Alkali-activated materials (AAMs) are one of the alternative low-CO2 binders. One-part AAMs, (that is, mixing a solid precursor with a solid alkali activator and adding water) have recently attracted ...increasing interest. The purpose of this study is to examine if fast-dissolving solid synthetic sodium metasilicate could be replaced by a combination of sodium hydroxide and slow-dissolving silica derived from rice husk ash or microsilica in the preparation of one-part alkali-activated blast furnace slag mortar. The replacement would improve the carbon footprint and the cost efficiency of the binder. The results demonstrate that silica availability significantly affects compressive strength development as a function of time or mixture composition. The highest compressive strength (107 MPa, 28 d) was obtained with fast-dissolving silica. Furthermore, setting times could be adjusted based on the mix composition, and the durability of mortar remained good after 120 freeze–thaw cycles. The results highlight the overall effect of silica availability on the fresh and hardened properties of one-part AAMs.
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•One-part alkali-activated slag mortar was prepared from different silica sources.•Aim was to improve environmental impact and cost-efficiency.•Rice husk ash and microsilica resulted approx. 30 MPa compressive strength at 28 d.•Synthetic sodium metasilicate resulted 107 MPa compressive strength at 28 d.•All mixtures indicated good freeze-thaw resistance.
In this work, we compared the main characteristics of highly porous geopolymer components for water treatment applications manufactured by 3D printing, direct foaming, or granulation. Furthermore, ...different approaches to impregnate the materials with Ag or Cu were evaluated to obtain filters with disinfecting or catalytic properties. The results revealed that all of the investigated manufacturing methods enabled the fabrication of components that possessed mesoporosity, suitable mechanical strength, and water permeability, even though their morphologies were completely different. Total porosity and compressive strength values were 28 vol% and 16 MPa for 3D-printed, 70-79 vol% and 1 MPa for direct-foamed, and 27 vol% and 10 MPa for granule samples. Both the filter preparation and the metal impregnation method affected the amount, oxidation state, and stability of Ag and Cu in the filters. However, it was possible to prepare filters with low metal leaching between a pH of 3-7, so that the released Ag and Cu concentrations were within drinking water standards.
Concrete production is globally a major water consumer, and in general, drinking-quality water is mixed in the binder. In the present study, simulated sea water and reverse osmosis reject water were ...used as batching water for one-part (dry-mix) alkali-activated blast furnace slag mortar. Alkali-activated materials are low-CO2 alternative binders gaining world-wide acceptance in construction. However, their production requires approximately similar amount of water as regular Portland cement concrete. The results of the present study revealed that the use of saline water did not hinder strength development, increased setting time, and did not affect workability. The salts incorporated in the binder decreased the total porosity of mortar, but they did not form separate phases detectable with X-ray diffraction or scanning electron microscopy. Leaching tests for monolithic materials revealed only minimal leaching. Furthermore, results for crushed mortars (by a standard two-stage leaching test) were within the limits of non-hazardous waste. Thus, the results indicated that high-salinity waters can be used safely in one-part alkali-activated slag to prepare high-strength mortars. Moreover, alkali-activation technology could be used as a novel stabilization/solidification method for reverse osmosis reject waters, which frequently pose disposal problems.
The mining industry produces billions of tons of mine tailings annually. However, because of their lack of economic value, most of the tailings are discarded near the mining sites, typically under ...water. The primary environmental concerns of mine tailings are related to their heavy metal and sulfidic mineral content. Oxidation of sulfidic minerals can produce acid mine drainage that leaches heavy metals into the surrounding water. The management of tailing dams requires expensive construction and careful control, and there is the need for stable, sustainable, and economically viable management technologies. Alkali activation as a solidification/stabilization technology offers an attractive way to deal with mine tailings. Alkali activated materials are hardened, concrete-like structures that can be formed from raw materials that are rich in aluminum and silicon, which fortunately, are the main elements in mining residues. Furthermore, alkali activation can immobilize harmful heavy metals within the structure. This review describes the research on alkali activated mine tailings. The reactivity and chemistry of different minerals are discussed. Since many mine tailings are poorly reactive under alkaline conditions, different pretreatment methods and their effects on the mineralogy are reviewed. Possible applications for these materials are also discussed.
The mining industry produces a large quantity of sulphidic mine tailings, which cause several environmental issues during waste management. Currently, there is increasing interest in new technologies ...to recycle and utilize mine tailings more effectively in the future. In this present study, the geopolymerization of mine tailings has been studied. Sulphidic mine tailings from a gold mining site were activated with a NaOH solution and commercial ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) was used as a co-binder. Characterization of the mine tailings and the mechanical strength of the specimens produced were investigated. In addition, the effects of different NaOH concentrations and the amount of co-binder materials on a matrix were tested. The porosity of the specimens produced was evaluated using water absorption tests, the microstructure of the fractures was analyzed with field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), and the crystalline phases were identified by X-ray diffraction. The results show that the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of the specimens produced from pure mine tailings was in the range of 1.3–3.5MPa. The UCS increased and water permeability decreased with 5% GGBFS content in the mixture. By optimizing the NaOH concentration and GGBFS content, the UCS of the specimens varied from 1.8MPa to 25MPa. The alkali-activation of mine tailings allows binders to be made with sufficient compressive strength, which can be used as a backfill in mining sites or raw material in the construction industry.
•Alkali-activation of sulphidic mine tailings with ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS)•Geopolymers with 95% of mine tailings has mechanical strength of 4MPa in dry and underwater conditions.•Mechanical strength more than 20MPa when using 25% of GGBFS as a co-binder
Mineral wools are the most common insulation materials in buildings worldwide. However, mineral wool waste is often considered unrecyclable because of its fibrous nature and low density. In this ...paper, rock wool (RW) and glass wool (GW) were studied as alkali-activated material precursors without any additional co-binders. Both mineral wools were pulverized by a vibratory disc mill in order to remove the fibrous nature of the material. The pulverized mineral wools were then alkali-activated with a sodium aluminate solution. Compressive strengths of up to 30.0 MPa and 48.7 MPa were measured for RW and GW, respectively, with high flexural strengths measured for both (20.1 MPa for RW and 13.2 MPa for GW). The resulting alkali-activated matrix was a composite-type in which partly-dissolved fibers were dispersed. In addition to the amorphous material, sodium aluminate silicate hydroxide hydrate and magnesium aluminum hydroxide carbonate phases were identified in the alkali-activated RW samples. The only crystalline phase in the GW samples was sodium aluminum silicate. The results of this study show that mineral wool is a very promising raw material for alkali activation.
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•The resin in glass wool waste could be gradually eliminated by thermal treatment from 200 to 550 °C.•The resin affected the milling efficiency, rheology, heat of reaction and ...strength development.•Curing at 40 °C was beneficial for strength development in comparison to 20 and 60 °C.•The 28-days compressive strength was less affected by the presence of the resin.•The incorporation of suitable co-binders would increase the materials‘ stability.
This study investigated the effect of organic resin contained in glass wool on synthesis of alkali-activated binders. The study was performed on glass wool containing sugar or phenolic resin, comparing it with glass wool that did not contain resin, as a reference. The results showed that the organic resin could be qualitatively identified using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermo gravimetry-mass spectrometer (TG-MS), with gradual decomposition occurring between 200 °C and 550 °C. The presence of organic resin reduced the milling efficiency of glass wool, modified the rheology by increasing the liquid demand, and slowed the strength development at room temperature. However, interestingly, the effect of the resin on the strength of the paste was less obvious at an age of 28 days. Curing for 24 h at 40 °C was beneficial for one-day strength development, in comparison to 20 °C and 60 °C, independent of the presence of the resin. All the cured paste samples, with and without resin, achieved a compressive strength of more than 40 MPa at 28 days, satisfying the requirement for many structural applications. Nevertheless, water immersion affected the materials’ strength, suggesting their suitability for dry environments or the need for suitable co-binders to increase their durability and water resistance.
This study aimed at determining the chemical alterations occurring at the surface of multi-oxide silicate glasses in the presence of organic ligandscitrate and tartrateat a near-neutral pH. Batch ...surface titration experiments for basaltic glass and blast furnace slag (BFS) were conducted in the range of 6.4 < pH < 8 to investigate the element release, and speciation and solid phase saturation were modeled with PHREEQC software. Surface sensitive XPS and zeta potential measurements were used to characterize the alterations occurring on the surface. The results show that, while Al/Si and Fe/Si surface molar ratios of the raw materials increase at a near-neutral pH, the presence of organic ligands prevents the accumulation of Al and Fe on the surface and increases their concentration in the solution, particularly at pH 6.4. The Al- and Fe-complexing ligands decrease the effective concentration of these cations in the solution, consequently decreasing the surface cation/Si ratio, which destabilizes the silicate surface and increases the extent of dissolution by 300% within the 2 h experiment. Based on the thermodynamic modeling, 1:1 metal-to-ligand complexes are the most prevalent aqueous species under these experimental conditions. Moreover, changes in Ca/Si and Mg/Si surface ratios are observed in the presence of organic ligands; the direction of the change depends on the type of ligand and pH. The coordination of Al and Fe on the surface is different depending on the ligand and pH. This study provides a detailed description of the compositional changes occurring between the surface of multi-oxide silicate materials and the solution in the presence of citrate and tartrate. The surface layer composition is crucial not only for understanding and controlling the dissolution of these materials but also for determining the activated surface complexes and secondary minerals that they evolve into.
Cementitious composite that has short molding time and high mechanical performance is favorable in pre-cast concrete industry. In this context, this study reports the use of hot-pressing technique to ...fabricate PVA fiber reinforced composites using alkali-activated stone wool (a waste from building insulation). Eight different mixtures were developed by varying the pressing time and temperature in comparison to the conventional oven-cured alkali-activated material. The mechanical performance of all compositions was evaluated under bending and compressive loadings. Life cycle assessment was used to investigate the greenhouse gas emission and embodied energy of the developed composites. The results reveal that PVA fibers greatly enhanced the mechanical performance of all reinforced mixtures with deflection hardening behavior and improvement in compressive strength. The hot-pressing technique lowered CO2 emission and saved energy. Finally, a multi-criteria ranking method suggests hot-pressed PVA fiber reinforced cementitious composite, manufactured at 120 °C for 2 h, is the best composition attaining balance among energy spent, mechanical properties, and CO2 footprint.
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•High performance cementitious composites were fabricated by hot-pressing technique with rapid strength development.•Hot-pressed composites released less CO2 (by 18–20 %) than the conventional oven-cured material.•Hot-pressed mixtures obtained top 3 best balanced compositions among mechanical properties, cost, and environmental impact.•Some damages on fibers were observed when pressing at 120 °C due to a synergistic effect of high pressure and temperature.
Graphical Abstract
Development of sustainable alkali-activated mortars using Fe-rich fayalitic slag as the sole solid precursor.
Vast amounts of water-cooled non-ferrous metallurgy slags are ...generated yearly, and significant amounts are unutilized or dumped in landfills. To address this issue, in this study, MgO-FeOx-SiO
2
fayalitic slag (FS) was used as the sole solid precursor (as an aggregate and binder) in alkali-activated mortars. The performance of the mortar samples was analyzed in terms of workability, density, compressive strength, and ultrasonic pulse velocity. The microstructural properties and binder composition of the samples were studied using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Experimental results revealed that mortar samples made with FS aggregates performed better, achieving a 28-day compressive strength of 21 MPa compared to mortars produced with standard sand aggregates, which gained compressive strengths of 9 MPa. Further optimization of the particle size distribution of FS aggregate-based mortar samples using particle packing technology improved the workability, densified the mortar and yielded a mechanical performance of up to 40 MPa. FS aggregates have better interfacial bonding with the binder gel compared to standard sand, and the FS aggregates participate in the hardening reactions, consequently affecting the final binder phase composition, which consists of a Na
2
O-Fe
2
O
3
-SiO
2
gel with lower quantities of CaO, MgO, and Al
2
O
3
. Therefore, the alkali-activated mortars produced based on the optimization of fully recycled industrial residues can provide a pathway for the sole utilization of metallurgical by-products, which can have a wide range of structural applications.
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