scholarly journals Low-Grade Clay as an Alkali-Activated Material

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1648
Author(s):  
Muhammad M. Rahman ◽  
David W. Law ◽  
Indubhushan Patnaikuni ◽  
Chamila Gunasekara ◽  
Morteza Tahmasebi Yamchelou
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Performance ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Cement Production ◽  
Concrete Masonry ◽  
Temperature Regimes ◽  
Alternative Materials ◽  
The World ◽  
Optimal Strength ◽  
Furnace Slag ◽  
Alkali Activated

The potential application of alkali-activated material (AAM) as an alternative binder in concrete to reduce the environmental impact of cement production has now been established. However, as the production and availability of the primarily utilized waste materials, such as fly Ash and blast furnace slag, decrease, it is necessary to identify alternative materials. One such material is clay, which contains aluminosilicates and is abundantly available across the world. However, the reactivity of untreated low-grade clay can be low. Calcination can be used to activate clay, but this can consume significant energy. To address this issue, this paper reports the investigation of two calcination methodologies, utilizing low-temperature and high-temperature regimes of different durations, namely 24 h heating at 120 °C and 5 h at 750 °C and, and the results are compared with those of the mechanical performance of the AAM produced with untreated low-grade clay. The investigation used two alkali dosages, 10% and 15%, with an alkali modulus varying from 1.0 to 1.75. An increase in strength was observed with calcination of the clay at both 120 and 750 °C compared to untreated clay. Specimens with a dosage of 10% showed enhanced performance compared to those with 15%, with Alkali Modulus (AM) of 1.0 giving the optimal strength at 28 days for both dosages. The strengths achieved were in the range 10 to 20 MPa, suitable for use as concrete masonry brick. The conversion of Al (IV) is identified as the primary factor for the observed increase in strength.

scholarly journals Volcanic Ash as a Sustainable Binder Material: An Extensive Review

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1302
Author(s):  
Andrés Játiva ◽  
Evelyn Ruales ◽  
Miren Etxeberria
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Portland Cement ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Volcanic Ash ◽  
Mechanical Performance ◽  
Cement Clinker ◽  
Alkali Activation ◽  
Cement Production ◽  
Sustainable Solutions ◽  
Alkali Activated

The construction industry is affected by the constant growth in the populations of urban areas. The demand for cement production has an increasing environmental impact, and there are urgent demands for alternative sustainable solutions. Volcanic ash (VA) is an abundant low-cost material that, because of its chemical composition and amorphous atomic structure, has been considered as a suitable material to replace Portland cement clinker for use as a binder in cement production. In the last decade, there has been interest in using alkali-activated VA material as an alternative material to replace ordinary Portland cement. In this way, a valuable product may be derived from a currently under-utilized material. Additionally, alkali-activated VA-based materials may be suitable for building applications because of their good densification behaviour, mechanical properties and low porosity. This article describes the most relevant findings from researchers around the world on the role of the chemical composition and mineral contents of VA on reactivity during the alkali-activation reaction; the effect of synthesis factors, which include the concentration of the alkaline activator, the solution-to-binder ratio and the curing conditions, on the properties of alkali-activated VA-based materials; and the mechanical performance and durability properties of these materials.

scholarly journals Formulation of Alkali-Activated Slag Binder Destined for Use in Developing Countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (24) ◽  
pp. 9088
Author(s):  
Nabil Bella ◽  
Edwin Gudiel ◽  
Lourdes Soriano ◽  
Alba Font ◽  
María Victoria Borrachero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Portland Cement ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Economic Study ◽  
Cement Production ◽  
Golden Opportunity ◽  
Activated Slag ◽  
Furnace Slag ◽  
Alkali Activated

Worldwide cement production is around 4.2 billion tons, and the fabrication of one ton of ordinary Portland cement emits around 900 kg of CO2. Blast furnace slag (BFS) is a byproduct used to produce alkali-activated materials (AAM). BFS production was estimated at about 350 million tons in 2018, and the BFS reuse rate in construction materials of developing countries is low. AAM can reduce CO2 emissions in relation to Portland cement materials: Its use in construction would be a golden opportunity for developing countries in forthcoming decades. The present research aims to formulate AAM destined for future applications in developing countries. Two activators were used: NaOH, Na2CO3, and a mixture of both. The results showed that compressive strengths within the 42–56 MPa range after 28 curing days were obtained for the Na2CO3-activated mortars. The characterization analysis confirmed the presence of hydrotalcite, carbonated phases, CSH and CASH. The economic study showed that Na2CO3 was the cheapest activator in terms of the relative cost per ton and MPa of manufactured mortars. Finally, the environmental benefits of mortars based on this reagent were evidenced, and, in terms of kgCO2 emissions per ton and MPa, the mortars with Na2CO3 yielded 50% lower values than with NaOH.

scholarly journals Microstructure, Durability and Mechanical Properties of Mortars Prepared Using Ternary Binders with Addition of Slag, Fly Ash and Limestone

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (14) ◽  
pp. 6388
Author(s):  
Javier Ibáñez-Gosálvez ◽  
Teresa Real-Herraiz ◽  
José Marcos Ortega
Keyword(s):  
Fly Ash ◽  
Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry ◽  
Mechanical Performance ◽  
Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity ◽  
Ultrasonic Pulse ◽  
Pulse Velocity ◽  
Cement Production ◽  
Mechanical Strengths ◽  
Furnace Slag

In order to improve the contribution to sustainability of cement production, several strategies have been developed, such as the incorporation of additions as clinker replacement. Regarding the production of commercial cements with additions, those made with binary binders are mostly produced. However, the use of ternary binders for manufacturing commercial cements is still very low, at least in Spain, and they could also be an adequate solution for producing eco-friendly cements. The objective of this research is to study the effects in the long term produced by ternary binders which combine the additions of blast furnace slag, fly ash and limestone in the microstructure, durability and mechanical performance of mortars, compared to mortars without additions and mortars made with binary binders. The ternary and binary binders accomplished the prescriptions for a cement type CEM II/B. The microstructure was characterized using mercury intrusion porosimetry, electrical resistivity and differential thermal analysis. Absorption after immersion, diffusion coefficient, mechanical strengths and ultrasonic pulse velocity were studied. The best performance was noted for ternary binder with both slag and fly ash, probably produced by the synergetic effects of slag hydration and fly ash pozzolanic reactions. These effects were more noticeable regarding the compressive strength.

scholarly journals Waste-Based One-Part Alkali Activated Materials

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 2911
Author(s):  
Margarida Gonçalves ◽  
Inês Silveirinha Vilarinho ◽  
Marinélia Capela ◽  
Ana Caetano ◽  
Rui Miguel Novais ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Compressive Strength ◽  
Microstructural Analysis ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Sodium Metasilicate ◽  
High Compressive Strength ◽  
Hardened State ◽  
First Time ◽  
Furnace Slag ◽  
Alkali Activated

Ordinary Portland Cement is the most widely used binder in the construction sector; however, a very high carbon footprint is associated with its production process. Consequently, more sustainable alternative construction materials are being investigated, namely, one-part alkali activated materials (AAMs). In this work, waste-based one-part AAMs binders were developed using only a blast furnace slag, as the solid precursor, and sodium metasilicate, as the solid activator. For the first time, mortars in which the commercial sand was replaced by two exhausted sands from biomass boilers (CA and CT) were developed. Firstly, the characterization of the slag and sands (aggregates) was performed. After, the AAMs fresh and hardened state properties were evaluated, being the characterization complemented by FTIR and microstructural analysis. The binder and the mortars prepared with commercial sand presented high compressive strength values after 28 days of curing-56 MPa and 79 MPa, respectively. The mortars developed with exhausted sands exhibit outstanding compressive strength values, 86 and 70 MPa for CT and CA, respectively, and the other material’s properties were not affected. Consequently, this work proved that high compressive strength waste-based one-part AAMs mortars can be produced and that it is feasible to use another waste as aggregate in the mortar’s formulations: the exhausted sands from biomass boilers.

scholarly journals Synthesis of Ambient Cured GGBFS Based Alkali Activated Binder Using a Sole Alkaline Activator: A Feasibility Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (13) ◽  
pp. 5887
Author(s):  
Thandiwe Sithole ◽  
Nelson Tsotetsi ◽  
Tebogo Mashifana
Keyword(s):  
Silicate Solution ◽  
Environmental Footprint ◽  
Ambient Temperatures ◽  
Granulated Blast Furnace Slag ◽  
Naoh Solution ◽  
Alkaline Activator ◽  
Porous Morphology ◽  
Furnace Slag ◽  
Alkali Activated

Utilisation of industrial waste-based material to develop a novel binding material as an alternative to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) has attracted growing attention recently to reduce or eliminate the environmental footprint associated with OPC. This paper presents an experimental study on the synthesis and evaluation of alkali activated Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) composite using a NaOH solution as an alkaline activator without addition of silicate solution. Different NaOH concentrations were used to produce varied GGBFS based alkali activated composites that were evaluated for Uncofined Compressive Strength (UCS), durability, leachability, and microstructural performance. Alkali activated GGBFS composite prepared with 15 M NaOH solution at 15% L/S ratio achieved a UCS of 61.43 MPa cured for 90 days at ambient temperatures. The microstructural results revealed the formation of zeolites, with dense and non-porous morphology. Alkali activated GGBFS based composites can be synthesized using a sole alkaline activator with potential to reduce CO2 emission. The metal leaching tests revealed that there are no potential environmental pollution threats posed by the synthesized alkali activated GGBFS composites for long-term use.

scholarly journals Investigation of Graphene Derivatives on Electrical Properties of Alkali Activated Slag Composites

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (16) ◽  
pp. 4374
Author(s):  
Wu-Jian Long ◽  
Xuanhan Zhang ◽  
Biqin Dong ◽  
Yuan Fang ◽  
Tao-Hua Ye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Graphene Oxide ◽  
Electrical Properties ◽  
Mechanical Performance ◽  
Structural Defects ◽  
Alkali Activated Slag ◽  
Mechanical And Electrical Properties ◽  
Reduced Graphene ◽  
Graphene Derivatives ◽  
Activated Slag ◽  
Alkali Activated

Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) has been widely used to modify the mechanical performance of alkali activated slag composites (AASC); however, the mechanism is still unclear and the electrical properties of rGO reinforced AASC are unknown. Here, the rheological, mechanical, and electrical properties of the AASC containing rGO nanosheets (0, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 wt.%) are investigated. Results showed that rGO nanosheets addition can significantly improve the yield stress, plastic viscosity, thixotropy, and compressive strength of the AASC. The addition of 0.3 wt.% rGO nanosheets increased the stress, viscosity, thixotropy, and strength by 186.77 times, 3.68 times, 15.15 times, and 21.02%, respectively. As for electrical properties, the impedance of the AASC increased when the rGO content was less than 0.2 wt.% but decreased with the increasing dosage. In contrast, the dielectric constant and electrical conductivity of the AASC containing rGO nanosheets decreased and then increased, which can be attributed to the abundant interlayer water and the increasing structural defects as the storage sites for charge carriers, respectively. In addition, the effect of graphene oxide (GO) on the AASC is also studied and the results indicated that the agglomeration of GO nanosheets largely inhibited the application of it in the AASC, even with a small dosage.

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