Mechanical properties and microstructure evaluation of fly ash - Slag geopolymer foaming materials

The existing fly ash-slag foaming geopolymer materials generally have the shortcomings of low fly ash content and low porosity. It is urgent to develop geopolymer foaming materials with high fly ash content and high porosity. Using fly ash and slag as the main raw materials, geopolymer foaming materials were prepared by alkali activation. The effects of activator content and sodium silicate modulus on the macroscopic mechanical properties, pore structures and microstructures of geopolymer foaming materials were studied. The experimental results showed that when the activator content was 21% (wt.) and the modulus of sodium silicate was 1, the specimen exhibited the best performance. The compressive strength of the specimen reached 2.18 MPa at 28 d, the porosity was 63.07%, and the average pore sizes of macroscopic pores were 920 μm. Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (SEM-EDS) analysis showed that when the content of activator was 21% and the modulus of sodium silicate was 1, the reaction grade of the system was the highest, reached 55.12%, meanwhile the main product Sodium silicate hydrate (N-A-S-H) gel produced the largest amount. The fractal dimension calculations showed that the spatial complexity of a specimen with large pores was greater than that of a specimen with small pores. This study can provide a basis for the design of geopolymer foaming materials with high proportion of fly ash and high porosity.     

NaOH-activated ground fly ash geopolymer cured at ambient temperature

NaOH-activated ground fly ash geopolymers, cured at room temperature, were studied in this paper. Ground fly ash (GFA), with a median particle size of 10.5 μm, was used as source material. NaOH concentrations of 4.5-16.5 M (M) were used as an alkali activator. Compressive strength tests and microstructure observations using SEM, EDX, XRD and FTIR were performed. Results indicated that GFA gave higher strength geopolymer paste compared to original fly ash. Ground fly ash could be used as a source material for making geopolymers cured at room temperature. An increase in NaOH concentration from 4.5 to 14.0 M increased the strength of GFA geopolymer pastes. Microstructure studies indicated that NaOH concentrations of 12.0-14.0 M created new crystalline products of sodium aluminosilicate. The compressive strengths at 28 days of 20.0-23.0 MPa were obtained with the NaOH concentrations of 9.5-14.0 M. Increasing the NaOH concentration beyond this point resulted in a decrease in the strength of the paste due to early precipitation of aluminosilicate products.     

Composition and microstructure of alkali activated fly ash binder: Effect of the activator

The alkali activation of fly ashes is a chemical process by which the glassy component of these powdered materials is transformed into very well-compacted cement. In the present work the relationship between the mineralogical and microstructural characteristics of alkaline activated fly ash mortars (activated with NaOH, Na₂CO₃ and waterglass solutions) and its mechanical properties has been established. The results of the investigation show that in all cases (whatever the activator used) the main reaction product formed is an alkaline aluminosilicate gel, with low-ordered crystalline structure. This product is responsible for the excellent mechanical-cementitious properties of the activated fly ash. However the microstructure as well as the Si/Al and Na/Al ratios of the aluminosilicate gel change as a function of the activator type used in the system. As a secondary reaction product some zeolites are formed. The nature and composition of these zeolites also depend on the type of activator used.     

Durability properties of micro-cracked ECC containing high volumes fly ash

This paper presents the durability of Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) that contain high percentages of Class-F fly ash (FA). ECC is a newly developed high performance fiber reinforced cementitious composite with substantial benefit in both high ductility in excess of 3% under uniaxial tensile loading and improved durability due to intrinsically tight crack width. Composites containing two different contents of FA as a replacement of cement (55 and 70% by weight of total cementitious material) are examined after 28 days of curing. Accelerated aging (exposure to continuous sodium hydroxide at 38 °C and sodium chloride solutions at room temperature) and tests of transport properties (salt ponding, rapid chloride permeability and sorptivity tests) are used to study the effect of FA on the durability of the ECC. After accelerated aging, direct tensile tests are performed to evaluate the effect of deterioration on the tensile strength, tensile strain capacity and crack width of ECCs. In addition to virgin specimens, the durability performances of mechanically loaded specimens are also tested. Test results show that both mechanically pre-loaded and virgin (without pre-loading) ECC mixtures with high volumes of FA remain durable in terms of mechanical performances after accelerated aging period, and show a tensile strain capacity of more than 2%. In terms of transport properties, micro-cracks induced by mechanical pre-loading increase the chloride transport and the sorptivity values of ECC. Moreover, increasing FA content is shown to have a negative effect especially on the transport properties of ECC tested in this study. However, the risk of water transport by capillary suction and chloride transport by diffusion in ECC, cracked or uncracked, is found to be comparable with that in normal sound concrete.     

Thin fly ash/ ladle furnace slag geopolymer: Effect of elevated temperature exposure on flexural properties and morphological characteristics

The flexural properties and thermal performance of 10 mm-thin geopolymers made from fly ash and ladle furnace slag were evaluated before and after exposure to elevated temperatures (300 °C, 600 °C, 900 °C, 1100 °C and 1150 °C). Class F fly ash was mixed with liquid sodium silicate (Na₂SiO₃) and 12 M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution using aluminosilicate/activator ratio of 1:2.5 and Na₂SiO₃/NaOH ratio of 1:4 to synthesise thin fly ash (FA) geopolymers. 40 wt% of ladle furnace slag was partially replacing fly ash to produce fly ash/slag-based (FAS) geopolymers. Thermal treatment enhanced the flexural strength of thin geopolymers. In comparison to the unexposed specimen, the flexural strength of FA geopolymers at 1150 °C and FAS geopolymers 1100 °C was increased by 161.3% to 16.2 MPa and 208.9% to 24.1 MPa, respectively. A more uniform heating was achieved in thin geopolymers which favoured the phase transformation at high temperatures and contributed to the substantial increase in flexural strength. The joint effect of elevated temperature exposure and the incorporation of ladle furnace slag further improved the flexural strength of thin geopolymers. The calcium-rich slag refined the pore structure and increased the crystallinity of thin geopolymers which aided in high strength development.     

Effect of fly ash on the physico-chemical and mechanical properties of a porcelain composition

The ceramic industry is one of the largest consumers of natural raw materials but has also the capacity and potential to make significant contributions in solving environmental problems by consuming solid rejects of various industries.     

Waste recycling of coal fly ash: A novel approach to prepare hierarchically porous coal fly ash/Al2O3 ceramic composite with high porosity and high strength templated by emulsion-assisted self-assembly

The coal fly ash (CFA) produced from coal-fired power generation is classified as a common solid waste; thus, improving the recovery and utilization rate of CFA is highly desirable. In this study, a novel strategy using CFA and Al₂O₃ as raw materials, to prepare hierarchically porous ceramic composites that serve as potential candidates for future building materials is developed. In this process, the well-developed self-assembly method in which an anionic modifier is used to prepare hydrophobic powders that form an attractive oil/water network via electrostatic interactions, thereby yielding honeycomb-like structures. In order to explore the mechanism of preparation, five samples with different mixture ratios of alumina and CFA were prepared according to 1: 0, 2: 1, 1: 1, 1: 2, and 0: 1 (Alumina: CFA). Compared with the sample prepared with pure CFA, the as-prepared CFA/Al₂O₃ composite exhibited both superior porosity and high mechanical property. When the porosity is as high as 73 ± 0.17%, the compressive strength is as high as 80.9 ± 3.4mpa (alumina: CFA = 1:1). As the porosity decreases to 49.3 ± 0.7%, the compressive strength reaches 159.33 ± 36.89mpa (alumina: CFA = 1:2). Moreover, this work obtains the highest compressive strength-porosity related B-value in comparison to previously reported CFA-based composites and provides a new insight into the effective recycling of CFA and offers a novel approach to prepare CFA/Al₂O₃ composite with excellent overall mechanical properties.     

Microstructure,dielectric and piezoelectric properties of 0–3 lead free barium zirconate titanate ceramic-Portland fly ash cement composites

Piezoelectric ceramic – Portland cement composites have been developed for sensor application in concrete structures to overcome the acoustic matching problem that may occur for piezoelectric ceramic or polymers with concrete. Pozzolanic materials such as fly ash are commonly used in concrete to enhance durability. The objectives of this research were to investigate the effects of fly ash addition on the physical properties, dielectric properties and piezoelectric properties of 0–3 barium zirconate titanate ceramic– Portland cement composites. The results showed that the dielectric constant of these composites decreased when the fly ash content in the composite increases. However, the piezoelectric coefficient (d₃₃) value of BZT–PC composite with fly ash 10% by volume was found to be similar to that of BZT–PC composites.     

Development of fly ash and iron ore tailing based porous geopolymer for removal of Cu(II) from wastewater

This work aims to verify the feasibility of utilizing iron ore tailing (IOT) in porous geopolymer and intends to broaden the application of porous geopolymer in heavy metal removal aspect. Porous geopolymer was prepared using fly ash as resource material, which was partially replaced by IOT at level of 30%, by weight, with H₂O₂ as foaming agent and removal efficiency, adsorption affecting factors, adsorption isotherms and thermodynamics of Cu²⁺ by the developed porous geopolymer were investigated.The experimental results uncover that the porous amorphous geopolymer was successful synthesized with total porosity of 74.6%. The transformation of fly ash and IOT into foaming geopolymer leads to the formation of porous structure encouraging Cu²⁺ sorption. Batch sorption tests were carried out and geopolymer dosage, Cu²⁺ initial concentration, pH, contact time and temperature were the main concern. Both Langmuir and Freundlich models could explain the adsorption of Cu²⁺ on the porous geopolymer due to the high fitting coefficients. The uptake capacity reaches the highest value of 113.41 mg/g at 40 °C with pH value of 6.0. The thermodynamic parameters ΔHº, ΔSº and ΔGº suggests the spontaneous nature of Cu²⁺ adsorption on porous geopolymer and the endothermic behavior of sorption process.     

Prediction of compressive strength of fly ash concrete by new apparent activation energy function

A new prediction model using apparent activation energy is proposed to estimate the variation of compressive strength of fly ash concrete with aging. After analyzing the experimental result with the model, fly ash replacement content and water-binder ratio influence on apparent activation energy was investigated.According to the analysis, the model provides a good estimation of compressive strength development of fly ash concrete with aging. As the fly ash replacement content increases, limiting relative compressive strength and initial apparent activation energy increase. Concrete with water-binder ratio smaller than 0.40 gives nearly constant limiting relative compressive strength and initial apparent activation energy when analyzed with various water-binder ratios. However, concrete with water-binder ratio larger than 0.40 increases limiting relative compressive strength and initial apparent activation energy.     

Mechanical behaviour of various mortars made by combined fly ash and limestone in Moroccan Portland cement

Physico-chemical properties and mechanical behaviour of ternary cements made by Portland cement, fly ash and limestone are studied. The mixtures at various compositions of clinker, gypsum fly ash and limestone are intimately ground and compared to other compositions without fly ash. Blended fly ash cements are also studied. The results show that fly ash acts as grinding agent by reducing the required time to obtain the same percentage of particles retained on a 80-μm sieve as the standard cement. Fly ash cements lead to an important extension of setting time than limestone cements. The replacement of clinker by limestone gives better mechanical strengths than the mixtures containing fly ash at early days; after 28 days, the cements prepared by incorporation of fly ash gain an important strength. From mechanical point of view, an optima dosage was obtained at 77% clinker, 2% gypsum, 7.5% fly ash and 13% limestone composition.     

Effect of fly ash on autogenous shrinkage

The correlation between autogenous shrinkage and degree of hydration of fly ash was determined with the selective dissolution method. Then, the relationship between the degree of hydration of fly ash and autogenous shrinkage was examined. The results showed that the degree of hydration of fly ash increased as its Blaine surface area increased. The degree of hydration of fly ash increased with time, and autogenous shrinkage increased corresponding to the increase in the degree of hydration of fly ash. Moreover, it was found that the total quantity of Al₂O₃ in cement-fly ash samples affected autogenous shrinkage at early ages, but the long-term influence was very small.     

Effect of nano-silica on the chemical durability and mechanical performance of fly ash based geopolymer concrete

In this study, the effect of nano silica on the short term severe durability performance of fly ash based geopolymer concrete (GPC) specimens was investigated. Four types of GPC were produced with two types of low calcium fly ashes (FAI and FAII) with and without nano silica, and ordinary Portland cement concrete (OPC) concrete was also cast for reference. For the geopolymerization process, the alkaline activator has selected a mixture of sodium silicate solution (Na₂SiO₃) and sodium hydroxide solution (NaOH) with a ratio (Na₂SiO₃/ NaOH) of 2.5. Main objectives of the study were to investigate the effect of usability or replaceability of nano silica-based low calcium fly ash based geopolymer concretes instead of OPC concrete in structural applications and make a contribution to standardization process of the fly ash based geopolymer concrete. To achieve the goals, four types of geopolymer and OPC concretes were subjected to sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄), magnesium sulfate (MgSO₄) and seawater (NaCl) solutions with concentrations of 5%, 5%, and 3.5%, respectively. Visual appearances and weight changes of the concretes under chemical environments were utilized for durability aspects. Compressive, splitting tensile and flexural strength tests were also performed on specimens to evaluate the mechanical performance under chemical environments. Results indicated that FAGPC concretes showed superior performance than OPC concrete under chemical attacks due to low calcium content. Amongst the chemical environments, sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) was found to be the most dangerous environment for all concrete types. In addition, nano silica (NS) addition to FAGPC specimens improved both durability and residual mechanical strength due to the lower porosity and more dense structure. The FAIIGPC specimens including nano silica showed the superior mechanical performance under chemical environment.     

Enhanced mechanical properties of wood ash and fly ash as supplementary cementitious materials

The incorporation of fly ash (FA) and wood ash (WA) in concrete as supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) was studied. The chemical composition of ordinary Portland cement, FA and WA was determined according to ASTM C-114. SEM and optical microscopy were used for the analysis of concrete. Setting time, compressive strength, water absorption and acid resistance of the concrete with different percentages of SCM ranging from 0 to 60% were evaluated. The results obtained showed that setting time and rate of water absorption increased with the increase in percentage of SCM. After 7 and 28 days, the compressive strength of concrete with 20% FA as SCM was higher than that with substitution with 20% WA. Resistance of concrete against sulphate attack increased with an increase in the percentage of FA. It was found that incorporating more than 20% WA resulted in a decrease in sulphate attack resistance.     

粉煤灰的活性激发与机理研究进展

粉煤灰是燃煤电厂中煤粉燃烧后的固体废弃物,其日益累积不但会占用大量土地资源,还会破坏原有的自然环境,造成严重污染,近年来粉煤灰的处理和资源化利用受到广泛关注。激发粉煤灰的潜在活性是提高粉煤灰综合利用率的关键。对粉煤灰的物理活性和化学活性来源进行了介绍,并对粉煤灰活性的物理激发、水热激发及化学激发技术与激发机理进行了综述,为后续粉煤灰的活化研究和大规模利用提供了参考。不同手段均能激发粉煤灰活性,但采用单一手段激发时存在活化成本高、激发程度低等问题。未来粉煤灰激发技术将朝着多种手段并用的方向发展。     

Packing effect and pozzolanic reaction of fly ash in mortar

This research is to study the effect of particle size of fly ash on packing effect and pozzolanic reaction of mortar when 20% of fly ash is used to replace Portland cement type I. Both effects can be determined by using fly ash and insoluble material which have almost the same particle size to replace Portland cement type I. Normally, the compressive strength of fly ash mortar is contributed from hydration reaction, packing effect, and pozzolanic reaction. For mortar mixed with insoluble material, the compressive strength is due to hydration reaction and packing effect. Thus, compressive strength due to pozzolanic reaction can be determined from the difference in compressive strength between fly ash mortar and insoluble material mortar. The results show that the strength activity index of fly ash mortar depends on the median particle size of fly ash and curing ages of mortar samples. At early ages, the strength activity index of fly ash mortar due to packing effect is higher than that due to pozzolanic reaction. At the ages of 3 to 90 days, the difference in strength activity index due to packing effect of fly ashes with median particle size of 2.7 and 160 μm is almost constant about 22% of the strength of standard mortar (STD). The differences in strength activity index due to pozzolanic reaction of fly ashes with median particle size of 2.7 and 160 μm are 3%, 20%, and 27%, respectively, at the ages of 3, 28, and 90 days.     

Effect of pumice and fly ash incorporation on high temperature resistance of cement based mortars

The effects of high temperature on the mechanical properties of cement based mortars containing pumice and fly ash were investigated in this research. Four different mortar mixtures with varying amounts of fly ash were exposed to high temperatures of 300, 600, and 900 °C for 3 h. The residual strength of these specimens was determined after cooling by water soaking or by air cooling. Also, microstructure formations were investigated by X-ray and SEM analyses.Test results showed that the pumice mortar incorporating 60% fly ash revealed the best performance particularly at 900 °C. This mixture did not show any loss in compressive strength at all test temperatures when cooled in air. The superior performance of 60% FA mortar may be attributed to the strong aggregate-cement paste interfacial transition zone (ITZ) and ceramic bond formation at 900 °C. However, all mortar specimens showed severe losses in terms of flexural strength. Furthermore, specimens cooled in water showed greater strength loss than the air cooled specimens. Nevertheless, the developed pumice, fly ash and cement based mortars seemed to be a promising material in preventing high temperature hazards.     

Biomass fly ash in concrete: Mixture proportioning and mechanical properties

ASTM C 618 prohibits use of biomass fly ashes in concrete. This document compares the properties of biomass fly ashes from cofired (herbaceous with coal), pure wood combustion and blended (pure wood fly ash blended with coal fly ash) to those of coal fly ash in concrete. The results illustrate that with 25% replacement (wt%) of cement by fly ash, the compressive strength (one day to one year) and the flexure strength (at 56th day curing) of cofired and blended biomass fly ash concrete is statistically equal to that of two coal fly ash concrete in this investigation (at 95% confidence interval). This implies that biomass fly ash with co-firing concentration within the concentration interest to commercial coal-biomass co-firing operations at power plants and blended biomass fly ash within a certain blending ratio should be considered in concrete.