Geopolymer Bricks Research Articles

Fabrication of geopolymer bricks using ceramic dust waste

The fine dust waste from the cyclones connected to the spray dryer in ceramic tiles manufacture was used in the preparation of geopolymer bricks. Dust was characterized after firing using XRD, XRF, PSD, and its bulk density was determined. Caustic soda was used at 1% NaOH level together with slaked lime at Ca(OH)2 percentage ranging from 6 to 10%. These were mixed with the fine dust waste and molded to form geopolymer bricks. The properties of produced bricks were studied after 28days. Results indicated that the 28days compressive strength increased with the degree of geopolymerization. It was found that the results abide by the Standard ASTM C 62/2013 for a recipe consisting of 1% NaOH, 10% Ca(OH)2 and 38% water. The results were confirmed by SEM imaging.The use of waste raw materials (except for caustic soda) resulted in a substantial reduction in the estimated production cost of the bricks.

Utilization of Iron Ore Tailings for the Production of Fly Ash — GGBS-Based Geopolymer Bricks

In India, million tons of manufacturing ravages such as ground-granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), fly ash and mine tailings, are endangering. These ravages turn out to be injurious as they are landfilled close to the production sites and somewhere else. Since these manufacturing ravages include silica, alumina, calcium, etc., it is probable to formulate these as unprocessed resources to produce building substance which diminishes the carbon trace. In this circumstance, this analysis observes on utilizing iron ore tailings and slag sand as a substitution for clay or natural sand for the construction of steady geopolymer obstruct. Furthermore, in this analysis, geopolymer is utilized as a binder rather than cement. Expansion of geopolymer binder-oriented bricks with fly ash and GGBS has been implemented in this study. The analysis consists of automatic possessions of the geopolymer bricks. Sodium silicate ([Formula: see text]) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) resolution have been employed as alkaline activators. The proportion of alkaline liquid to aluminosilicate solid quotient and fraction of binder encompass foremost control on the force of brick. The bricks were casted and cured at ambient warmth. The compressive strength was tested at 7, 14 and 28 days.

Characterization of the high-calcium fly ash geopolymer mortar with hot-weather curing systems for sustainable application

Fly ash geopolymers are an alumino-silicate material and thus enable the utilization of waste containing alumino-silicate effectively. Geopolymeric reaction occurs as a result of the activation of fly ash with alkali solutions. In Thailand, a large amount of high-calcium fly ash is available due to the use of low-grade lignite coal feedstock for pulverized coal combustion process and the calcium content becomes very high. In this study, heat curing at 35°C as a representative of a high ambient temperature (hot weather) and low cost was investigated. Curing at temperature of 65°C and room temperature of 25°C were also conducted to compare the results. Geopolymeric products were tested for compressive strength and characterized by XRD, IR, SEM and TGA techniques. The results showed that heat curing enhanced the geopolymerization resulting in the formation of SiOAl network product. Heat curings at 35°C and 65°C led to the formation of calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) and alumino-silicate (geopolymer bonding). Without heat curing, the product was predominantly C-S-H compound and the matrix was as strong as the heat-cured product. The immersion of samples in 3% sulfuric acid solution revealed that the performance of the heat-cured samples were better than those cured at room temperature. In addition, application of research results was to produce the geopolymer brick with outdoor heat exposure of 35°C. Pedestrian pathway was demonstrated.

The Effect of Different Ratio Bottom Ash and Fly Ash Geopolymer Brick on Mechanical Properties for Non-loading Application

This paper studies the finding of strength and water absorption of geopolymer bricks using bottom ash and fly ash as a geopolymer raw material for non-loading application with minimum strength. The study has been conducted to produce bottom ash and fly ash geopolymer bricks by varying the ratio of fly ash-to-bottom ash, solid-to-liquid and sodium silicate (Na2SiO3)-to-sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in the mixing process. The compressive strength range between 3.8-4.5 MPa was obtained due to the minimum strength of non-loading application with 70°C curing temperature within 24 hours at 7 days of ageing. The optimum ratio selected of bottom ash-to-fly ash, solid-to-liquid and Na2SiO3-to-NaOH are 1:2, 2.0 and 4.0 respectively. The water absorption result is closely related to the amount of bottom ash used in the mix design.

UTILIZATION OF FLY ASH AND CONCRETE RESIDUE IN THE PRODUCTION OF GEOPOLYMER BRICKS

This study presents the development of geopolymer bricks synthetized from industrial waste, including fly ash mixed with concrete residue containing aluminosilicate compound. The above two ingredients are mixed according to five ratios: 100:0, 95:5, 90:10, 85:15, and 80:20. The mixture's physico-mechanical properties, in terms of water absorption and the compressive strength of the geopolymer bricks, are investigated according to the TIS 168-2546 standard. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses are used to investigate the microstructure and the elemental and phase composition of the brick specimens. The results indicate that the combination of fly ash and concrete residue represents a suitable approach to brick production, as required by the TIS 168–2546 standard.

Structural Behavior of Geopolymer Masonry

Background/Objectives: To determine the basic properties of masonry units, masonry efficiency for the different h/t ratios of the masonry prisms and wallets. Methods/Statistical Analysis: The geopolymer bricks were cured at ambient temperature. These bricks were tested for compression, Initial Rate of Absorption [IRA], density, water absorption, dimensionality and modulus of elasticity. They were also tested for alternative drying and wetting. The microstructure of the bricks was also analyzed. Geopolymer prisms were cast and tested using geopolymer mortar / cement mortar for the different thickness of joints. The Masonry wallets were constructed using geopolymer brick and conventional cement mortar. They were tested for axial and eccentric loading. Findings: The compressive strength of geopolymer brick attains more than 5MPa within 24 hours which influences the user to handle without any issues. It was found that the basic properties of geopolymer masonry brick well within the limits prescribed in the relevant codes. Geopolymer mortar can be used as mortar in building masonry structures as it exhibits better compressive strength and other properties than cement mortar. The performance of the axial and eccentrically loaded wallette was found to be superior compared to the conventional cement brick masonry. Application/Improvements: The geopolymer masonry bricks were used as structural masonry units due to better performance.

Experimental Investigations on Geopolymer Bricks/Paver Blocks

Objective: This study mainly focused on use of quarry dust on replaced with river sand for making geopolymer bricks and paver blocks. Method: Investigations were done on usage of eco-friendly Geopolymer Concretes in lieu of OPC concrete for producing geopolymer bricks and paver blocks. Fly ash, GGBS, aggregates and pellet form of sodium hydroxide were mixed together, then, distilled water was added to form alkaline condition. After one-day period, sodium silicate solution was mixed with concrete mixtures to prepare geopolymer concrete. The geopolymer concrete specimen were tested against compressive strength, split tensile strength and flexural strength. Findings: GPCC with 50% sand and 50% quarry dust produced excellent compressive strength, flexural strength and split tensile strength. GPC paver block using 75% GGBS and 25% fly ash shows excellent compressive strength. Geopolymer brick using 65% FA&35% GGBS produced good compressive strength. Applications/Improvements: A high volume fly ash based geopolymer concrete (mix proportion of 65, 70, 75 and 80% FA) used for bricks and high volume ground granulated blast furnace slag based geopolymer concrete (mix proportion of 65, 70, 75 and 80% GGBS) used for pavers blocks.

Optimization of Alkali ActivatedGrog/Ceramic Wastes Geopolymer Bricks

In recent years there has been a great deal of interest and support worldwide in using construction and demolition waste as ceramic as well as clay brick wastes (grog) for production of aggregate material which can then be reused for road base courses or construction backfill materials, and other engineering applications. However, they can also be employed as supplementary cementitious materials or even as raw material for alkali-activated binder for producing more valuable binders that can be applied in various building applications. Geopolymer bricks prepared by partial binder substitution of ceramic by clay brick wastes in the ratio from 0 up to 100 %, while the used fine sand was in the ratio of 15% from the total weight, also sodium hydroxide activator was used in the ratio of 8% of the total eight. The properties of the produced geopolymer bricks have been studied through measurement of compressive strength, water absorption, FTIR, XRD and SEM imaging. Results demonstrate the possibility of using alkali activated ceramic and grog materials in producing heavy duty building with compressive strength values more than 35 MPa up to 20% grog increase, however further increase results in lowering strength values as a result of increase of crystalline content and sufficiency of the used activator to dissolve all the crystalline fractures.

Strength, Density and Water Absoprtion of Palm Oil Boiler Ash (POBA) Geopolymer Brick/IBS Brick

Geopolymer or alkali-activated binder is produced by synthesizing aluminosilicate source materials with an alkaline activator solution. This study has been conducted to produce palm oil boiler ash (POBA) geopolymer brick/IBS brick by using geopolymerisation method. Mix design of geopolymer brick/IBS brick was produced using NaOH concentration, ratio of S/L, ratio Na2SiO3/NaOH and curing temperature of 14 M, 1.5, 2.5 and 80 °C. The ratio of POBA-to-sand for geopolymer brick/IBS brick for this study was 1:3. The properties of geopolymer brick/IBS brick were analyzed in term of compressive strength, water absorption and density at different aging period, which is 1st, 3rd, 7th, 28th and 60th days. The result showed that the geopolymer brick produced using POBA, showed an increment in strength with times where the maximum strength obtained was up to 16.1 MPa (60th days). The density of this brick was in the range 1615 kg/m3 to 1750 kg/m3 and can be classified into medium weight for non-loading brick according to ASTM C129 (2013). As for the water absorption, the range was 6.8% to 12.2%, which is less than limit (17%) of ASTM C90 (2013) specification. For geopolymer IBS brick, the maximum compressive strength at 60th days was 14.3 MPa. There are slightly different strength of geopolymer IBS brick, which is due to the existence of tongue and groove on the surface of IBS brick thus leads to lower strength. The geopolymer IBS brick was classified as medium weight brick according to ASTM C129 (2013) with density a in the range 1792 kg/m3 to 1894 kg/m3 and water absorption 8.7% to 14.5%.

The Strength of Bottom Ash-Based Geopolymer Brick with Inclusion of Fly Ash

This paper studies the finding of compressive strength of bricks using bottom ash as a geopolymer raw material added with several percentages of fly ash, which act as a filler, besides can give better performance of strength to the bricks according to the chemical composition and the reaction of all the geopolymer materials. The study has been conducted to produce bottom ash-based geopolymer bricks by varying the percentage of fly ash added (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%) to the bottom ash-based geopolymer bricks in the mixing process. The compressive strength up to 13.69 MPa was obtained, the density is low at 20 % of fly ash added into the mixing and the water absorption is lower with the higher fly ash added using 70°C curing temperature within 24 hours at 7 days of ageing.

Development of Fly Ash-Based Geopolymer Lightweight Bricks Using Foaming Agent - A Review

Bricks are widely used as a construction and building material due to its properties. Recent years have seen a great development in new types of inorganic cementitious binders called ‘‘geopolymeric cement’’ around the world. This prompted its use in bricks, which improves the greenness of ordinary bricks. The development of fly ash-based geopolymer lightweight bricks is relatively new in the field of construction materials. This paper reviews the uses of fly ash as a raw materials and addition of foaming agent to the geopolymeric mixture to produce lightweight bricks. The effects on their physical and mechanical properties have been discussed. Most manufactured bricks with incorporation of foaming agent have shown positive effects by producing lightweight bricks, increased porosity and improved the thermal conductivities of fly ash-based geopolymer bricks. However, less of performances in number of cases in terms of mechanical properties were also demonstrated.

Utilisation of iron ore mine tailings for the production of geopolymer bricks

This study presents a methodology for making bricks, in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner, using the tailings produced from iron ore mines in Western Australia (WA). The study was based on the geopolymerisation process, which is known to conserve energy by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. The reduction is accomplished by avoiding the processes of high temperature kiln firing, traditionally utilised when making bricks from sandy soils with high clay content. In this study, the sodium silicate was added to the mine tailings in powder form, as an activator for the formulation of the geopolymer bricks. The effects of the initial setting time, curing temperature, curing time and activator content on the unconfined compressive strength (UCS), water absorption and other durability properties of the bricks were investigated. X-ray diffraction analysis was performed to investigate the phase composition of the geopolymer bricks. The bricks achieved an UCS as high as 50.53 MPa for the optimum values of the parameters. Technically, the geopolymer bricks that were produced met both the American Society of Testing and Materials and the Australian Standards (AS) requirements for bricks. A cost analysis of the geopolymer bricks is also presented, and this shows that the cost of geopolymer bricks is lower than that of the commercial, fired clay bricks.

New Processing Method of Kaolin-Based Geopolymer Brick by Using Geopolymer Brick Machine

With increased activity in construction, deficiency of building materials and construction waste improvements have encouraged the development of new building materials. Conventional construction bricks are usually made from clay and sand, which are mixed and molded in various method and need to be dried and burned. Geopolymer bricks making process consume less energy and low cost in term of production compared to conventional bricks. The development of geopolymer brick is an important step towards produce bricks with better performance and environmental friendly material This research focusing on the processing process of the clay-based geopolymer brick from the mixing until the curing by using a geopolymer brick making machine.

Feasibility Study on Composition and Mechanical Properties of Marine Clay Based Geopolymer Brick

Geopolymer is an inorganic polymer performed in synthesis process of an aluminosilicate material which activated by alkaline activator solution. Marine clay, considered to be a waste substance which have an important aluminosilicate sources in developing geopolymer synthesis since it contains sufficient amounts of alumina and silica. In this experimental study, local marine clay composition was been identified to determine the amount of alumina and silica. The raw sample compositions were identified by using X-ray fluorescence (XRF). Incorporated with it composition, compressive strength of brick were been tested in aged of 1, 2 and 3 day and compared with local production of cement brick (CB). This research is aimed at determining the properties of Kuala Perlis marine clay in order to verify its suitability as a pozzolana materials as well as the sufficient amount of Al and Si to enhance the properties of geopolymer brick.

Factors influencing strength development in clay–fly ash geopolymer

This paper investigates the strength development with different ingredients, specimen sizes, and heating conditions for the manufacturing of clay–fly ash geopolymer. A silty clay is used as fine aggregates and fly ash (FA) is used as a pozzolanic material. A liquid alkaline activator (L) is a mixture of sodium silicate solution (Na2SiO3) and sodium hydroxide solution (NaOH). The studied factors are FA/clay ratio, Na2SiO3/NaOH ratio, L/FA ratio, molding moisture content, specimen sizes, heat temperature and duration. The optimum ingredients for clay–FA geopolymer are Na2SiO3/NaOH ratio of 0.7 for all FA/clay ratios, L/FA ratios and specimen sizes tested. This Na2SiO3/NaOH ratio is thus considered as constant for making clay–FA geopolymer. The optimum L/FA ratio decreases as the FA/clay ratio increases. The optimum L/FA ratio is 0.6 for FA/clay ratio of 0.3 and is 0.5 for FA/clay ratio of 0.7. The molding moisture content providing the highest strength is at 1.0OMC for FA/clay ratio of 0.3, 0.8OMC for FA/clay ratio of 0.5, and 0.6OMC for FA/clay ratio of 0.7. The optimum ingredient (Na2SiO3/NaOH ratio, L/FA ratio and moisture content) is irrespective of sample size. The larger specimens with higher weight require higher heat temperature and longer duration for the geopolymerization development. The heat energy per weight (E/W) concept can integrate the role of heat temperature, duration and specimen weight on the geopolymerization. The specimens with high FA/clay ratio require low E/W. The optimum heat energy per weight is approximately 8.5°Ch/g for FA/clay ratios of 0.3 and 0.5 and 7.57°Ch/g for FA/clay ratio of 0.7. The relationship between strength and E/W is very useful for production industry to estimate the heat temperature and duration to attain the target strength for the required weight in making clay–FA geopolymer brick.

Durability and leaching behavior of mine tailings-based geopolymer bricks

Disposal of mine tailings (MT) in impoundments may have adverse environmental impacts such as air pollution from dust emissions and release of heavy metals to surface and underground water. Geopolymerization as an environmentally-friendly and sustainable method has been used to stabilize MT so that they can be used as construction material. In this paper, the durability and leaching behavior of MT-based geopolymer bricks are studied by measuring unconfined compression strength (UCS), water absorption, weight loss, and concentration of heavy metals after immersion in pH=4 and 7 solutions for different periods of time. Microscopic/spectroscopic techniques, SEM, XRD and FTIR, are also employed to investigate the change in microstructure and phase composition of MT-based geopolymer bricks after immersion in the solutions. To describe the leaching behavior of MT-based geopolymer bricks, the first order reaction/diffusion model (FRDM) is used to analyze the leaching test data. The results indicate that although there is a substantial strength loss after immersion in pH=4 and 7 solutions, the water absorption and weight loss are small. The strength loss is mainly due to the dissolution of geopolymer gels as indicated by the microscopic/spectroscopic analysis results. The leaching analyses show that the heavy metals are effectively immobilized in the MT-based geopolymer bricks, which is attributed to the incorporation of heavy metals in the geopolymer network. The FRDM can satisfactorily describe the leaching behavior of heavy metals in the MT-based geopolymer bricks and the analysis results indicate that the solubility or reaction rate is an important factor controlling the leaching behavior.

Effect of Curing System on Properties of Fly Ash-Based Geopolymer Bricks

The influence of curing time and curing temperature on properties of fly ash-based geopolymer bricks has been studied. The compressive strength and water absorption of geopolymer bricks were investigated which are produced by applying heat treatments between the ranges of room temperature to 80°C at several period of time for curing (1 – 24) hours. In this research, the fly ash-based geopolymer bricks showed that the curing system have a significant effect to the properties of fly ash-based geopolymer bricks. It was observed that prolonged curing time en-hanced the geopolymerization reaction resulting increase in compressive strength. The highest compressive strength of geopolymer bricks for different curing temperature given by bricks sample cured at 70°C for 24 hours at the ageing of 7 days.

The Relationship of Na2SiO3/NaOH Ratio, Kaolin/Alkaline Activator Ratio and Sand/Kaolin Ratio to the Strength of Kaolin-Based Non Load Bearing Geopolymer Brick

The strength of geopolymer depends on the nature of source materials. For example, geopolymer produced with calcined source material such as calcined kaolin, fly ash, ground granulated blastfurnace slag (GGBS) and others produce a higher compressive strength compared to geopolymer produced with non-calcined source material such as kaolin. This paper studied the effect of various ratios of Na2SiO3/NaOH ratio, kaolin/alkaline activator ratio and sand/kaolin ratio to the strength of clay - based geopolymer brick. The samples had been tested to determine their compressive strength, density, and water absorption properties. Compression tests were conducted at seventh day of testing of all specimens. Tests were carried out on standard size of geopolymer brick according to British Standard (BS 3921).

Mechanical Performances of Fly Ash Geopolymer Bricks

Mechanical Performances of Fly Ash Geopolymer Bricks

Utilization of cement kiln dust (CKD) to enhance mine tailings-based geopolymer bricks

This paper studies the feasibility of enhancing the physical and mechanical properties and the durability of copper mine tailings (MT)-based geopolymer bricks with cement kiln dust (CKD). The effects of CKD content (0–10%), sodium hydroxide (NaOH) concentration (10 and 15M) and initial water content (12–20%) on unconfined compressive strength (UCS), water absorption, and weight and strength losses after immersion in water are studied. To shed light on the mechanism for the contribution of CKD to geopolymerization, microscopic and spectroscopic techniques including scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy are used to investigate the micro/nanostructure and the elemental and phase composition of geopolymer brick specimens. The results show significant improvement of UCS and durability when CKD is used. Water absorption, however, slightly increases due to the hydration of Ca in the added CKD. The enhancement of UCS and durability is attributed to the improving effect of CKD on dissolution of aluminosilicate species, formation of CaCO3, and integration of Ca into the geopolymer gel.