Development Of Geopolymer Concrete Research Articles

Assessment of mechanical and durability properties of FA-GGBS based lightweight geopolymer concrete

The relentless consumption of natural aggregates and cement in concrete due to rapid construction has resulted in the exhaustion of natural resources; consequently, it's vital to create environment friendly building materials and implement sustainable construction methods. The development of geopolymer concrete (GPC) is a step towards the utilization of by-products. This study aims to prepare and assess the durability and mechanical characteristics of fly ash (FA) and ground-granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS)-based lightweight geopolymer concrete (LWGC). Utilizing sintered fly ash aggregate (SFA) in GPC is one such approach that can lower the usage of regular cement and natural aggregates. In the present investigation a total of six GPC mixes were prepared with varying alkaline activator to binder (AA/B) ratios of 0.3–0.8. The results shows that the AA/B ratio and the mechanical characteristics of LWGC samples are inversely related. The mechanical properties exhibits maximum strength at the lowest AA/B ratio. The LWGC achieved the highest compressive strength (CS) of 48.9 MPa, modulus of elasticity (EM) of 27.3 GPa, split tensile strength (STS) of 3.9 MPa, and direct shear strength of 5.4 MPa after 28 days of ambient curing. The oven dry density (OD) ranged from 1722–1805 kg/m3, satisfying the various codal provisions to be considered a lightweight concrete (LWC). The durability study indicates that for structural applications, the performance is satisfactory, especially in acidic conditions. SEM and EDS analyses also infer strong mechanical and durability characteristics. The obtained results suggests that LWGC is a possible material for structural concrete applications.

Mechanical and bond behaviour of high volume Ultrafine-slag blended fly ash based alkali activated concrete

The development of Geopolymer concrete (GPC) mixes by employing large volume of ultrafine ground granulated blast furnace slag (UBFS) blended with Fly ash (FA) and activated by sodium hydroxide (SH) has been presented in this study. Several GPC mixes has been prepared to investigate the effect of varying alkali content, fine aggregate to total aggregate ratio (s/a) and molar concentration (M) of alkali activator on the fresh and hardened characteristics, including the bond strength with Portland cement concrete (PCC). The properties of the GPC mixes are assessed by workability test, compressive strength test, split tensile strength test and slant shear test, including the microstructure through FESEM (Field Emission Scan Electron Microscopy) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The test result shows that s/a ratio is a crucial factor in controlling segregation and bleeding in GPC. However, an ideal GPC mix with s/a ratio 0.41 provides a better packing resulting in improved mechanical properties. Application of high volume UBFS in the GPC exhibits better reaction products as shown by the microstructure at a relatively lower alkali concentration which ultimately leads to higher strength. Superior bond strength is achieved between the GPC and old PCC substrate; however, the molarity of SH significantly affects the adhesion property of GPC.

Experimental Investigation on Geopolymer Concrete:- Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Construction Material

The research for the new environmental friendly construction material that will match the durability of ancient concrete has provoked interest into the study of alkali activated cementitious systems over the last two decades. It results in the development of Geopolymer Concrete. This paper represents the development of geopolymer mixes of various ratios of fly ash and GGBS and their mechanical properties were studied. aa Literature review on mechanical and durability properties of geopolymer concrete also been done. The ratio of sodium hydroxide to sodium silicate is 1:2 which is kept a constant to prepare the mix and alkaline liquid to binder ratio as 0.70, but changing the concentration of sodium hydroxide solution as 6M, 4M and 3M to prepare the mix Id. i.e. F75G25, F50G50 and F25G75, respectively (where F and G are Fly Ash and GGBS and the numerical value indicates the percentage of replacement of fly ash by GGBS) were prepared in AML laboratory, CSIR-SERC, Chennai. Ambient curing of concrete at room temperature was adopted.The compressive strength at age of 3, 7 and 28 days were determined. The strength of geopolymer concrete was increased with increase in percentage of GGBS in a mix. It was observed that the mix Id F25G75 gave maximum compressive strength for concentration of NaOH as 3M . Leaching of GPC reduces with increase in percentage of GGBS in a mix. Thus the geopolymer concrete have a relatively higher strength.

Development of geopolymer concrete using fly ash and phosphogypsum as a pavement composite material

This study focuses on the use of fly ash (FA), an industrial byproduct of thermal power plants, and phosphogypsum (PG), a byproduct of the fertilizer industry, in geopolymer concrete. Geopolymer concrete (GPC) is a type of concrete that utilizes aluminosilicate materials as a binder instead of traditional cement. In this research, GPC has been prepared by varying the percentage of phosphogypsum added to the fly ash, along with different molar concentrations of sodium hydroxide (NaOH). This investigation resulted in determining the impact of phosphogypsum and molar concentration on various properties of the geopolymer concrete, including compressive strength, flexural strength, split tensile strength, and abrasion resistance. It has been found that increasing the molar concentration of NaOH led to an increase in the strength of the geopolymer concrete, up to a certain point. Specifically, the strength increased up to a molar concentration of 12 M, but further increasing the molar concentration resulted in a decrease in strength. Similarly, it has been observed that the effect of phosphogypsum on the strength of the GPC has significant effect, and the maximum strength achieved when 25% phosphogypsum added to the fly ash mixture. Comparisons has been also made between GPC and cement concrete, revealing that the GPC exhibited higher strength than traditional cement concrete. Based on the results, it could be concluded that the GPC possessed the necessary strength characteristics for pavement usage. This suggests that GPC could be utilized as a composite material for pavement construction.

To study the effect of geopolymer concrete by using metakaolin & bottom ash

Ordinary Portland cement is such a well-liked binding element for making concrete. Cement's resourcefulness as compared to any other material in the structural field has made it an ever-rising requirement. The use of cement continues to grow because of its ability to regain its initial strength and gain in strength over a long period. The development of geopolymer concrete is the principal role against the manufacture of environmentally suited concrete. Geopolymer is a non-organic alumino-silicate blend to reduce geological compounds or industrial goods such as fly calx, clinker, chaff ash, etc. In this article, we have shown the mechanical properties and flexural strength of geopolymer concrete. When creating geopolymer concrete, we combined bottom ash and metakaolin with an alkali solution to combat environmental contamination issues. In this work, we view the impact of the blend of metakaolin within the exclusive significant and exclusive stratum area of metakaolin that is 2.5 and 20000 cm2/gm serially and bottom ash (industrial byproducts) as source stuff accounts for the remaining 20 % to the alkali activator we used to the sodium hydroxide (NaOH) flake with 95–97 % purity, Sodium silicate available in a liquid gel. The sodium silicate solution consists of 13.7 % of sodium oxide (Na2O), 29.4 % of silicon dioxide (SiO2), and 55.9 % of water by mass, we also adapt the small aggregate applied in this work as river sand and coarse aggregate prescribed by BIS 2386–1963. Also, the suitability of metakaolin and bottom ash mixed geopolymer concrete as a paver cube has been evaluated. The conjunction of such materials can defend the environment to the exquisite scope and rescue resources. Part of the review is to research the mechanical character of geopolymer concrete and discuss the application possibility of geopolymer concrete and attempt to create a handout for the sector and industry.

Performance evaluation on engineering properties of sodium silicate binder as a precursor material for the development of cement-free concrete

In emerging economies, huge stocks of industrial wastes are dumped in open landfills. Such wastes serve as a source for environmental pollution. Some of these materials such as Fly Ash (FA), Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS), Rice Husk Ash (RHA), and Palm Oil Fuel Shell Ash (POFA) can be used as binder materials to produce concrete mix. Aim of the study is to effectively utilize the Municipal Solid Waste (Sodium Silicate Waste (SSW)) powder as a partial replacement for FA in the development of Geopolymer Concrete (GPC). GPC requires heat curing for the attainment of early age strength. The development of GPC under heat curing conditions is a hard process in practice. To overcome such circumstances, an attempt was made to develop the GPC under ambient curing conditions with the aid of SSW. The influence of SSW on strength gain and microstructural characteristics of GPC is investigated. Mechanical properties of GPC such as compressive strength, tensile strength, and flexural strength are reported and discussed. This study focuses on the assessment of mechanical and microstructure characterization of eco-efficient GPC developed with SSW. The required optimum quantity of binder, alkali activator, alkaline liquid to binder ratio and aggregates was determined by appropriate trials. Following the properties of SSW, it is realistic to substitute up to 50% of SSW as the resulting binder mix falls within the requirements of the analyzed mix. Increase in the percentage of SSW decreases the fresh properties of GPC, such as setting time and workability; mix with 50% SSW exhibited the lowest initial and final setting time i.e., 77% and 81% than the control mix. Contrastingly, inclusion of SSW content enhances the mechanical properties of the mix. 12SSW50 mix produces the maximum compressive, tensile and flexural strength of 40.16 MPa, 2.8 MPa, and 4.18 MPa, respectively. Mix with 8 M concentration comprising 50% SSW possess higher cost efficiency than the mix with higher alkaline content. The main significance of this research work is, SSW can be used as a precursor material as an alternative for cementitious binder with better efficiency in terms of strength, microstructure, and sustainability. Therefore, GPC produced with SSW is an eco-friendly and sustainable building material. Effective use of waste materials such as fly ash and SSW for the development of GPC is another major research focus in the proposed investigation.

NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF GEOPOLYMER REINFORCED CONCRETE BEAMS UNDER FLEXURAL LOADING USING 3DNLFEA

The development of geopolymer concrete is one of the most significant breakthroughs to replace the OPC concrete causing global warming issues. Investigations on the structural behavior of geopolymer concrete are limited and still need adjustments in numerical simulations to experimental results in previous studies. This study investigated the flexural behavior of geopolymer concrete as a structural member using the numerical method. The utilization of the finite element method is an alternative to widely determining the structural behavior of geopolymer concrete as a construction material. In this study, the author refers to the research conducted by Pham et al. The research developed a four-point bending test with variations in tensile steel reinforcement ratio. The results of the experimental tests that Pham has carried out will be verified by numerical simulation in three dimensions. The validation of experimental specimens with numerical specimens is done to compare the moment-curvature and the crack pattern of concrete. Numerical investigation accurately captures the structural behavior of moment-curvature and crack pattern of geopolymer concrete. The moment maximum deviation between experimental and numerical results is 1.3 to 2.4%. However, there are differences in the number and length of cracks in the bending moment area. The difference of crack pattern in the bending moment area between experimental results and numerical results due to the modeling did not consider the input of fracture energy. The experiment from referenced studies did not include fracture energy data, so the 3DNLFEA modeling used the fracture energy value of OPC concrete.

Effect of superplasticizer on the strength of fly ash based geopolymer concrete

In this research, the effect of a polycarboxylate based superplasticizer on the strength of Geopolymer Concrete (GPC) was investigated. A fixed amount of superplasticizer (1.5 % of Fly Ash weight) was utilized along with alkali activators Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) and Sodium Silicate (Na2SiO3). The Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity Test determined the strength development of concrete. The quality of the GPC improved when a higher concentration of alkali activator was applied based on the Concrete Quality Designation. In detecting the color development of GPC, samples were put through MATLAB and specimens became lighter as time passes due to dehydration (a process where water escapes from the sample). Stress strain diagrams were generated which generally indicate that GPC specimens are ductile. The researchers were able to assess the workability of the mix designs using a rating from 1 to 5, with 1 being the least workable and 5 being the most workable.

Strength and Durability of Geo-Polymer Concrete with Mineral Admixture

Abstract: It is important to durable of structure and reduce co2 emission through the greater use of substitute of cement. The use of supplementry cementitious materials as partial replacement for the cement in concrete will play a significant role with respect to the environmental control of greenhouse and global temperature reduction. The development of geopolymer concrete (GPC) processing of geopolymer using black rice husk ash, GGBS in combination with sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate solutions, offers a promising alternative to ordinary portland cement concrete. This study compares the different ratio of black rice husk ash to GGBS where50:50 60:40 40:60 ratios and differing the molarities of alkaline solutions which are 8m , 10m and 12m and comparing the strength of the above ratios and conducting durability characteristics of fly ash and GGBS based geopolymer concrete by conducting test procedure like compressive strength , split tensile strength test, sorpitivity test. Keywords: Geo-polymer concrete ,Black rice husk ash (BRHA),Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS).

Eco-friendly fibre reinforced geopolymer concrete: A critical review on the microstructure and long-term durability properties

The environmental impact caused by the production process of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete is a major challenge that requires demanding solutions in the construction sector. In the process of substituting OPC concrete production, the development of geopolymer concrete (GPC) is considered as the major breakthrough. However, research works related to durability of fibre reinforced geopolymer in several corrosive environments, i.e., sewage conveyer concrete pipeline, wastewater treatment, and offshore structures is limited compared to other types of concrete structures, and which is essential to estimate the long-term performance of concrete structure in extensive engineering applications. This review paper analyzes and discusses the mechanical and durability related properties of GPC containing various supplementary binding materials together with organic or synthetic fibres exposed to chloride salt, acid, and sulfate solution. Significant findings have concluded that the better long-term performance of geopolymer concrete is explained than OPC concrete, the durability mechanism is greatly affected by the calcium content. The fly ash/slag based geopolymer concrete geopolymer concrete specimens immersed in MgSO4 didn’t indicate a certain dimensional change in the first 120 d exposure, except that of salt deposition. Whereas, the conventional ordinary Portland cement, showed a 0.0184% expansion. Further, alkali activated slag mortar shows an approximate of 12 mm chloride penetration compared to the 10 mm depth of concrete specimens with a 25 w.t % fly ash replacement. Increasing the cement content from 10% to 20% had no significant effect on the properties of fly-ash based geopolymer concrete with crumb rubber and steel fibre subjected to normal and acid environmental exposure, considering the chemical reaction of sulfuric acid and calcium, and this chemical reaction led to the destruction of C-S-H bonds and production of different gypsums. The impact of fiber on the long-term behavior of geopolymer concrete have been highlighted. At last, potential recommendations and notable challenges have been forwarded for further studies on the durability of GPC.

A state-of-the-art on development of geopolymer concrete and its field applications

Massive growth in the infrastructure industry and development has led to a phenomenal increase in cement usage. The cement industry emits the greenhouse gas (CO2) and cement production requires more embodied energy. There is an increasing research interest in geopolymers (GP) for developing an alternate binder for civil engineering applications because of its low energy consumption and eco-friendly nature. GP contain alkali-activated material, which is relatively new, and Geopolymer concrete (GPC) has superior mechanical and durability properties compared to ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete. The objective of the review article is to make all-encompassing review of long-term (LT) and short-term (ST) properties of GP, their chemistry, reaction mechanism, effect of reaction parameters, fresh properties, stability under elevated temperature exposure, bond between steel and reinforcement and various field implementations. It is concluded that GPC can achieve structural grade strength when different industrial waste materials as precursors are used in its preparation by varying the alkaline concentration, curing method and curing temperature. It is also concluded that GP gives better thermal resistance at elevated temperature exposure up to 1000 °C whereas OPC fails. Various research and development works carried out in India by utilising the locally available industrial waste-based source materials are also discussed. Applications of GP technology in current scenario have also been reviewed. The gap in GP technology pertaining to corrosion, carbonation and leaching effects of GPC need to be focussed in future research.

Studies on Mechanical properties of High Calcium Fly ash based sustainable Geopolymer concrete

Geopolymer concrete (GPC) is a Sustainable construction material, in which cement is completely replaced by Fly ash as binder. To control emission of CO2 during the production of cement, it is advisable to use alternate sustainable Cementitious material. The development of GPC become a major interest to use for in-situ and precast applications. The present study aims to develop High calcium fly ash based GPC with aid of alkaline liquids such as sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) and Sodium silicate (Na2SiO3). Different molarities i.e 4M, 6M, 8M and 10M are used to develop the GPC under ambient and oven curing process. In the present investigation the Fresh properties of GPC and Mechanical properties such as compressive strength, Tensile strength, Flexural strength and Elastic modulus of GPC are investigated. An increase of alkaline activator in in the mix decreased the workability of GPC. The developed GPC mix of 8M is found to be the optimum for gain in compressive strength. A polynomial relationship is obtained for the mechanical properties of GPC developed under ambient and oven curing. The development cost of GPC can be reduced up to 11.25 to 16.5% as compared with conventional concrete grade of M25.

The structural behaviours of steel reinforced geopolymer concrete beams: An experimental and numerical investigation

The environmental impact of traditional Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) concrete is a significant problem that requires urgent solutions in the construction industry. The development of geopolymer concrete is one of the most significant breakthroughs in the process of replacing OPC concrete. Through comprehensive experimental and numerical analyses, this study investigates the structural behaviours of large-scale steel reinforced geopolymer concrete beams (GCBs) made from low-calcium fly ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS). Firstly, small-scale experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of water/binder and activator/binder ratios on the mechanical properties of geopolymer concrete (e.g. elastic modulus, compressive strength, direct tensile strength). The experimental results show that the mechanical properties of geopolymer concrete increases with increasing the activator/binder ratio and decreasing the water/binder ratio. Secondly, three groups of GCBs with different steel reinforcement ratios (D1-0.41%, D2-0.75%, and D3-1.5%) were made and four-point bending tests were conducted. The same mix proportion (water/binder of 0.45 and activator/binder of 0.08) with the compressive strength of 39.1 MPa, elastic modulus of 32.0 GPa, and the direct tensile strength of 3.06 MPa, was used for the three groups. The obtained moment–curvature results, which consists of three distinct stages (linear elastic, tension cracking of GCBs, and steel yielding), show that the three groups (D1-D3) behave in a ductile manner. Moreover, the moment capacity of GCBs increases when the steel reinforcement ratio increases (D1-21.5 kNm, D2-44.2 kNm and D3-83.6 kNm). Finally, nonlinear, three-dimensional finite element (FE) analysis based on the damage plasticity constitutive law was developed to capture and validate the structural behaviour of GCBs from the experiments. Numerical results indicate that the developed FE models accurately capture the structural behaviours (moment–curvature and cracking behaviour) of GCBs. The discrepancies between the numerical and experimental moment–curvature results are from 1 to 5% for the tensional cracking and yielding points. Therefore, the developed FE models can be used as an effective tool for the further development and design of geopolymer concrete structures.

A Study on Design and Development of Geopolymer Concrete

Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), the major element of concrete, has a significant effect on the environment and is one of the most energy-intensive building materials. Being a relatively new building material, geopolymer concrete is one of the technologies that scientists have spent the better part of the previous two decades trying to replace with OPC. It has also been shown that geopolymer can replace OPC as a concrete binder. Further research into geopolymer concrete's characteristics utilizing alternative waste materials like RHA and GGBS, which are high in aluminous or silicate content, is required.

Pervious Geopolymer Concrete under Ambient Curing

The synthesis of cement concrete involves degradation to environment through land and air pollution through the liberation of harmful greenhouse gasses. This laid the evolution and development of geopolymer concrete. On the other hand there are problems caused due to the impervious concrete surfaces that restrict the passage of water to the ground. In this research, works have been focused to develop pervious geopolymer concrete using Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS) as the source material. Combination of NaOH and Na2SiO3 solution was used as the alkaline solution. Usage of fine aggregate was eliminated and different proportions of GGBFS were tried to synthesis pervious geopolymer concrete of M 30 grade. Properties such as workability, compressive, permeability, tensile and flexural strength were determined. This research reveals the scope for the development of sustainable pervious concrete material.

An experimental investigation on potassium activator based geopolymer concrete incorporated with hybrid fibers

The concrete possesses low tensile strength due to its brittle behavior. The incorporation of hybrid fibers in the geopolymer concrete resists the propagation of cracks by improving its strength and makes it more ductile. The development of Geopolymer concrete (GPC) with binders like Fly Ash (FA) and Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS) to replace the Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) reduces the CO2 emission during the production of cement. This work aims to study the strength properties of Fly Ash and GGBFS based geopolymer concrete with the incorporation of hybrid Basalt and Steel fiber. The potassium hydroxide (KOH) of 12 M and potassium silicate solution (K2SiO3) are used as an alkali activator for the development of GPC. The different percentages of steel and basalt fiber are incorporated in the concrete with the total volume fraction of 2% and the properties were determined. The mechanical properties of concrete including Compressive strength, split tensile strength and flexural strength tests were done to determine the strength properties. It was observed that the SF25BF75 (0.5% Steel Fiber and 1.5% Basalt Fiber) hybrid mix is considered as the optimum percentage of potassium activator based Geopolymer concrete with higher strength properties and it was compared with the OPC specimens.

Effect of molarity of sodium hydroxide and molar ratio of alkaline activator solution on the strength development of geopolymer concrete

In the current study, effect of SiO2/Na2O ratio in Sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) solution, Na2SiO3/NaOH ratio and molarity of NaOH on the compressive strength of geopolymer concrete. A geopolymer mix design is formulated with various mixes are casted with alkali activator solution (AAS) / fly ash (FA) =0.5 and constant fly ash content. The molar ratio of SiO2/Na2O in Na2SiO3 solution is altered from 1.50 to 3.00 for different ratios of Na2SiO3/NaOH (2.0, 2.5 and 3.0) and also for various molarities of NaOH (8M,10M,12M,14M,16M and 18M) are studied for their synergic effect on the compressive strength of geopolymer concrete. Results highlighted that the 16M NaOH yields high compressive strength when SiO2/Na2O in Na2SiO3 solution is around 2.00 to 2.40 and Na2SiO3/NaOH=2.5.

Influence of calcium and alumina-based pozzolanas on the strength properties of low calcium fly ash geopolymer concrete

This work presents the effect of Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), fly ash (FA) and metakaolin (MK) on the strength properties of geopolymer concrete (GPC). Geopolymer concrete made with FA produces calcium aluminosilicate hydrate (C-A-S-H) product due to presence of alumina and sodium aluminosilicate hydrate (N-A-S-H) gel as main reaction product of polymerization. Geopolymer concrete made with FA and GGBS, calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) also gets produced additionally with calcium aluminosilicate hydrate (C-A-S-H) gel and sodium aluminosilicate hydrate (N-A-S-H) gel due to presence of high content of CaO in GGBS. This additional product imparts more strength performance in GPC. In geopolymer concrete made with FA and MK, the more amount of calcium aluminosilicate hydrate (C-A-S-H) is produced due to presence of high amount of alumina in metakaolin along with sodium aluminosilicate hydrates (N-A-S-H) giving more strength to GPC. Metakaolin is recommended to be used for the development of GPC because it has high amount of alumina.

Investigation of Mechanical and Microstructural Properties of Fiber-Reinforced Geopolymer Concrete with GGBFS and Metakaolin: Novel Raw Material for Geopolymerisation

In modern days, one or the way, development of infrastructure plays a major role that decides upon the matrix of our lifestyle. The development of geopolymer concrete (GPC) is an important step towards the production of eco-friendly concrete. The effective usage of fiber content can reduce environmental pollution issues. An attempt was made to study the effect of the blend of metakaolin (MK) and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) with Gujcon CFR fiber as secondary reinforcement was added as source material on the performance of GPC to prevent the effects of thermal variation. Fine aggregate, coarse aggregate, sodium hydroxide, nano-silicon dioxide (nano-SiO2), and cement have been used in the present work to make geopolymer mortar (GPM). GGBFS and Gujcon CFR fiber have been replaced with metakaolin an interval of 25%. The ratio of liquid to solid is 0.45 to 0.55, with a rise of 0.05. The samples are tested for split tensile and compression. To identify the surface morphology and phases SEM, XRD and EDAX have been analyzed. It is evident from the result that an equal proportion of source material with liquid to binder ratio 0.5 has yielded the highest mechanical properties.

Factors affecting the slump and strength development of geopolymer concrete

Cement production is estimated to be responsible for 5–8% of global total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Geopolymer concrete (GC) is claimed to release up to 45% less CO2 for a comparable concrete, but is more difficult to manufacture. This study investigated the effect of factors other than mix design on the slump and strength development of GC produced from low-calcium fly ash (FA) and up to 50% ground granulated blastfurnace slag (GGBS) replacement; these were: curing methods and temperatures (at 10, 20 and 75 °C); FA fineness; superplasticiser type; water content; and GGBS/FA ratio. Methods are also presented for the volume-to-mass conversion of sodium hydroxide at a specific molarity and ambient temperature, and an effective combination of wax-based mixtures as mould agents to overcome the inherent manufacturing mould release difficulties. Steam-curing improved the compressive strength of the FA-based GC over oven drying by up to 20%, as did increasing the FA fineness (although this became negligible with 50% GGBS replacement). Both naphthalene and polycarboxylate superplasticizers improved the slump of GC (from 110 to 210 mm) without significantly reducing the compressive strength (less than 5 MPa). Water content of GC had a great effect on the slump, but less so on the compressive strength. Increasing the GGBS content gradually decreased the slump but rapidly increased the strength, regardless of the curing temperatures of 20 or 75 °C. The GC with the minimum of 20% GGBS replacement achieved 33 MPa after 28 days curing at 10 °C. Air-dry curing provided a greater strength development of FA-based GC than water curing, though the opposite was observed for the 50/50 GGBS/FA GC. Consideration of these factors can significantly ease the manufacture of GC, enhancing its potential application in real structures, and consequently helping reduce global (CO2) emissions.