NAME: TAKUDZWA ELTON CHIDZIYA

STUDENT NUMBER: N0127586N

FACULTY: INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT: CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

SUPERVISOR: Dr J TSHUMA

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT (2016-2017)

Project Title

Geopolymer Synthesis Using Coal Fly Ash

General Objective

 To synthesize a geopolymer binder which can be used in concrete manufacturing.

Specific Objectives

 To determine the appropriate aggregate content;

 To determine the optimum sodium silicate to sodium hydroxide ratio;
 To determine the optimum alkaline activator solution to fly ash ratio;
 To conclude the optimum time for curing the geopolymer concrete;
 To evaluate the tensile strength of the geopolymer concrete produced.

Background

Geopolymerization is a continuous developing field of research for utilizing solid waste and
by-products. The term ‘geopolymer’ was coined in the 1970s by the French scientist and
engineer Prof. Joseph Davidovits, and applied to a class of solid materials synthesised by the
reaction of an alumino-silicate powder with an alkaline solution (Davidovits 1982a, 1991,
2008). These materials were originally developed as a fire-resistant alternative to organic
thermosetting polymers. Consumption of fly ash in the manufacture of geopolymer is an
important strategy in making materials more environmentally friendly. The synthesis of
construction materials by alkaline activation of solid, non-Portland cement precursors
(usually high-calcium metallurgical slags) was first demonstrated by Purdon (1940). Research
into fly ash geopolymers is rapidly growing and now form the bulk of applications-oriented
research in the geopolymer field.

Problem Statement

Portland cement - based concrete is the most widely used construction material. The global
use of concrete is only second to water, accounting for 70% of all building and construction
materials. Although Portland cement has many advantages such as ease of application,
availability of the raw materials all over the world, it has two major disadvantages when
sustainability is a central concern of building materials. Firstly, the process of manufacturing
Portland cement is energy intensive and releases a large amount of greenhouse gases to the
atmosphere. The production of one ton of Portland cement emits approximately one ton of
carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere (McCaffery, 2002). The global cement industry
contributes around 1.35 billion tons of the greenhouse gas emissions annually, or about 7% of
the total man-made greenhouse gas emissions to the earth's atmosphere (Hardjito et al.,
2008). Secondly, Portland cement - based concretes are susceptible to deterioration when
exposed to severe environments. Low tensile strength, high brittleness, and low volume
stability make them vulnerable to cracking. Higher permeability, porous microstructure, and
thermodynamically unstable chemical compounds such as calcium silicate hydrate make
them susceptible to corrosion and sulphate attack. Deterioration of these Portland cement-
based concretes has emerged as one of the biggest challenges in maintaining and protecting
the infrastructure system.

The above two issues are inherent to Portland cement and difficult to address. This issues an
urgent call for new materials to replace Portland cement for applications leading to more
sustainable infrastructure. Geopolymers are such materials promising to have the potential to
replace Portland cement to produce more environmentally friendly infrastructure materials.
This project aims to synthesize geopolymer binders which can be used as a substitute of
ordinary Portland cement in concrete manufacturing.

Theory and Literature Review

Geopolymers are inorganic alumino-silicate compounds, synthesized from materials that are
rich in silicon and aluminium (Davidovits, 1999). They are produced from the reaction of a
solid alumino-silicate with a highly concentrated aqueous alkali hydroxide and/or silicate.
The term ‘geopolymer’ was coined in the 1970s by the French scientist and engineer Prof.
Joseph Davidovits, to describe synthetic minerals similar to those that form in the Earth’s
crust.

Geopolymers can be synthesized from natural minerals such as kaolinite and clays, and
industrial wastes such as fly ash, bottom ash, red mud, rice-husk, etc. Geopolymeric binders
are synthesized by mixing alumino-silicate reactive materials with less or no CaO component
and strongly alkaline solutions (such as NaOH or KOH), then curing at room or elevated
temperature. Under a strongly alkaline solution, alumino-silicate reactive materials are
rapidly dissolved into solution to form free SiO4 and AlO4 tetrahedral units. With the
development of reaction, mix water is gradually split out and these SiO 4 and AlO4 tetrahedral
units are linked alternatively to yield polymeric precursors by sharing all oxygen atoms
between two tetrahedral units, and thereby forming monolithic like geopolymeric products
(Khale and Chaudhary, 2007; Yunsheng et al., 2008. Because of the slow reactivity of fly ash
at ambient temperature, considerable heat must be applied to increase the kinetics energy and
degree of the reaction that produces the geopolymer, thus increasing the density of the pore
system and improving the mechanical properties of the resultant composite.

Geopolymers have been assessed as new materials having improved chemical and
mechanical properties (van Jaarsveld, 2003). The most important properties of geopolymers
are as follows:

i High compressive strength;

ii Resistance to chemical (acid) attack;
iii Low thermal conductivity;
iv Adjustable coefficient of thermal expansion;
v Fire resistant.

Geopolymers are also known as non-pollution (green) materials since their production
consume less energy and emit less carbon dioxide (CO2) as compared to Portland cement
production, making them a promising material to replace ordinary Portland cement as a
binder for concretes.

Project Justification

This project will provide an alternative for two major problems from two different industries.
Firstly, the project addresses the fly ash disposal challenge faced by the power generating
industry by utilising this so called “waste material” to synthesise an environmentally friendly
and sustainable material. Fly ash dumping costs will also be eliminated, as it will be used as a
raw material for the construction industry. Secondly, the issue faced by the construction
industry of Portland cement - based concretes being susceptible to deterioration when
exposed to severe environments, will also be solved since geopolymer concrete is stronger
and resistant to chemical attack when exposed to severe environments. The use of
geopolymer technology will also substantially reduce the CO2 emissions by the cement
industries.

Methodology

To carry out the project successfully certain equipment and chemicals are required.
Experimental Details
Materials

 Fly ash samples (Class F fly ash from Harare Power Station will be used)
 Coarse aggregates (Crushed granite of three-grain sizes will be used as coarse
aggregate: 7mm, 10mm, and 20mm)
 Fine aggregates (The fine aggregate to be used will be uncrushed sand)
 Alkaline activator (A combination of NaOH and Na2SiO3 will be used)
 Naphthalene sulphonate polymer-based super-plasticizer (Can be included in the
mixture to improve workability).

Determination of optimal mixtures

The Taguchi method will be used to determine optimal mixtures of the components of fly ash
geopolymer concrete to maximize strength. Four factors related to strength and durability
such as aggregate content, alkaline solution to fly ash ratio, sodium silicate to sodium
hydroxide ratio and curing method are going to be investigated. The number of factors
considered and the values of those factors, were chosen on the basis of previous research.
Concrete usually consists of 75–80% aggregates; so concrete containing 75, 77, and 79 wt. %
aggregate will be considered. An alkaline solution/fly ash ratio within the range of 0.30-0.40
has been shown to improve strength and microstructure of the geopolymer concrete. Sodium
silicate to sodium hydroxide ratios of 1.5–2.5 (maximum of 2.5 for economic reasons) have
been shown to be appropriate. Three curing methods will be used: curing at 60oC for 24 h, at
70oC for 12 h and at 75oC for 24 h. The trial mix results will be evaluated for tensile strength.

Preparation, casting and curing of test specimens

Geopolymer concrete samples will be prepared as follows:

 Mix dry materials first (fly ash, fine and coarse aggregates) in a pan mixer
 Add alkaline activators (sodium silicate, sodium hydroxide, water and super-
plasticizer)
 Mix continuously until the mixture is glossy and well combined.

The specimens must be cast in cylinders of 150 mm diameter and 300 mm length (150x300
mm) for measurement of tensile strength, Young’s modulus of elasticity and weight change.
Three specimens will be produced for each test and the results will be provided as averages.
The geopolymer concrete specimens will be cured under three different curing regimes. The
inside surfaces of the moulds must be coated with a water-based released agent to prevent the
samples from sticking to the moulds surface during the steam curing process. After removal
from their moulds, the specimens will be air cured in a curing room at 23–25oC.

Calendar

ACTIVITY DURATION PERIOD WHO WHERE

Literature 2 months Oct - Nov Student NUST

Review Library

Supervision 1week December Supervisor NUST

Campus

Experiments 2 months Dec-Jan Student NUST

Campus

Analysis of 2 weeks Dec-Jan Supervisor NUST

results
Campus

Supervision 1 week February Supervisor NUST

Campus

Project Report 1 month March Student NUST

Compilation
Campus

Supervision 1 week April Supervisor NUST

Campus

Project 1 week April Student

Submission NUST
Campus
List of References

i Bakharev T., (2005b), Geopolymeric materials prepared using Class F fly ash and
elevated temperature curing,Cement and Concrete Research, 35, 1224– 1232.
ii Davidovits J., (1988), Geopolymer chemistry and properties. In: Proceedings of the
first European conference on soft mineralogy, Davidovits J., Orlinsl J. (Eds.),
Compiegne, France: The Geopolymer Institute, 1, 25–48.
iii Harja M., Barbuta M., Gavrilescu M., (2009), Utilization of Coal Fly Ash from Power
Plants. II. Geopolymer obtaining, Environmental Engineering and Management
Journal, 8,513-520.
iv Harja M., Barbuta M., Rusu L., Apostolescu N., (2008), Utilization of coal Fly Ash
from Power Plants: I. Ash Characterization, Environmental Engineering and
Management Journal, 7,289-294.
v Palomo A., Grutzeck M.W., Blanco M.T., (1999), Alkaliactivated fly ashes, a cement
for the future, Cement and Concrete Research, 29, 1323– 1329.
vi Rangan B.V., (2009), Engineering Properties of Geopolymer Concrete. In:
Geopolymers: Structures, Processing, Properties, and Applications, Provis J., van
Deventer J. (Eds.), Woodhead Publ. Limited, London.
vii Song X.J., Marosszeky M., Brungs M., Munn R., (2005), Durability of fly ash based
geopolymer concrete against sulphuric acid attack, Proc. 10 DBMC Int. Conf.
Durability of Build, Mater. Components, Lyon.
viii van Deventer J.S.J., Provis J.L., Duxson P., Lukey G.C., (2007), Reaction
mechanisms in the geopolymeric conversion of inorganic waste to useful products,
Journal of Hazardous Materials, A139, 506–513.
ix Wiles C.C., (1988), Standard handbook of hazardous waste treatment and disposal,
McGraw Hills, New York, 7-85.
x Yunsheng Z., Wei S., Zongjin L., Xiangming Z., Chungkong C., (2008), Impact
properties of geopolymer based extrudates incorporated with fly ash and PVA short
fiber, Construction and Building Materials, 22, 370–383.