Metakaolin and Red-Mud Based Geopolymer: Resistance to Sodium and Magnesium Sulfate Attack

This paper aims to study strength properties, UPV, and weight changes exposed to sulfate attack, and microstructural properties of geopolymer mortar prepared using metakaolin and red-mud as binder materials by mixing with river sand replaced partially by limestone, marble and basalt powder with different ratios (25%, 50%, and 75%) as filler materials, the mix proposed were activated by sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide solutions (12mol). The proposed samples were exposed to 10% of magnesium and sodium sulfate solutions for various periods of 60, 120, and 180 days to investigate the durability properties of the manufactured geopolymer mortar. The experimentally obtained results uncover that the prepared geopolymer mortar’s strength properties increase at 60 days for all the proposed mixes, while at 180days, the geopolymer mortar suffers a significant loss. Change in weight increase obviously between 10.83% and 13.65% for 60 days and decrease gradually for 120 days between 9.22% and 10.19% to reach a stable value between 120 and 180 days. Furthermore, to evaluate this work, the Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-ray Diffraction methods were investigated.

Keywords:

Geopolymer, Binder, Metakaolin, Red-Mud SEM, XRD,

PDF

___

[1] E.E. Hekal, E. Kishar, H. Mostafa, Magnesium sulfate attack on hardened blended cement pastes under different circumstances, Cement and Concrete Research, 32 (2002) 1421-1427.
[2] L. Wakeley, T. Poole, J. Ernzen, B. Neeley, Salt saturated mass concrete under chemical attack, Special Publication, 140 (1993) 239-268.
[3] E. Irassar, A. Di Maio, O. Batic, Sulfate attack on concrete with mineral admixtures, Cement and Concrete Research, 26 (1996) 113-123.
[4] C. Ferraris, J. Clifton, P. Stutzman, E. Garbocz, 22 Mechanisms of degradation of Portland cement-based systems by sulfate attack, Mechanisms of chemical degradation of cement-based systems, DOI (1997) 185.
[5] M. Santhanam, M.D. Cohen, J. Olek, Mechanism of sulfate attack: a fresh look: Part 2. Proposed mechanisms, Cement and concrete research, 33 (2003) 341-346.
[6] H. Taylor, R. Gollop, 21 SOME CHEMICAL AND MICROSTRUCTURAL ASPECTS OF CONCRETE DURABILITY, Mechanisms of chemical degradation of cement-based systems, DOI (1997) 177.
[7] D. Bonen, M.D. Cohen, Magnesium sulfate attack on Portland cement paste-I. Microstructural analysis, Cement and concrete research, 22 (1992) 169-180.
[8] D. Bonen, M.D. Cohen, Magnesium sulfate attack on portland cement paste—II. Chemical and mineralogical analyses, Cement and concrete research, 22 (1992) 707-718.
[9] N.B. Singh, B. Middendorf, Geopolymers as an alternative to Portland cement: An overview, Construction and Building Materials, 237 (2020) 117455.
[10] N. Singh, B. Middendorf, Geopolymers as an alternative to Portland cement: An overview, Construction and Building Materials, 237 (2020) 117455.
[11] C. Villa, E.T. Pecina, R. Torres, L. Gómez, Geopolymer synthesis using alkaline activation of natural zeolite, Construction and Building Materials, 24 (2010) 2084-2090.
[12] B. Singh, G. Ishwarya, M. Gupta, S. Bhattacharyya, Geopolymer concrete: A review of some recent developments, Construction and building materials, 85 (2015) 78-90.
[13] A. Palomo, M. Grutzeck, M. Blanco, Alkali-activated fly ashes: A cement for the future, Cement and concrete research, 29 (1999) 1323-1329.
[14] J. Swanepoel, C. Strydom, Utilisation of fly ash in a geopolymeric material, Applied geochemistry, 17 (2002) 1143-1148.
[15] T. Bakharev, Geopolymeric materials prepared using Class F fly ash and elevated temperature curing, Cement and concrete research, 35 (2005) 1224-1232.
[16] D. Hardjito, S.E. Wallah, D.M. Sumajouw, B.V. Rangan, On the development of fly ash-based geopolymer concrete, Materials Journal, 101 (2004) 467-472.
[17] J. Van Jaarsveld, J. Van Deventer, The effect of metal contaminants on the formation and properties of waste-based geopolymers, Cement and Concrete Research, 29 (1999) 1189-1200.
[18] E.M. Flanigen, J. Jansen, H. van Bekkum, Introduction to zeolite science and practice, Elsevier1991.
[19] D.W. Breck, Zeolite molecular sieves: structure, chemistry and use, Krieger1984.
[20] T. Bakharev, Resistance of geopolymer materials to acid attack, Cement and concrete research, 35 (2005) 658-670.
[21] P.K. Mehta, R.W. Burrows, Building durable structures in the 21st century, Concrete international, 23 (2001) 57-63.
[22] E.M.S. Mulapeer, Strength And Absorptıon Characterıstıcs Of Fly Ash Based Geopolymer Composıte Reınforced Wıth Glass Fıber, Hasan Kalyoncu Üniversitesi, 2016.
[23] R. El-Hachem, E. Rozière, F. Grondin, A. Loukili, Multi-criteria analysis of the mechanism of degradation of Portland cement based mortars exposed to external sulphate attack, Cement and Concrete Research, 42 (2012) 1327-1335.
[24] T. Bakharev, Durability of geopolymer materials in sodium and magnesium sulfate solutions, Cement and Concrete Research, 35 (2005) 1233-1246.
[25] H. Binici, Engineering properties of geopolymer incorporating slag, fly ash, silica sand and pumice, Adv. Civ. Environ. Eng, 1 (2013) 108-123.
[26] S. Thokchom, D. Dutta, S. Ghosh, Effect of incorporating silica fume in fly ash geopolymers, World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, 60 (2011) 243-247.
[27] A. Fernández-Jiménez, I. García-Lodeiro, A. Palomo, Durability of alkali-activated fly ash cementitious materials, Journal of Materials Science, 42 (2007) 3055-3065.
[28] V. Sata, A. Sathonsaowaphak, P. Chindaprasirt, Resistance of lignite bottom ash geopolymer mortar to sulfate and sulfuric acid attack, Cement and Concrete Composites, 34 (2012) 700-708.
[29] R. Martynkova, M. Mavroulidou, Properties of Alkali-Activated Concrete Based On Industrial Wastes Or By Products, Proceedings of the 14th International conference on Environmental Science and Technology Athens, Greece, 2015, pp. 3-5.
[30] R.I. Iacobescu, G.N. Angelopoulos, P.T. Jones, B. Blanpain, Y. Pontikes, Ladle metallurgy stainless steel slag as a raw material in Ordinary Portland Cement production: a possibility for industrial symbiosis, Journal of Cleaner Production, 112 (2016) 872-881.
[31] A. ASTM, C348-14 Standard Test Method for Flexural Strength of Hydraulic-Cement Mortars, ASTM Int, West Conshohocken, DOI.
[32] A. ASTM, Standard test method for compressive strength of hydraulic cement mortars (using 2-in. or [50-mm] cube specimens), Annual Book of ASTM StandardsAnnual Book of ASTM Standards, 4 (2013) 1-9.
[33] K. Scrivener, J.F. Young, Mechanisms of chemical degradation of cement-based systems, CRC Press1997.
[34] P.K. Sarker, Bond strength of reinforcing steel embedded in fly ash-based geopolymer concrete, Materials and structures, 44 (2011) 1021-1030.
[35] F. Puertas, R. Gutierrez, A. Fernández-Jiménez, S. Delvasto, J. Maldonado, Alkaline cement mortars. Chemical resistance to sulfate and seawater attack, Materiales de Construccion, 52 (2002) 55-71.
[36] I. Ismail, S.A. Bernal, J.L. Provis, S. Hamdan, J.S. van Deventer, Microstructural changes in alkali activated fly ash/slag geopolymers with sulfate exposure, Materials and structures, 46 (2013) 361-373.
[37] T. Aye, C.T. Oguchi, Resistance of plain and blended cement mortars exposed to severe sulfate attacks, Construction and Building Materials, 25 (2011) 2988-2996.
[38] N. Rajamane, M. Nataraja, J. Dattatreya, N. Lakshmanan, D. Sabitha, Sulphate resistance and eco-friendliness of geopolymer concretes, Indian Concrete Journal, 86 (2012) 13.
[39] F. Škvára, T. Jílek, L. Kopecký, Geopolymer materials based on fly ash, Ceram.-Silik, 49 (2005) 195-204.
[40] S. Thokchom, P. Ghosh, S. Ghosh, Performance of fly ash based geopolymer mortars in sulphate solution, Journal of engineering science and technology review, 3 (2010) 36-40.
[41] B.A. Salami, M.A.M. Johari, Z.A. Ahmad, M. Maslehuddin, Durability performance of palm oil fuel ash-based engineered alkaline-activated cementitious composite (POFA-EACC) mortar in sulfate environment, Construction and Building Materials, 131 (2017) 229-244.
[42] F.N. Değirmenci, Effect of sodium silicate to sodium hydroxide ratios on durability of geopolymer mortars containing natural and artificial pozzolans, DOI (2017).
[43] H. Manzano, R. González-Teresa, J. Dolado, A. Ayuela, X-ray spectra and theoretical elastic properties of crystalline calcium silicate hydrates: comparison with cement hydrated gels, Materiales de Construcción, 60 (2010) 7-19.