Comparison of mechanical properties of geopolymers from different raw materials with the addition of waste glass

Abstract

The combustion of fossil fuels results in creating a lot of solid wastes such as fly ash and slag. However, these environmentally unfriendly materials can be used as a raw material for alkali activation – geopolymerization. Although these wastes have been successfully used in industrial production for several decades, its use does not achieve the level of its potential. Today, to achieve a sustainable construction industry, alternative cement has been extensively investigated. Geopolymer (GP) is a kind of material that is obtained from the alkaline activator, and it can be produced from industrial wastes or by-products. The aim of this work was to describe the improvement of mechanical properties of alkali-activated binders – geopolymers made of fly ash and blast furnace slag. The effect of the addition of waste glass in three different values feed into fly ash or GGBFS, and its impact on mechanical properties (compressive and flexural strengths) of geopolymers was examined. The highest value of compressive strength was achieved with 20% waste glass addition to a fly ash sample on 90th day 58,9 MPa. The waste glass was added in the form of broken and crushed glass particles.