Geopolymer Materials Based on Natural Pozzolans from the Moroccan Middle Atlas

The pozzolans of the Moroccan Middle Atlas are derived from a low explosive volcanism, mostly strombolian. They are mainly composed of olivine and pyroxene, presenting a less homogeneous structure (irregular vesicles). The main target of this project is to study the use of natural pozzolans (NP) and metakaolin as precursors for the production of geopolymeric binders. The characterization of raw materials and elaborated geopolymers was carried out to study their mineralogical, chemical, microstructural, and mechanical properties. The studied pozzolans and kaolin were crushed, grinded, and sifted to get a fine grain size diameter of less than 100 µm. Then, they were calcined at 750 °C for 2 h to achieve an amorphous structure, increasing of their reactivity. Geopolymer production consists of mixing pozzolans and metakaolin with different amounts with an alkaline solution of sodium hydroxide and sodium silicates. The mass proportion of metakaolin (MK) used in this study was 10%, 20%, and 30%. In the present work, the amount of metakaolin was added as a source of alumina. The elaborated geopolymers were characterized using XRD, FTIR, TGA, and SEM analyses. The compressive strength was measured at 7, 14, and 28 days. The results showed interesting mechanical proprieties at about 18 MPa at 28 days with the mixture containing 20% MK. The addition of MK showed a significant increase in mechanical properties of the elaborated geopolymer. Meanwhile, the other results confirmed the training of new phases in addition to N-A-S-H gel. All these results indicate that the use of pozzolans in the production of geopolymers could be a great solution for the sustainable management of this mineral resource.

Use of Spongilites as Pozzolanic Additives in Cement Mortars

In this study, the utilization of two types of spongilites in various addition in cement mortars has been investigated with the purpose of exploring a new application of this natural pozzolans as cement mortar additives. The influence of the addition of spongilites on the physico-mechanical properties, frost-resistance, and microstructure of cement mortars as a function of time was studied. The results revealed that the rising proportion of spongilites in cement mortars causes increase in water retention of mortars, reduction of their bulk density, increase in porosity of mortars due to the growing predominance of capillary pores maintaining sufficient mortars strengths, and slightly increase in the frost-resistance of mortars. After initial tests, partial replacement of cement in fine-grained cement mortars with hitherto unexploited spongilites seems to be very promising. Based on the achieved results, a 20% cement replacement can be recommended as optimal.

Utilization of Iraqi Metakaolin in Special Types of Concrete: A Review Based on National Researches

Portland cement concrete is the most commonly used construction material in the world for decades. However, the searches in concrete technology are remaining growing to meet particular properties related to its strength, durability, and sustainability issue. Thus, several types of concrete have been developed to enhance concrete performance. Most of the modern concrete types have to contain supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) as a partial replacement of cement. These materials are either by-products of waste such as fly ash, slag, rice husk ash, and silica fume or from a geological resource like natural pozzolans and metakaolin (MK). Ideally, the utilization of SCMs will enhance the concrete performance, minimize environmental pollution and mitigate the drawbacks of cement production attributed to the highly CO2 emission. In general, MK's ultra-fineness and high pozzolanic activity are exhibited a remarkable performance of concrete in terms of strength and durability. However, the filler effect, acceleration of cement hydration, and the pozzolanic reaction with calcium hydroxide (CH) are the main factors influencing the performance of metakaolin as a cementitious material. Therefore, numerous researches have been undertaken on inclusion MK in concrete and mortar and production of (free-cement concrete) geopolymer concrete. This paper reviews some of previous native researches on effect of using Iraqi metakaolin as a pozzolanic material in different types of concrete. The standpoint of this review will guide the researchers on the importance of utilization of local MK and highlight the missing researches toward completing a comprehensive understanding of incorporation Iraqi-metakaolin in concrete technology.

Influence of Pozzolan, Slag and Recycled Aggregates on the Mechanical and Durability Properties of Low Cement Concrete

The sustainability of the construction sector demands the reduction of CO2 emissions. The optimization of the amount of cement in concrete can be achieved either by partially replacing it by additions or by reducing the binder content. The present work aims at optimizing the properties of concrete used in the production of reinforced concrete poles for electrical distribution lines, combining the maximization of compactness with the partial replacement of cement by fly ash, natural pozzolans, and electric furnace slags. Natural aggregates were also partially replaced by recycled ones in mixtures with fly ash. Two types of concrete were studied: a fresh molded one with a dry consistency and a formwork molded one with a plastic consistency. The following properties were characterized: mechanical properties (flexural, tensile splitting, and compressive strengths, as well as Young’s modulus) and durability properties (capillary water absorption, water penetration depth under pressure, resistance to carbonation, chloride migration, and concrete surface resistivity). The service life of structures was estimated, taking the deterioration of reinforcement induced by concrete carbonation or chloride attack into account. Results revealed that mixtures with fly ash exhibit higher mechanical performance and mixtures with fly ash or pozzolans reveal much higher durability results than the full Portland cement-based mixtures.

Investigative Study of Partial Replacement of Cement with Bio-Cement, Fly Ash and Natural Pozzolans

Concrete is usually a combination of cement, coarse particles (aggregates and Sand) and water. It is used to design and improve the infrastructures.It is used to design and improve the infrastructures. Concrete has many advantages and disadvantage. The main property that is characteristic to a concrete’s workability is its compressive strength. Only through this single test, one can judge if cementing has been done appropriately. Possible advancements for development include the use of non-traditional and creative materials, and the reuse of waste materials with a specific end goal to replenish the absence of specific assets and to discover alternative ways to monitor the Earth..This investigation concentrate on Compressive strength, flexural and split tensile strength of Conventional Concrete (CC) and Class C fly ash remains with bio-cement and natural pozzolans to consider the impact of bio-concrete with blend extents of 0%,0.25%,0.5%,1% and 1.5% on quality properties. Moreover, effective self-healing usually occurred due to the use of polymers, microorganism and additional cementing material. It is the key issue to find out the self-healing efficiency’s effect to sealing the crack width successfully. And good resistance was observed during the bacterial chemical process against the freeze and thaw attacks.