Geopolymer for use in heavy metals adsorption, and advanced oxidative processes: A critical review

The effective activation and utilization of metakaolin as an alkali activated geopolymer precursor and its use in concrete surface protection is of great interest. In this paper, the formula of alkali activated metakaolin-based geopolymers was studied using an orthogonal experimental design. It was found that the optimal geopolymer was prepared with metakaolin, sodium hydroxide, sodium silicate and water, with the molar ratio of SiO₂:Al₂O₃:Na₂O:NaOH:H₂O being 3.4:1.1:0.5:1.0:11.8. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were adopted to investigate the influence of curing conditions on the mechanical properties and microstructures of the geopolymers. The best curing condition was 60 °C for 168 h, and this alkali activated metakaolin-based geopolymer showed the highest compression strength at 52.26 MPa. In addition, hollow micro-sphere glass beads were mixed with metakaolin particles to improve the thermal insulation properties of the alkali activated metakaolin-based geopolymer. These results suggest that a suitable volume ratio of metakaolin to hollow micro-sphere glass beads in alkali activated metakaolin-based geopolymers was 6:1, which achieved a thermal conductivity of 0.37 W/mK and compressive strength of 50 MPa. By adjusting to a milder curing condition, as-prepared alkali activated metakaolin-based geopolymers could find widespread applications in concrete thermal protection.

https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/9/9/767/pdf

Preparation and Properties of Alkali Activated Metakaolin-Based Geopolymer

Mechanical and compressibility characteristics of a soft clay stabilized by slag-based mixtures and geopolymers

The Alkali-Activated Materials (AAM) are defined as materials obtained through the reaction between precursors and activators, and are separated into two classes depending on the products formed in the reaction, those rich in calcium, as the blast furnace slag, whose Ca/(Si+Al) ratio is higher than 1; and poor in calcium, which is the geopolymers subclass In this review article, some bibliographical aspects were discussed regarding the discovery of these materials, through research conducted by Victor Glukhovsky and through the characterization of historical monuments by Davidovits, which began in the 50s and 60s and persist to the present day The main products obtained in the alkaline activation reaction were also addressed, using the definition of polysialates and zeolites, in the case of geopolymers, and the tobermorite structure, in the case of materials rich in calcium The main steps of the alkali-activated reaction, such as dissolution, condensation, polycondensation, crystallization, and hardening, were discussed Some techniques for characterizing the AA reaction products were also examined, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry (NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) Finally, the main factors that interfere in the kinetics of AA reactions were explored, in which the type of cure and the activating solution used in the alkali-activated materials production stands out

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Reaction mechanisms of alkali-activated materials

A review on alkali-activated slag concrete

Strength development of solely ground granulated blast furnace slag geopolymers

A geopolymer has been reckoned as a rising technology with huge potential for application across the globe. Dolomite refers to a material that can be used raw in producing geopolymers. Nevertheless, dolomite has slow strength development due to its low reactivity as a geopolymer. In this study, dolomite/fly ash (DFA) geopolymer composites were produced with dolomite, fly ash, sodium hydroxide, and liquid sodium silicate. A compression test was carried out on DFA geopolymers to determine the strength of the composite, while a synchrotron Micro-Xray Fluorescence (Micro-XRF) test was performed to assess the elemental distribution in the geopolymer composite. The temperature applied in this study generated promising properties of DFA geopolymers, especially in strength, which displayed increments up to 74.48 MPa as the optimum value. Heat seemed to enhance the strength development of DFA geopolymer composites. The elemental distribution analysis revealed exceptional outcomes for the composites, particularly exposure up to 400 °C, which signified the homogeneity of the DFA composites. Temperatures exceeding 400 °C accelerated the strength development, thus increasing the strength of the DFA composites. This appears to be unique because the strength of ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and other geopolymers composed of other raw materials is typically either maintained or decreases due to increased heat.

Strength Development and Elemental Distribution of Dolomite/Fly Ash Geopolymer Composite under Elevated Temperature

In this paper, the thermal performance of ground-granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) geopolymers is investigated. The geopolymers were prepared with sodium-based alkali activator and exposed to e...

Behaviour changes of ground granulated blast furnace slag geopolymers at high temperature

Geopolymer is an environmentally friendly cementitious binder that does not require the existence of ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Geopolymer has many excellent advantages, including high early strength, low shrinkage, good thermal resistance and good chemical resistance. Previous commonly used materials include fly ash, clay and slag. The used of dolomite as precursor material in geopolymer field is still new and at the early stage of study. Only a few researchers have done studies on dolomite in geopolymer. Dolomite (CaMg(CO 3 ) 2 ) is abundant and generally inexpensive natural minerals. The possible use of these bulk calcium carbonate materials in improving the mechanical properties of geopolymers will therefore be of great interest. This paper summarizes some research outcomes on dolomite in geopolymer along with the potential of dolomite as geopolymer composites.

/pdf/review-of-dolomite-as-precursor-of-geopolymer-materials-2w8bx933cy.pdf

Review of Dolomite as Precursor of Geopolymer Materials

Currently, novel inorganic alumino-silicate materials, known as geopolymer composites, have emerged swiftly as an ecobenevolent alternative to contemporary ordinary Portland cement (OPC) building materials since they display superior physical and chemical attributes with a diverse range of possible potential applications. The said innovative geopolymer technology necessitates less energy and low carbon footprints as compared to OPC-based materials because of the incorporation of wastes and/or industrial byproducts as binders replacing OPC. The key constituents of ceramic are silica and alumina and, hence, have the potential to be employed as an aggregate to manufacture ceramic geopolymer concrete. The present manuscript presents a review of the performance of geopolymer composites incorporated with ceramic waste, concerning workability, strength, durability, and elevated resistance evaluation.

https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/12/3279/pdf

Ikmal Hakem Aziz

Papers

Strength development of solely ground granulated blast furnace slag geopolymers

Strength Development and Elemental Distribution of Dolomite/Fly Ash Geopolymer Composite under Elevated Temperature

Behaviour changes of ground granulated blast furnace slag geopolymers at high temperature

Review of Dolomite as Precursor of Geopolymer Materials

Assessment of the Suitability of Ceramic Waste in Geopolymer Composites: An Appraisal.