By posing the question of what will be the definition of sustainable development in the future, it can almost be seen that the principle of “no waste” and the production of new materials with less of a negative environmental impact will have a high priority. To further develop environmentally friendly materials, it is necessary to know about the environmental drivers of new materials as well as to evaluate the environmental effects of conventional materials in construction. According to the definitions of sustainable development and sustainable materials, materials with characteristics such as having low energy consumption, sufficient durability, good physical and chemical properties, while simultaneously reducing pollution should be used. Geopolymer materials may be a reasonable option. In this research, two production processes based on blast furnace slag and ordinary concrete (Portland cement) for one cubic meter of geopolymer concrete have been investigated. To investigate, inputs (materials and energy) and outputs (relevant environmental pollutants) of both systems were determined and a life cycle assessment (LCA) was measured using the Center of Environmental Science of Leiden University (CML) and cumulative exergy demand (CED) quantification methods of SimaPro V.9 software. The results showed that the production system of one cubic meter of conventional concrete has maximum environmental effects in all classes except in the destruction of the ozone layer, and the system of producing one cubic meter of geopolymer concrete based on slag has much less environmental effects than the normal concrete system. It also consumes 62% less directly during its lifetime. As a result, geopolymer concrete may be a suitable alternative to traditional concrete as a sustainable material.
Due to its unique qualities, concrete is the most extensively utilized substance in the construction sector after water. However, because one ton of Portland cement produces about one ton of CO2, the Portland cement manufacturing process has considerable disadvantages. As a result, an alternative to Portland cement appears to be required. Geopolymer is a new and environmentally friendly cementitious material that can be used in place of Portland cement. Chemically and mechanically, geopolymer concrete outperforms traditional concrete. The weight ratio of water to dry matter used in polymerization, as well as the weight ratio of sodium silicate to NaOH solution, have an impact on the compressive strength of geopolymer concrete. As a result, additional research into these variables appeared to be necessary. This paper specifically looked at how nanosilica and zeolite affected the mechanical strength of metakaolin-based geopolymer concrete. Nanosilica was added to metakaolin-based geopolymer concrete to improve mechanical characteristics. Furthermore, using zeolite in a metakaolin-based aluminosilicate source lowers the mechanical strength of geopolymer concrete while also lowering the cost. The optimal weight ratios for polymerization water to dry matter and sodium silicate solution to NaOH solution were 0.4741 and 1.5, respectively, resulting in maximum compressive pressures of 3, 7, and 28 days.
Geopolymers, a new class of green cement binders, has recently been promoted as an environmentally friendly alternative to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), with the potential to reduce OPC's negative environmental effects, such as carbon footprint and energy consumption. In this experimental work, the effects of several alkaline activator solutions on the compressive, indirect tensile, and flexural strengths, water absorption, and acid resistance of bentonite-based Geopolymer Concrete (GPC) were investigated. A new sort of alkaline activator for GPC was also created. GPC specimens consisting of bentonite were created and cured at 90 degrees Celsius in this case. The results showed that the addition of NaOH to the mixture after 3 minutes of mixing KOH and Na2SiO3 with dry components (1/3 of the total mixing time) increases the compressive, tensile, and flexural strength and we also see that with this new method, water absorption capacity and the amount of weight loss of geopolymer concrete samples are reduced in acidic conditions.
Because of its unique qualities, concrete is the second most commonly utilized building material after water.However, there are significant downsides to the Portland cement manufacturing process, producing one ton of carbon dioxide per every ton of Portland cement. As a result, the usage of a Portland cement substitute appears to be required. On the other hand, the "waste-free" idea and the manufacturing of new materials with an environmental impact will be less important in future cities than the aims of sustainable development. To further develop environmentally friendly materials, it is vital to understand the environmental stimuli of novel materials as well as to assess the environmental effects of standard building materials. Geopolymers are ceramic-like materials with three-dimensional poly-compact structures that are made by chemically activating aluminum and silica-containing solids at low temperatures. Industrial wastes or by-products like coal combustion ash, smelting iron furnace slag, construction debris, or agricultural waste like rice husk ash can be utilized to make geopolymer concrete and construction. The present article reviews the studies on the use of geopolymer technology in sustainable materials to develop urban sustainability and reduce the emission of environmental pollutants with a life cycle assessment approach. Findings and results of studies show that geopolymer concretes have higher mechanical, chemical, and energy consumption properties than conventional concrete and offer significant environmental benefits.
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