Behavior of low-calcium fly and bottom ash-based geopolymer concrete cured at ambient temperature

This paper presents the results of an experimental study on the behavior of fly ash-, bottom ash- and blended fly and bottom ash-based geopolymer concrete (GPC) cured at ambient temperature. A total of 10 bathes of GPC and a single batch of ordinary Portland cement concrete (OPC) were manufactured. The tests of compressive strength, elastic modulus, flexural strength, workability, drying shrinkage and absorption capacity were carried out to determine the properties of fresh concrete and mechanical and durability-related properties of hardened concrete. Test parameters included the mass ratio of fly ash-to-bottom ash, liquid alkaline-to-coal ash binder ratio, coal ash content and concrete type. The results indicate that the selected parameters significantly affect the microstructure and the behavior of GPCs. It is seen that bottom ash-based GPCs exhibited significantly lower geopolymerization than that of the fly ash-based GPCs, resulting in the inferior behavior of the former compared to the latter.     

粉煤灰对碾压混凝土耐久性的影响

用于大体积混凝土工程的碾压混凝土，其耐久性好坏直接关系到重大工程的使用及寿命。从抗渗性、抗冻性、抗冲磨性、抗碳化性及抗化学侵蚀性等方面研究了粉煤灰对碾压混凝土耐久性的影响。结果表明：（1）粉煤灰能提高碾压混凝土后期的抗渗性；（2）在碾压混凝土中增加粉煤灰的用量，提高胶凝材料的总量，从而降低混凝土的水灰比，能提高碾压混凝土抗冻性：（3）粉煤灰掺量不大于15％时，粉煤灰掺量对碾压混凝土的抗冲磨性能影响甚微；（4）粉煤灰掺量不大于50％时，经碳化后混凝土的抗压强度反而有所提高；（5）碾压混凝土的水化产物长期稳定性较好，且因有粉煤灰的二次水化消耗了部分Ca（OH）2，故其抗镁盐及硫酸盐侵蚀的能力较强。     

Enhanced durability performance of fly ash concrete for concrete-faced rockfill dam application

The main purpose of this research was to enhance the durability in both the design and construction of dams. Especially, in case of rockfill dams, the durability of face slab concrete in a concrete-faced rockfill dam (CFRD) is achieved by optimizing the fly ash replacement for cement. The effect on durability corresponding to the increasing replacement of fly ash was evaluated, and the optimum value of fly ash replacement was recommended. The results show that 15% of fly ash replacement was found to be an optimum level and demonstrated excellent performance in durability.     

纳米颗粒粉煤灰绿色混凝土的耐久性试验研究

为配制高性能绿色混凝土,用不同质量分数的粉煤灰（0%~30%）来替代水泥,并在混凝土中掺入不同质量分数纳米颗粒氧化锌（0%~3%）来提高混凝土的抗压强度、抗拉强度和抗氯离子性能。通过制备30组混凝土试块进行试验,得出：1）在粉煤灰替代率相同的情况下,随着纳米颗粒氧化锌含量的增加,纳米颗粒氧化锌粉煤灰混凝土的抗压强度、抗拉强度和抗氯离子性能均逐渐增加。2）在纳米颗粒氧化锌含量相同的情况下,随着粉煤灰替代率的增加,纳米颗粒氧化锌粉煤灰混凝土的抗压强度和抗拉强度均逐渐下降。但纳米颗粒氧化锌粉煤灰混凝土的抗氯离子性能却逐渐提高。因此,当纳米颗粒氧化锌质量分数为1%时,建议粉煤灰的替代率在10%以下;当纳米颗粒氧化锌质量分数为2%时,建议粉煤灰的替代率在20%以下;而纳米颗粒氧化锌质量分数为3%时,建议粉煤灰的替代率仍在20%以下,因此不建议纳米颗粒氧化锌的掺量超过2%。     

An experimental study on strength development of concrete containing fly ash and optimum usage of fly ash in concrete

This paper presents a laboratory study on the strength development of concrete containing fly ash and optimum use of fly ash in concrete. Fly ash was added according to the partial replacement method in mixtures. A total of 28 mixtures with different mix designs were prepared. 4 of them were prepared as control mixtures with 250, 300, 350, and 400 kg/m³ cement content in order to calculate the Bolomey and Feret coefficients (K_B, K_F). Four groups of mixtures were prepared, each group containing six mix designs and using the cement content of one of the control mixture as the base for the mix design. In each group 20% of the cement content of the control mixture was removed, resulting in starting mixtures with 200, 240, 280, and 320 kg/m³ cement content. Fly ash in the amount of approximately 15%, 25%, 33%, 42%, 50%, and 58% of the rest of the cement content was added as partial cement replacement. All specimens were moist cured for 28 and 180 days before compressive strength testing. The efficiency and the maximum content of fly ash that gives the maximum compressive strength were obtained by using Bolomey and Feret strength equations. Hence, the maximum amount of usable fly ash amount with the optimum efficiency was determined.This study showed that strength increases with increasing amount of fly ash up to an optimum value, beyond which strength starts to decrease with further addition of fly ash. The optimum value of fly ash for the four test groups is about 40% of cement. Fly ash/cement ratio is an important factor determining the efficiency of fly ash.     

Modeling the hydration of concrete incorporating fly ash or slag

Granulated slag from metal industries and fly ash from the combustion of coal are industrial by-products that have been widely used as mineral admixtures in normal and high strength concrete. Due to the reaction between calcium hydroxide and fly ash or slag, the hydration of concrete containing fly ash or slag is much more complex compared with that of Portland cement. In this paper, the production of calcium hydroxide in cement hydration and its consumption in the reaction of mineral admixtures is considered in order to develop a numerical model that simulates the hydration of concrete containing fly ash or slag. The heat evolution rates of fly ash- or slag-blended concrete is determined by the contribution of both cement hydration and the reaction of the mineral admixtures. The proposed model is verified through experimental data on concrete with different water-to-cement ratios and mineral admixture substitution ratios.     

Factors affecting the suitability of fly ash as source material for geopolymers

The suitability of fly ash stock piles for geopolymer manufacturing was studied. The results of chemical analyses, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and particle size distribution (PSD) of five sources of fly ash obtained from coal-fired power generating plants in the US are presented. Geopolymer paste and concrete specimens were prepared from each stock pile. The specimens were subjected to an array of chemical and mechanical tests including XRD, RAMAN spectroscopy, setting time and compressive strength. A correlation study was undertaken comparing the fly ash precursor chemical and crystallographic compositions as well as particle size distribution, with the mechanical and chemical characteristics of the resulting geopolymer. Factors inherent to the fly ash stockpile such as particle size distribution, degree of vitrification and location of the glass diffraction maximum were found to play an important role in the fresh and hardened properties of the resulting geopolymer.     

Assessment of recycling use of GFRP powder as replacement of fly ash in geopolymer paste and concrete at ambient and high temperatures

Environmental issues caused by glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) waste have attracted much attention. The development of cost-effective recycling and reuse methods for GFRP composite wastes is therefore essential. In this study, the formulation of the GFRP waste powder replacement was set at 20–40 wt%. The geopolymer was formed by mixing GFRP powder, fly ash (FA), steel slag (SS) and ordinary Portland cement (OPC) with a sodium-based alkali activator. The effects of GFRP powder content, activator concentration, liquid to solid (L/S) ratio, and activator solution modulus on the physico-mechanical properties of geopolymer mixtures were identified. Based on the 28-day compressive strength, the optimal combination of the geopolymer mixture was determined to be 30 wt% GFRP powder content, an activator concentration of 85%, L/S of 0.65, and an activator solution modulus of 1.3. The ratios of compressive strength to flexural strength of the GFRP powder/FA-based geopolymers were considerably lower than those of the FA/steel slag-based geopolymers, which indicates that the incorporation of GFRP powder improved the geopolymer brittleness. The incorporation of 30% GFRP powder in geopolymer concrete to replace FA can enhance the compressive and flexural strengths of geopolymer concrete by 28%. After exposure to 600 °C, the flexural strength loss for geopolymer concretes containing 30 wt% GFRP powder was less than that of specimens without GFRP powder. After exposure to 900 °C, the compressive strength and flexural strength losses of geopolymer concretes containing 30 wt% GFRP powder were similar to those of specimens without GFRP powder. The developed GFRP powder/FA-based geopolymers exhibited comparable or superior physico-mechanical properties to those of the FA-based geopolymers, and thus offer a high application potential as building construction material.     

粉煤灰对混凝土拌合物泵送性能的影响

介绍了粉煤灰对掺有M17塑化剂的混凝土拌合物泵送性能和混凝土强度的影响，通过扫描电镜对粉煤灰颗粒形貌进行了观察，初步探讨了粉煤灰的作用机理。试验说明在接有M17塑化剂的泵送混凝土中加入粉煤灰，可增加坍落度，降低泌水率，泵逆性能可得到改善。     

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.     

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.     

The microstructure and durability of fly ash-based geopolymer concrete: A review

Fly ash-based geopolymer concrete (FABGC) is a type of environment-friendly building material that displays remarkable mechanical properties and durability. It has the potential for extensive application in the field of civil engineering. This paper considers the related research on the microstructure and durability of FABGC to systematically summarize the results on its alkali-activated reaction, pore structure, and interface characteristics. The degradation mechanisms of FABGC in various corrosive environments are analyzed, and the factors that affect its microstructure and durability are discussed. It is observed that aluminosilicate gel produced by the alkali-activated process of FABGC has an optimizing effect on the pore structure and interfacial transition zone. An effective development of the microstructure can improve the durability of FABGC to a certain extent. At present, there is no consensus on the research conclusions on the microstructure and durability of FABGC. Therefore, further research is required.     

Fast microwave syntheses of fly ash based porous geopolymers in the presence of high alkali concentration

Microwave synthesis of porous fly ash geopolymers was achieved using a household microwave oven. Fly ash paste containing SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ component was mixed with sodium silicate (Na₂SiO₃) solutions at different concentrations of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) of 2, 5, 10, and 15 M, which were used as NaOH activators of geopolymerization. The mass ratio of Na₂SiO₃/NaOH was fixed at 2.5 with SiO₂/Al₂O₃ at 2.69. After the fly ash and alkali activators were mixed for 1 min until homogeneous, the geopolymer paste was cured for 1 min using household microwave oven at different output powers of 200, 500, 700, and 850 W. Porous geopolymers were formed immediately. Micro X-ray CT and SEM results showed that the porous structure of the geopolymers was developed at higher NaOH concentrations when using 850 W power of the microwave oven. These results derive from the immediate increase of the temperature in the geopolymer paste at higher NaOH concentrations, meaning that aluminosilicate bonds formed easily in the geopolymers within 1 min.     

粉煤灰/硅灰对低标号混凝土性能的影响

研究了单掺粉煤灰、硅灰和双掺粉煤灰/硅灰对低标号混凝土的工作性、强度和干缩性的影响。结果表明,粉煤灰和硅灰能改善新拌低标号混凝土的工作性,硅灰使得低标号混凝土在短期内的干缩变化加大,造成早期裂缝,短期内双掺粉煤灰/硅灰能有效提高低标号混凝土的抗压强度。     

Comparative performance of geopolymers made with metakaolin and fly ash after exposure to elevated temperatures

This paper presents the results of a study on the effect of elevated temperatures on geopolymers manufactured using metakaolin and fly ash of various mixture proportions. Both types of geopolymers (metakaolin and fly ash) were synthesized with sodium silicate and potassium hydroxide solutions.

The strength of the fly ash-based geopolymer increased after exposure to elevated temperatures (800 °C). However, the strength of the corresponding metakaolin-based geopolymer decreased after similar exposure. Both types of geopolymers were subjected to thermogravimetric, scanning electron microscopy and mercury intrusion porosimetry tests. The paper concludes that the fly ash-based geopolymers have large numbers of small pores which facilitate the escape of moisture when heated, thus causing minimal damage to the geopolymer matrix. On the other hand, metakaolin geopolymers do not possess such pore distribution structures. The strength increase in fly ash geopolymers is also partly attributed to the sintering reactions of un-reacted fly ash particles.     

Use of ground coarse fly ash as a replacement of condensed silica fume in producing high-strength concrete

This paper presents a method of improving coarse fly ash in order to replace condensed silica fume in making high-strength concrete. The coarse fly ash, having the average median diameter about 90-100 μm, yields a very low pozzolanic reaction and should not be used in concrete. In order to improve its quality, the coarse fly ash was ground until the average particle size was reduced to 3.8 μm. Then, it was used to replace Portland cement type I by weights of 0%, 15%, 25%, 35%, and 50% to produce high-strength concrete. It was found that concrete containing the ground coarse fly ash (FAG) replacement between 15% and 50% can produce high-strength concrete and 25% cement replacement gave the highest compressive strength. In addition, the concrete containing FAG of 15-35% as cement replacement exhibited equal or higher compressive strengths after 60 days than those of condensed silica fume concretes. The results, therefore, suggest that the FAG with high fineness is suitable to use to replace condensed silica fume in producing high-strength concrete.     

Lightweight geopolymer concrete: A critical review on the feasibility,mixture design,durability properties,and microstructure

Lightweight geopolymer concretes have gained attention because of their superior durability, lower environmental impact and sustainable characteristics. They are the product of natural or artificial aggregates with low specific gravities mixed with aluminosilicate binders, and an alkaline solution. In this study, different aspects of lightweight geopolymer concretes and mortars such as environmental and economic considerations, materials and mixture, durability-related properties like permeability, chloride attacks and performance at high temperatures, thermal conductivity, and the microstructure are reviewed. This study also discusses the effect of different geopolymer binders and various alkaline activators and additives with focus on lightweight geopolymer concrete made with different lightweight aggregates. The key results from previous studies in literature pertaining mix proportions, chemical composition and properties of lightweight geopolymers are summarized and presented. The main aim is to provide an informed outlook on the advantages and drawbacks of lightweight geopolymer concretes and present a comprehensive review of the studies performed in this area.     

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.     

Effect of elevated temperatures on geopolymer paste, mortar and concrete

Geopolymers are generally believed to provide good fire resistance due to their ceramic-like properties. Previous experimental studies on geopolymer under elevated temperatures have mainly focused on metakaolin-based geopolymers. This paper presents the results of a study on the effect of elevated temperature on geopolymer paste, mortar and concrete made using fly ash as a precursor. The geopolymer was synthesized with sodium silicate and potassium hydroxide solutions. Various experimental parameters have been examined such as specimen sizing, aggregate sizing, aggregate type and superplasticizer type. The study identifies specimen size and aggregate size as the two main factors that govern geopolymer behavior at elevated temperatures (800 °C). Aggregate sizes larger than 10 mm resulted in good strength performances in both ambient and elevated temperatures. Strength loss in geopolymer concrete at elevated temperatures is attributed to the thermal mismatch between the geopolymer matrix and the aggregates.     

Effect of fine aggregate replacement with Class F fly ash on the mechanical properties of concrete

This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation carried out to evaluate the mechanical properties of concrete mixtures in which fine aggregate (sand) was partially replaced with Class F fly ash. Fine aggregate (sand) was replaced with five percentages (10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50%) of Class F fly ash by weight. Tests were performed for properties of fresh concrete. Compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, and modulus of elasticity were determined at 7, 14, 28, 56, 91, and 365 days. Test results indicate significant improvement in the strength properties of plain concrete by the inclusion of fly ash as partial replacement of fine aggregate (sand), and can be effectively used in structural concrete.