Research of Alternative Ecological Waste Materials Used in Geopolymers for Sustainable Built Environments

Abstract

Infrastructure and industrial projects continue to expand, resulting in a steady rise in demand for cement. However, it is claimed that nature and the environment suffer significant harm throughout the cement manufacturing process due to the cement factory's greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, economic difficulties have emerged as a result of energy usage during manufacturing. As a result, waste materials have begun to be utilized in geopolymer concrete in place of cement. Therefore, environmentally friendly materials with a low carbon footprint have been in high demand across the world's building sector. Activators are used with waste materials as binders of geopolymers without using cement. Thus, geopolymers have gained importance due to their environmental compatibility, sustainability, and durability. This chapter comprehensively reviews the environmental suitability of geopolymers produced using waste materials. In addition, the authors tried to collect most geopolymer physical, mechanical, microstructural, and durability properties.