High temperature and abrasion resistance of fly ash and ceramic waste powder based geopolymer mortar

The increasing popularity of geopolymer concrete is attributed to its small ecological footprint. Moreover, it presents substantial prospects for employing industrial waste as a substitute binder for producing geopolymer concrete. The ceramic waste powder (CWP), which is a by-product of the ceramic polishing and glazing process, was employed in the manufacturing of geopolymer mortar. This study investigated the heat and abrasion resistance of geopolymer mortar (GM) produced using two different types of CWP and fly ash. A GM was prepared by combining fly ash, CWP, and the alkaline activators NaOH and Na2SiO3. The study examined three different curing conditions: ambient, curing at 60 °C for 24 hours, and curing at 60 °C for 48 hours. All mortar mixes were heated to temperatures of 500°C and 1000°C for a period of 2 hours (h) to study their heat resistance. Both weight loss and compressive strength (CS) were assessed before and after temperature exposure. The assessment of abrasion resistance was conducted in line with the Indian standard. The study suggests that the utilization of CWP enhances the high temperature and abrasion resistance of GM.