Utilization of thermally treated flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum and class-C Fly Ash (CFA) to prepare CFA-based geopolymer

The feasibility of utilization of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum and Class-C fly ash (CFA) to prepare CFA-based geopolymer were studied. The results showed that geopolymer made from 90% CFA and 10% FGD gypsum (FGDG) which was thermally treated at 800 °C for 1 h obtained the better compressive strength of 37.0 MPa. The micro characteristics and structures of the geopolymer samples of CFA and CFA-FGDG were tested by XRD, FT-IR, and SEM-EDXA after these samples cured at 75 °C for 8 h followed by 23 °C for 28 d. Both the geopolymer samples of CFA and CFA-FGDG have significant asymmetric stretching of Al-O/Si-O bonds and Si-O-Si / Si-O-Al bending band. In geopolymer sample of CFA-FGDG, a small quantity of lathy products probably being the ettringite wrapped over the spherical fly ash particle, and the concentration of sulfur is much more than that in geopolymer sample of CFA. It is indicated that FGD gypsum may react during alkali-activated and geopolymeric process.