Effects of teff straw ash on the mechanical and microstructural properties of ambient cured fly ash-based geopolymer mortar for onsite applications

Abstract

Although geopolymer cement (GPC) is a substitute for Portland cement, its application is restricted due to the need for high-temperature curing (40–90 °C), which makes it challenging to utilise for onsite applications. To address this issue, the current study examined the potential of substituting fly ash (FA) with teff straw ash (TSA) in geopolymer mortars cured at ambient temperature. The findings revealed that substituting FA with TSA can eliminate the need for high-temperature curing, and the compressive strengths of FA-TSA-based geopolymer mortar mixtures cured for 28 days ranged from 45 to 53 MPa. Further, increasing the TSA content enhanced the mortar's flexural and direct tensile strengths. A teff straw ash level of 10% increased compressive, flexural, and direct tensile strengths by 40%, 59%, and 30% at 28 days, respectively. Furthermore, the mineralogical phases of the mortar after 28 days confirmed the presence of gismondine coexisting with other phases, and microstructural analysis indicates that the inclusion of TSA resulted in a denser structure. These findings suggest that TSA could be a potential substitute for FA in GPC applications to lower energy usage and environmental impact.