Development of a High Strength Geopolymer Incorporating Quarry Waste Diabase Mud (DM) and Ground Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag (GGBS)

Abstract

This study presents the development and experimental assessment of novel, high strength, cementless binders that incorporate alkali-activated local waste. A silica-rich diabase mud (DM), currently considered as waste, was previously investigated for geopolymerization, signifying that the DM lacked the necessary reactivity to provide a stable geopolymer binder alone. Moreover, even after incorporation of small amounts of cement and metakaolin, the DM mixtures still did not yield adequate mechanical properties. In this study, the local DM was instead combined with another industrial byproduct known as Ground Granulated Blast-furnace Slag (GGBS) in varying mixtures. The mixture design trials enabled the development of three high strength cementless geopolymer mixtures with 28-day compressive strengths ranging between 60 and 100 MPa, comparable to conventional concrete compressive strengths. The results indicate that the innovative geopolymer material is very promising for the manufacturing of pavement tiles and other precast construction products. Most importantly, this study presents the first successful development of a construction material of adequate compressive strength that can absorb large quantities of the abundant quarry waste, following a course of 10 years of unsuccessful attempts to valorize the local DM. Although difficulties were encountered due to a high reactivity rate, especially for the mix that included the highest GGBS content, prototype pavement tiles were manufactured and assessed experimentally. The results reveal a promising potential of valorizing the local DM in the development of precast geopolymer products, despite the effects of shrinkage cracking on the experimental evaluation of the material mechanical properties.

A Review on Fresh, Hardened, and Microstructural Properties of Fibre-Reinforced Geopolymer Concrete

“…The compressive strength of self-compacting geopolymer concrete (SCGC) specimens is, however, marginally improved by the addition of steel fibre [ 109 ]. The compressive strength of plain geopolymer mortar for all mixtures during the early and late curing periods was enhanced by higher GGBS content, according to the results of [ 110 ]. This increase in strength is brought about by the combination’s increased calcium concentration, which creates a compacted microstructure.…”

Special Issue “Mineral Composite Materials Produced with Waste/Recycled Components”—Editorial Note and Critical Review of the Problems

“…Modern and promising construction materials are alkali-activated binders from numerous industrial wastes and by-products. Glass powders, cementitious substitute materials, mineral powders, slag, and many others are used here [32][33][34][35].…”

Waste Clay Brick as a Part Binder for Pavement Grade Geopolymer Concrete

“…Although the FA20 mix has the same water content, the amount of slag present in the FA30 binder was higher than in the FA20 binder. Higher slag facilitates the formation of more Calcium Silicate Hydrates (CSH) in the structure, thereby improving its compressive strength [24,54,55]. Finally, the FA30 mix consisted of higher fly ash percentage compared to the other three mixes, which reduced the shrinkage [56].…”