Production, characterization and performance of green geopolymer modified with industrial by-products

Abstract Industrial by-products; have received a lot of attention as a possible precursor for cement and/or concrete production for a more environmentally and economically sound use of raw materials and energy sources. Geopolymer is a potentially useful porous material for OPC binder applications. The use of industrial wastes to produce a greener geopolymer is one area of fascinating research. In this work, geopolymer pastes were developed using alkali liquid as an activator and metakaolin (MK), alumina powder (AP), silica fume (SF), and cement kin dust (CKD) as industrial by-products. Several geopolymer samples have been developed. Research has been carried out on its processing and related physical and mechanical properties through deep microstructure investigation. The samples were cured in water by immersion with relative humidity (95 ± 5%), and at room temperature (~ 19–23 °C) prior to being tested for its workability and durability. The effect of the different composition of precursors on water absorption, density, porosity, and the compressive strength of the prepared geopolymers have been investigated. The results showed that the compressive strength of geopolymers at 28 days of curing is directly proportional to the ratio of the alkali liquid. Ultimately, the best geopolymer paste mixture (GPD1 and GPD2), was confirmed to contain (15% of CKD + 85% MK and Alumina solution (55 wt%)) and (25% of CKD + 75% MK + Alumina solution (55 wt%)) respectively, with 73% desirability for maximum water absorption (~ 44%) and compressive strength (4.9 MPa).