The Influence of Substitution of Fly Ash with Marble Dust or Blast Furnace Slag on the Properties of the Alkali-Activated Geopolymer Paste

Worldwide, it is now known that industrial by-products rich in silicon (Si) and aluminum (Al) can be transformed by alkaline activation into so-called green concrete, an efficient and sustainable material in the field of construction; the geopolymer material. In this work, geopolymer materials produced using fly ash and marble dust or blast furnace slag were studied to assess the influence of these substitutions on the performances of the final product. Geopolymer materials have been characterized by physico-mechanical methods, FTIR spectroscopy and microscopically. The analysis of the results indicates the reduction of the mechanical strength performance by substituting the fly ash as the raw material.

Automated summary

It is now widely known that industrial by-products rich in silicon and aluminum can be transformed into green concrete, a sustainable material in construction, through alkaline activation. This study examined the effect of using fly ash and either marble dust or blast furnace slag on the performance of geopolymer materials. Physico-mechanical methods, FTIR spectroscopy, and microscopy were used to characterize the geopolymer materials. The results showed a reduction in mechanical strength performance when fly ash was substituted as the raw material.