 30 % WGP, 20 % FA, 50 % GGBS, and an 8 M NaOH solution, yielding the highest compressive strength value of 48.3 MPa. Additionally, the examination of the microstructure and morphology of the geopolymer fragments was explored by utilizing scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in conjunction with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), revealing the creation of a densely packed microstructure for the optimal blend.

Keywords

• Geopolymer binder
• Taguchi approach
• Waste glass powder
• Ground granulated blast furnace slag: Compressive strength
• Microstructure