Role of calcination on geopolymerization of lateritic clay by alkali treatment

Abstract

In the present study, the role of calcination of a low iron lateritic clay sample was investigated to synthesize the geopolymer. The analyses like X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy for chemical composition, X-ray diffractometry (XRD) for mineral composition, and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy & scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for structural changes upon calcination at 500, 700 and, 900 °C were used to assess the suitability of selected lateritic clay sample for geopolymer. The drop in electrical conductivity and greater consumption of calcium hydroxide by CS-900 confirmed its potential reactivity than CS-700, CS-500, and CS-Control. The quality of geopolymer derived from un-calcined and calcined lateritic clay samples by alkali activation was evaluated by comparing results of compressive strength, water absorption test, and stability in the aggressive environment of chloride, FT-IR, XRD, and SEM analyses. The experimental results reveal that the quality of geopolymer enhances as the calcination temperature of the lateritic clay sample increases, However, calcination of the lateritic clay sample at 900 °C gives significant results and yield good quality geopolymer with 24.8 MPa of compressive strength, 7.07% of water absorption and 2.22% loss in mass in an aggressive environment.

Keywords

• Lateritic clay
• Calcination
• Metakaolin
• Disorderness
• Geopolymer