Abstract
This paper reports the results of an experimental investigation on the mechanical properties of geopolymer foams incorporating filler from the coke dust waste (CDW). In this work, CDW was used to replace a part of geopolymer paste at 5%, 10%, 20%, and 30% by geopolymer binder mass. The physico-mechanical properties and thermal resistance against high temperatures of CDW/geopolymer foams are presented. The primary results obtained show that the use of CDW in the production of geopolymer foam composites made it possible for them to achieve relatively good mechanical properties. However, the incorporation of the CDW into the geopolymer had a slightly negative effect on thermal conductivity, but significantly improved the mechanical strength of the final product. Moreover, this waste also helped the composite foam to achieve a structure with more uniform open pores distribution, compared to the pure foam. After exposure to elevated temperatures, the residual strength of the composite foams maintained well compared to the pure foams.
Highlights
Geopolymers, first named by Davidovits in the 1970s, are inorganic polymer materials with an amorphous three-dimensional network structure [1]
The geopolymer binder consisted of two components, including a metakaolin-based geopolymer cement and a potassium-based activator solution
The chemical composition of the coke dust waste was determined by using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) (Bruker S8 Tiger equipped with an Rh RTG lamp (Bruker, Billerica, MA, USA))
Summary
Geopolymers, first named by Davidovits in the 1970s, are inorganic polymer materials with an amorphous three-dimensional network structure [1]. While organic foam materials have shown poor fire-resistance performance and even produced toxic gases during combustion, the use of Portland-cement-based foams is associated with high energy consumption and environmental pollution [10,18]. Geopolymer foams are sustainable lightweight materials combining insulation performance with fascinating mechanical and fire-resistance properties [19] It is well-known that geopolymer foams are produced from solid geopolymers the addition of foaming agents (metallic aluminum powder, metallic silicon, hydrogen peroxide, etc.) which release gas when mixed into the geopolymer, leading to the formation of a macroporous network in the hardened product [20,21,22]. A geopolymer structure with highly visible porosity can be achieved by adding a high concentration of blowing agents [13,22] This results in low density and high insulation capacity but low mechanical strength. The influence of coke dust waste (CDW) addition on the mechanical properties and thermal resistance of the composite foams was studied, and is discussed
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