Using Palm Oil Fuel Ash as a Source Material for Alumina Silicate

Abstract

This research investigated the utilization of palm oil waste as a source material for developing an alkaliactivated binder with alumina-silicate properties. The geopolymer synthesis involved a combination of palm oil fuel ash (POFA) and fly ash (FA), as well as sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide as alkali activator solutions. The study assessed the physical, mechanical, water-transport and thermal performances of the binder, including the influence of oxide ratios on its strength-gain characteristic. The highest strength achieved was 54.7 MPa for a blend of POFA-FA in a ratio of 20:50 with a molarity of NaOH at 12M. The experimental results revealed good water-transport performance due to the dense nature of the binder that restricted water movement. However, the material's insulation performance did not produce significant results with the lowest thermal conductivity value of 0.59 W/mK. Overall, the developed binder has potential industrial applications, as it performed well in the technical aspects studied. KEYWORDS: Palm oil fuel ash, Alkali-activated binder, Waste, Sustainability, Water-transport performance.